Gooseberry Falls State Park, Two Harbors. The museum is also pretty hands-on, and you can mix your own music and even play the guitar, or sit in the same chair at B.B. 1 662 627 3239). TIP: Upgrade to a room with a fireplace for extra charm. In Clarksdale check the "who's playing" board (or the website) at Cat Head (252 Delta Ave.; tel. A Route 66 road trip is a driving adventure along what is probably the most famous road in the world. Using an old travel guide, Cathy drives a period Cadillac the length of Minnesota Highway 61 exploring the secrets of places long gone and spinning stories about people… The Route: U.S. Highway 61 from Clarksdale to Vicksburg If you go: Plug these detour worthy destinations into your GPS. The former sharecroppers’ quarters-turned-super-cool-cabins for rent, also offer beer and a live blues lounge. If you like the music of B.B. The US Route 61, or simply Highway 61, is one of the most iconic figures in American road trip culture. 1 662 627 7337; www.clarksdale.com); Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau (tel. As with most places in Nashville, you'll find good music and good BBQ here. Dennis. Muddy Waters rode the Blues Highway. There's also the Delta Blues Museum in town, which has been honoring the area’s blues heritage for the past 36 years, and if you visit during the right time, you might even catch some blues on their stage. During July and August—peak travel months—expect sometimes sweltering temperatures, over-crowded attractions, and higher rates for lodging. From its beginning in Chicago, Route 66 headed south through Illinois and Missouri, and a small section of southeast Kansas. Spend the night on the plantation at the Shack Up Inn. Answer 1 of 4: Hey everyone, Me and my boyfriend are planning a 14 day road trip from Chicago to New Orleand (passing though Memphis, Clarksdale, Vicksburg, etc, following the Route 61 along side the Great River Road). The “road trip” lies at the heart of American culture and has come to be a metaphor for freedom, and so it may come as no surprise that the internet is awash with recommended road trips across the US. The steak, beef tamales, and honey-covered drop biscuits are highly recommended, plus their bartender is an award-winning mixologist who crafts delicious cocktails! Want to hear live blues? In fact, the area is so rich in musical history that U.S. Route 61, which runs right through it, has been dubbed the "Blues Highway". King, you have to stop at the B. In Nola we started our Road Trip through Highway 61 to Nashville. It's is a collection of restored sharecropper shacks and boutique hotel rooms built inside renovated cotton bins (Hwy. The hotel is just a two minute walk from the casino, and a couple miles from Natchez National Historic Park. 1 901 726 5473), a juke joint three miles north of touristed Beale Street. In fact, the area is so rich in musical history that U.S. Route 61, which runs right through it, has been dubbed the "Blues Highway". I enjoyed the rural quirkiness and found it necessary to budget extra time for entertaining unscheduled conversations. Kings Blues Club. At the end of the drive, the Battlefield Inn offers an alternative to cut-and-paste hotel chains (4137 I-20 N. Frontage Rd. Downtown's Rendezvous (52 S. Second St.; tel. Travel Blues Highway on Route 61 from Memphis to Merigold, Mississippi, for juke joints, hot tamales, and Morgan Freeman for a great Southern road trip. Route description Berks County. Pop in that Muddy Waters CD, roll down the windows and belt out a tune or two on the road down from Memphis town, along the Blues Highway. The second most famous trip—pipped only by Route 66—is Route 61. A road is a road, but sometimes it's more. All rights reserved, Photograph by William Albert Allard, National Geographic. There are rockers on the front porch and you could spend forever just hanging out for the afternoon. But even if gambling isn't your thing, stop here for a meal at the Blue and White dinner (1355 Hwy. Catch a band and a down-home meal at actor Morgan Freeman's nightclub Ground Zero Blues Club (0 Blues Alley; tel. Sleep on high thread-count sheets at the Madison Hotel in downtown Memphis (79 Madison Ave.; tel. Best time to travel down the Blues Highway: Since summer is high season for all of the towns along the route, spring and fall are the best times to travel if you're hoping to avoid high hotel rates, crowds, and the often-sweltering Southern heat. The North Shore drive along