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. 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. 1 901 529 4000; www.peabodymemphis.com), famous for the ducks that traipse through the lobby twice daily. The whole place feels like you're stepping back in time to the '50s. © 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, © 2015- Also, King is buried in the back of the museum, so be sure to pay your respects. There's also an outdoor pool and a free hot breakfast. King Museum in Indianola, Mississippi! Catch a band and a down-home meal at actor Morgan Freeman's nightclub Ground Zero Blues Club (0 Blues Alley; tel. Memphis is alleged to have more than a hundred barbecue joints. The best of Roadtrippers - hand picked by our team. 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. Tonight travelers and locals alike gather around platters of barbecued chicken for a jam session. Local guide Tad Pierson offers evening tours of Memphis nightclubs and daytrips down the delta (tel. A must-visit in Clarksdale is the Ground Zero Blues Club. 1 601 359 3297; www.visitmississippi.org); Clarksdale Tourism (tel. Dennis. Since there's so much to do and see, budget at least 2 hours. Plan to spend time in the heart-shaped pool, and the jungle-themed lounge. "These are hardworking people, and maybe things aren't going their way. 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. It's a beautifully restored 19th century railroad station. If you're referring to US Highway 61, you'll have to elaborate as it's quite a long highway, extending from near the Gulf of Mexico to near the Canadian border. No trip down the Blues Trail is complete without a stop at the Highway 61 Blues Museum. They also offer overnight stays for diehard Elvis fans. Drive easy to every great blues landmark from Nashville to New Orleans. 1 601 638 1163). Ready to hit the road? himself sat in. Today I will explain you the route to Clarskdale through Natchez, Vicksburg, Jackson, Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, Tupelo and Oxford. Route 66 is the ultimate American road trip and we've put together a comprehensive 2 week Route 66 itinerary to help drivers navigate this historic route. He might take you to Wild Bill's (1580 Vollintine Ave.; tel. Kings Blues Club. For a great place to stay in NOLA, the Cornstalk Hotel is a gorgeous Victorian house that's surrounded by an iron fence that looks like cornstalks. Once you reach Vicksburg, pull over at Goldie's Trail Bar-B-Q, which has been around since the 1960s. 1 662 759 3842). During July and August—peak travel months—expect sometimes sweltering temperatures, over-crowded attractions, and higher rates for lodging. Another cool feature is that there are jukeboxes in the exhibit rooms, so you can hear music from each time period. When you first walk in you're given a set of headphones that guide you through the exhibits. Welcome to Margaret's Grocery (4535 N. Washington St., Vicksburg; tel. 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. ; 800 359 9363; http://www.battlefieldinnms.com/). "The Mother Road" was established on November 11, 1926, and ultimately stretched 2,448 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles. Admission is $15 per person, or if you have a student ID it's only $10. But it's important to note that Clarksdale goes hard from Wednesday to Saturday night, but come Sunday through Tuesday it's pretty dead. 2020 National Geographic Partners, LLC. Route description Berks County. Today, you can see the room that Elvis slept in. Co-owned by actor Morgan Freeman, this blues joint screams old-school awesomeness. 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". ... Route 61 - Road Trips Forum. 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. While in Memphis, visit Lauderdale Courts, where Elvis Presley and his parents lived from 1949 til 1953. When you're ready to call it a night, head to the Natchez Grand Hotel. The Union Station Hotel is an iconic Nashville establishment, and the perfect place to spend the night. Route 61 - Saturday - WESTBOUND BB King Museum and Delta Interprative Center. Wifi is free and there are channels on the TV that show only Elvis movies. The Stax Museum of American Soul Music (926 E. McLemore Ave.; tel. While no longer a working store, it is an enduring testament to the faith of Reverend H.D. So did John Lee Hooker, Bessie Smith, and B.B. 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. 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. This museum is housed in a former recording studio/record shop. The former sharecroppers’ quarters-turned-super-cool-cabins for rent, also offer beer and a live blues lounge. Here you can see some awesome artifacts, like Isaac Hayes' car or Booker T. Jones' keyboard, all while learning about the amazing history and influence of the Stax record label. Spend the night on the plantation at the Shack Up Inn. 