Basics
- Fees:
- Expect to pay entrance fees at the various attractions along the way.
Description
A journey along the Great River Road opens the door toMississippi's history. Often referred to as "Blues Alley,"Hwy. 61 takes you south from Memphis into the Mississippi Delta.Here, centuries of Mississippi River floods have created some ofthe world's richest farmland. Depending on the time of theyear, you'll see cotton, rice and soybeans being planted,grown, or harvested along the way.
Fraught with history, the Great River Road gives you a chance tostep into the past to get a taste of the glorious antebellumMississippi period. At the Vicksburg National Military Park, the47-day Battle and Siege of Vicksburg is commemorated in 1,800 acresof hills, trenches and bluffs. Near Gibson, the town General Grantproclaimed "too beautiful to burn," lie the Ruins of Windsor, thepoignant remains of Mississippi's largest antebellum mansion.And, in Woodville, visit the boyhood home of Jefferson Davis, thefirst and only president of the Confederation.
You can also get a taste of culture along the Great River Road.The lives of the people in the Delta are reflected in some of theworld's riches and most soulful music. The blues. Explore theorigin of this music at the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, whichincludes memorabilia of B.B. King, Muddy Waters and many otherblues legends. In the main cities that the Great River Road passes,one can find an interest even for the most stubborn character.There are casinos in Tunica/Robinsville and Greenville, historicalsites in almost all the towns, and horse-drawn carriages inNatchez.