Lake Superior is the most scenic stretch of road in Minnesota and possibly the entire Midwest. It offers overlooks, access to Lake Superior, shops, restaurants and lodging. Another cool feature is that there are jukeboxes in the exhibit rooms, so you can hear music from each time period. It's a big space that can get crowded, but it's got drinks and dancing late into the night. Elvis knew it, too—his rock-and-roll is as rooted in the delta as a cypress tree in the lowland muck. 49, Clarksdale; tel. Tonight travelers and locals alike gather around platters of barbecued chicken for a jam session. Mostly it gives the flavor of what Highway 61 was like back in the day. With Don McKellar, Valerie Buhagiar, Earl Pastko, Peter Breck. 1 901 946 2535 http://www.staxmuseum.com/) is named for an influential 1960s label that recorded such talents as Otis Redding, the Staple Singers, and Isaac Hayes. Right next door is the Delta Blues Museum (#1 Blues Alley, Clarksdale; tel. Inside, the air swirls with cigarette smoke and guitar chords being thumped out by a local band. Also consider the stately Peabody (149 Union Ave.; tel. Once you reach Vicksburg, pull over at Goldie's Trail Bar-B-Q, which has been around since the 1960s. 1 800 221 3536; www.visitvicksburg.com, —Text by Andrew Nelson, adapted from National Geographic Traveler, Road Trip: The Blues Highway, Tennessee and Mississippi, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/road-trips/blues-highway-road-trip.html. The crowd shouts its approval. TIP: Ask to upgrade to one of their suites to really experience what it was like to be the King of Rock and Roll. Today, you can see the room that Elvis slept in. The blues are cheaper than therapy.". 1 901 333 1200; www.madisonhotelmemphis.com). Running from Minnesota down to New Orleans, this iconic route is known for Mississippi River views, great food and blues music. Also known as the Blues Highway, this route takes the adventurous driver from the Mississippi Headwaters in the northern state of Minnesota all the way to Cajun Country in New Orleans, in the southern state of Louisiana (and vice versa). The song is Prince's hit, "Purple Rain," played blues style. Memphis is alleged to have more than a hundred barbecue joints. Be prepared for remnants of ice and snow during the early spring and thunderstorms in late spring and early summer. Welcome to Margaret's Grocery (4535 N. Washington St., Vicksburg; tel. But it's important to note that Clarksdale goes hard from Wednesday to Saturday night, but come Sunday through Tuesday it's pretty dead. This is an especially great place to stop if you're a history buff. Hwy 61 featured in Gazelle Magazine article. King. He chose this stretch of road for good reason, it represents the best of Minnesota in so many ways. Highway 61 running south out of Memphis forms a legendary route along the Mississippi River evocative of a delicious slice of Americana represented by a genre of music known as the Delta blues. This is a very relaxed, local Southern restaurant that specializes in barbecue and burgers. There's loads of antiques and chandeliers, and free wifi so you can stream some blues music to enjoy in the privacy of your cozy room. When you first walk in you're given a set of headphones that guide you through the exhibits. Book Hwy 61 For Your Next Event. © 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, © 2015- 1 901 523 2746; www.hogsfly.com) is justly famous for its dry ribs. The Stax sound—driving, playful, passionate—gave voice to a new optimism rising from the region. This museum is a must-visit for any fan of the blues and blues history. This lakeside drive, Scenic 61, is part of the original Highway 61, following the 1899 wagon trail about 20 miles from Brighton Beach to the entrance to Two Harbors. By now, you should be an expert, so go ahead and sing along. Flights Holiday Rentals Restaurants Things to do Skip to main content. Historic Route 66 spans over 2,400 miles and crosses 8 states, starting in Chicago, Illinois and terminating at the Pacific Coast in Santa Monica, California. King Museum in Indianola, Mississippi! You might hear an elegant receptionist announce she is "fixin'" to do something. The best of Roadtrippers - hand picked by our team. On the surface, it’s not much different than most small, Southern towns, except you can’t seem to go more than a couple feet without hearing the whine of a harmonica. For your last stop, grab dinner in Biloxi, Mississippi at Mary Mahoney's Old French House. Jan 22, 2019 0 ; 11 Irresistible Restaurants That Define Missouri. Inside a cramped chapel is his Ark of the Covenant cobbled together from plastic, old Mardi Gras beads, and gold spray paint, illuminated by a string of Christmas lights. Sometimes the music is played on guitars picked with calloused fingers in juke joints tucked under the pine trees. 