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… Soul, gospel, and R&B spill out of car windows and church doors. Running from Minnesota down to New Orleans, this iconic route is known for Mississippi River views, great food and blues music. A Route 66 road trip is a driving adventure along what is probably the most famous road in the world. 61 N., Tunica; tel. The crowd shouts its approval. 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. In Clarksdale check the "who's playing" board (or the website) at Cat Head (252 Delta Ave.; tel. Want to hear live blues? Today, what's worth singing about are the Mexican tamales at White Front Café (Main St., Rosedale; tel. Route 66 was one of the United State's first continuous stretches of paved highway, and served as a major path for those who migrated west. Book Hwy 61 For Your Next Event. Also consider the stately Peabody (149 Union Ave.; tel. It's right on 61, and it's fried chicken and peach cobbler Southern cooking at its best. The hotel also offers rides to Beale Street, where you'll find loads of bars featuring live blues, at night for a modest fee. Jan 22, 2019 0 ; 11 Irresistible Restaurants That Define Missouri. It's a wonderful tribute to one of America's most prolific musicians. It's stunning. It's is a collection of restored sharecropper shacks and boutique hotel rooms built inside renovated cotton bins (Hwy. 1 901 726 5473), a juke joint three miles north of touristed Beale Street. The Route: U.S. Highway 61 from Clarksdale to Vicksburg If you go: Plug these detour worthy destinations into your GPS. To learn more about the history of the small towns along the Blues Highway, visit the Rural Life Museum. This is a very relaxed, local Southern restaurant that specializes in barbecue and burgers. As for where to spend the night, the Shack Up Inn may be one of the coolest places in America. The location is phenomenal, on a bluff with a beautiful view of the Mississippi River. 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. There are rockers on the front porch and you could spend forever just hanging out for the afternoon. About 2 hours south of Memphis and Little Rock is the town of Clarksdale, Mississippi. Flights Holiday Rentals Restaurants Things to do Skip to main content. 1 662 624 8329; www.shackupinn.com). 1 901 527 8870; www.americandreamsafari.com). The hotel is just a two minute walk from the casino, and a couple miles from Natchez National Historic Park. With Don McKellar, Valerie Buhagiar, Earl Pastko, Peter Breck. 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. 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. 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 North Shore drive along Lake Superior is the most scenic stretch of road in Minnesota and possibly the entire Midwest. But even if gambling isn't your thing, stop here for a meal at the Blue and White dinner (1355 Hwy. This is a local favorite, casual dining steakhouse. 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. Back in 1984, he promised his beloved Margaret that if she consented to marry him, he would build a palace to honor God. Sometimes a road sings. 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. 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. Right next door is the Delta Blues Museum (#1 Blues Alley, Clarksdale; tel. B. Elvis knew it, too—his rock-and-roll is as rooted in the delta as a cypress tree in the lowland muck. 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. It’s up to you where you’d like to start, but music lovers should turn their focus to the Mississippi section of the drive. With its garish, casino-based economy, Tunica looks like Las Vegas. En Nola empez á ba mos el Road Trip que nos llevaría hasta Nashville. 1 662 621 9009; www.groundzerobluesclub.com). The best time to take a road trip on Route 66 is from late April to early October. As with most places in Nashville, you'll find good music and good BBQ here. Another favorite is Tops Bar-B-Q (multiple locations, including 1258 Union Ave.; tel. This music sets you free. "There are only two reasons to go to Wild Bill's—because you're feeling good or you're feeling bad," says Pierson. He chose this stretch of road for good reason, it represents the best of Minnesota in so many ways. Rooms are actually contemporary and modern, with fun photos of Elvis hanging on the walls. The setting is the old commissary of the historic cotton farm, the Hopson Plantation (www.hopsonplantation.com) in Clarksdale, Mississippi. You might hear an elegant receptionist announce she is "fixin'" to do something. They may call it the Blues, but road tripping through the area where this distinctive musical style was born will likely lift your spirits. This is an especially great place to stop if you're a history buff. Gooseberry Falls State Park, Two Harbors. Divert yourself west to the parallel Highway 1, a quiet two-laner running along the Mississippi's "Great Wall," a never-ending levee. If you're hungry grab a bite at Abe's Bar-b-q, which has been serving up the best BBQ in town since 1924.