1 662 627 6820). If you’re into waterfalls, Gooseberry Falls isn’t to be … The Stax Museum of American Soul Music (926 E. McLemore Ave.; tel. Sometimes a road sings. "And by leaving they took their music to the world." 1 601 638 1163). Schedules & Maps Fares Fares Go-To Card Pass Programs Store. Trip Tools Trip Planner NexTrip Alerts Find a Park & Ride Find a Stop or Station. ... Route 61 - Road Trips Forum. En Nola empez á ba mos el Road Trip que nos llevaría hasta Nashville. If you want a relaxing and peaceful stay, you can't get much better than the cottages at The Cajun Village in Sorrento, Louisiana. Back on the road south of Clarksdale, you'll notice that Highway 61 is a lot of four-lane now, slicing through the flat, black earth of the delta as easily as a silver knife through moist cake. A road trip on Highway 61 takes in southern USA's jazz, blues, soul and rock music Barry Divola For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. They also offer overnight stays for diehard Elvis fans. Wifi is free and there are channels on the TV that show only Elvis movies. Seth Limmer, a rabbi from Armonk, New York, finishes his version of Neil Young's acoustic classic, "The Needle and the Damage Done"; then the owner of a Clarksdale music store picks up the pace with a rendition of Roger McGuinn's "Chestnut Mare." The setting is the old commissary of the historic cotton farm, the Hopson Plantation (www.hopsonplantation.com) in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Admission is $15 per person, or if you have a student ID it's only $10. So, plan your road trip accordingly. Just around the corner from Graceland (the hotel is literally steps away), the Heartbreak Hotel is a fun 1950's-inspired hotel that Elvis fans (and just visitors to Memphis) will thoroughly enjoy. If you're lucky, Mr. Pat Thomas will play guitar while you peruse the exhibits and memorabilia in the three rooms. While in Baton Rouge, check out Doe's Eat Place. 1 662 624 5992; www.cathead.biz), a blues music and folk art store that lists performances at local joints like Sarah's Kitchen (278 Sunflower Ave.; tel. Nearing the end of the journey, still north of Vicksburg, as old 61 is relegated to "business" status, you brake suddenly for what appears to be a fever dream on the right: a collection of plywood and brick towers rendered in white, pinks, reds, and yellows, with hand-painted Bible verses. I have been on two Mississippi road trips, including a Blues Trail road trip through the Delta region of the state. The hotel also offers rides to Beale Street, where you'll find loads of bars featuring live blues, at night for a modest fee. Next stop is the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. 2020 National Geographic Partners, LLC. If you’ve had enough scenic tours of mountains and fresh air, head out onto the iconic Blues Highway, the famous Route 61 that leads to Nashville, Memphis, and finally to New Orleans, with the sweet and passionate tunes of Soul, R&B, and Jazz in the air. Directed by Bruce McDonald. It's stunning. Hopson's attracts an eclectic mix of fans, writers, artists, and other free spirits eager to travel the byways of the delta and sample the famed Mississippi hospitality. PA 61 begins at US 222 Bus. "The Mother Road" was established on November 11, 1926, and ultimately stretched 2,448 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles. 1 662 759 3842). Immerse yourself in the culture by following in the footsteps of the Blues greats, and discover what inspired them to make music so profound that it was dubbed "soul" music. Since there's so much to do and see, budget at least 2 hours. The highway generally follows the course of the Mississippi River and is designated the Great River Road for much of its route. The best time to take a road trip on Route 66 is from late April to early October. Here you'll find Rosedale, a town famed blues musician Robert Johnson sang about. Tales of the Road-Highway 61 is a scenic, historic 440 mile trip with host Cathy Wurzer down iconic Highway 61 revisiting the early days of automobile travel.