The best way to explore Mississippi is through the senses.
Taste the salty sweetness of Gulf Coast oysters cradled in a Po’boy, and the spicy heat of hand-rolled tamales fresh from the steamer. Hear the sizzle of catfish frying at an outdoor festival. Feel the excitement of riverboat casinos that come with headliner entertainment, gourmet restaurants, and luxury spas.
Listen to the Blues pouring out of a juke joint on a hot Delta night, to the rhythms that turned Tupelo native Elvis Presley into a Rock 'n' Roll legend, and to the genteel drawl that comes from the shadows of an antebellum past. And look for a rich literary heritage that ranges from William Faulkner and Tennessee Williams to contemporary authors John Grisham and Greg Iles.
Mississippi doesn’t just tease the senses. It invites you to come and experience them.
MISSISSIPPI MUSIC
Follow the Blues
When it comes to music—blues, country, rock and roll, R&B—Mississippi has it all. Explore the Blues Trail, which follows no set path, but touches every part of the state, and you’ll find traces of legendary musicians such as Robert Johnson, Son House, Muddy Waters, and B.B. King. Markers are found at gravesites, birth sites, railroad crossings, and places where the blues lives both in memory and in the musicians who play as much for themselves as for their audiences.
In Indianola, stop at the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center, one of the best new museums in the South. Through exhibits and in videos, B.B. King tells his story as no one else could. To see the man himself, head to Fletcher Park in Indianola during the B.B. King Homecoming Festival, this year held July 2-3.
Step inside any of the dozens of clubs and juke joints scattered across the state. One of our favorites is Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale. Live music plays Wednesday and Thursday, but it draws the biggest crowds on Friday and Saturday nights.
South of Clarksdale, in Merigold, William Seaberry operates a juke joint known as Po’ Monkey’s. The dilapidated sharecropper’s shack, where a disc jockey spins blues on Thursday nights, sits off of U.S. 61 and out in the middle of a cornfield. No sign points the way. Ask for directions at Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art in Clarksdale.
Another of our favorites is the 930 Blues Café, in an old house on North Congress Street in Jackson. Live music begins at 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday. We like to go on Thursday for the Live Blues Jam, when Norman Clark and his Smoke Stack Lightning Band rattle the rafters with authentic Delta blues. When Miss Jackie Bell joins them on stage, she brings the house down.
Country Goes Rock 'n' Roll
To learn how the “Father of Country Music” influenced the blues, make tracks for the Jimmie Rodgers Museum in Meridian. One of the first super stars of country music, Rodgers also recorded many blues songs, including Blue Yodel No. 9, one of the early influences on Rock 'n' Roll.
Follow the trail to Tupelo, and the little two-room house where the King of Rock 'n' Roll was born. It’s now part of the Elvis Presley Birthplace, which also includes a museum and the small Assembly of God Pentecostal church Elvis attended. Pay the extra admission to go inside the church, sit down (the best seats are in the back), and watch the multimedia presentation while listening to the same gospel songs that influenced Elvis’s music.
At lunchtime, head to Johnnie’s Drive-In on East Main Street and order from the menu that hasn’t changed much from the days when Elvis and a friend ordered cheeseburgers and RC Colas there.
Then drive back down Main Street to Tupelo Hardware Company and ask for Howard Hite, who can show you where Elvis and his mother stood the day she bought him his first guitar. They still sell guitars, along with cast-iron cookware, plumbing supplies, and tools. But today a guitar costs a bit more than the $7.75 Gladys Mrs. Presley bought.
Headline Entertainment
Music tops the list of non-gaming activities at many of Mississippi’s casinos. In Choctaw, the Pearl River Resort hosts Clint Black in concert on February 20, and Creedence Clearwater Revisited on March 26.
Casinos along the Mississippi River recall the days when riverboats brought entertainment to towns up and down the Big Muddy. In Tunica, look for Merle Haggard and Kris Kristofferson on stage February 20 at the Horseshoe Casino. In nearby Lula, Little Texas takes the stage on March 27 at the Isle of Capri Casino. At the Ameristar Casino in Vicksburg, headliners at the Bottleneck Blues Bar include Billy Currington on April 9, and Richard Marx on May 14.
Down along the Gulf Coast, the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Biloxi features a lineup that includes KC & The Sunshine Band on March 19, Ronnie Milsap on April 2, Al Green on May 21, Soul Asylum on August 27, and Rick Springfield on October 2. At the Beau Rivage in Biloxi you can catch Kenny Loggins on April 8; and Earth, Wind & Fire on May 1.
MATTERS OF TASTE
Famous Chefs, Fabulous Food
Mississippi chefs have taken local staples such as catfish, shrimp, and sweet potatoes, and put their state on the culinary map. In Oxford, chef John Currence operates the restaurants City Grocery, Bouré, and Big Bad Breakfast. He won the 2009 James Beard Award for Best Chef in the South, and what he does with Mississippi seafood is sinfully delicious. At City Grocery you can order a buttermilk-fried shrimp po’ boy, or go for the shrimp linguini, prepared with county ham, asparagus, shallot, spinach, goat cheese, and roasted garlic/butternut squash puree. The signature dish at Bouré is shrimp and grits: the shrimp and Andouille sausage are sautéed with garlic, onions, tomatoes, corn, and sweet bell peppers tossed in a Creole cream sauce, and served over a garlic-cheese grit cake.
In Hattiesburg, author and food columnist Robert St. John operates the New South Restaurant Group, which includes the Crescent City Grill and Purple Parrot Café. He takes catfish to new levels when he serves it on a ragout of applewood smoked bacon, braised collard greens, and black-eyed peas, finished it with a Creole mustard buerre blanc.
At Restaurant Tyler in Starkville, chef Jonathan “Ty” Thames serves catfish battered with pecans and cornmeal, and served in a garlic, tomato, and saffron broth. He uses Vardaman sweet potatoes in his sweet potato gnocchi—Vardaman bills itself as the sweet potato capitol of the world, with a festival that begins the first Saturday in November.
At Madidi’s in Clarksdale, chef Jason Jones has won a loyal following. The upscale menu changes seasonally, and ranges from such dishes as maple leaf duck breast with sweet potato fritters to buttermilk fried quail with whipped sweet potatoes, slow-cooked southern greens, and truffle clover honey. If the dessert menu includes banana pudding (with caramelized bananas), don’t pass it up.
Fried, Tried, and True
Some of the best food in the state still comes from kitchens that have been around for years. They keep diners coming back for the fresh seafood, sautéed until tender or fried and piled into buns; crispy catfish with sides of hushpuppies, fries, and coleslaw; and hot tamales so spicy and good they’ll bring tears to your eyes.
Blow Fly Inn in Gulfport ranks as one of the most popular places along the Gulf Coast for a shrimp or oyster Po’boy. Locals also favor Mikey’s on the Bayou, in Ocean Springs, for its oyster po’boy. For some of the most delicious seafood gumbo in the area, head straight for Biloxi and Mary Mahoney’s Old French House.
One of the best places to find fried catfish is in Belzoni, during the World Catfish Festival, scheduled for April 10, 2010. But Taylor Grocery in Taylor calls itself the “ultimate catfish house.” Here you can order it fried, grilled, or Mississippi-style blackened, and accompanied by hot, crusty hushpuppies. Catfish lovers in Natchez head to Cock of the Walk, where you can add a side of fried dill pickles to your order.
A Mississippi Delta specialty, the tamale has migrated to all corners of the state. Some of the best and spiciest morsels (they’ll make your taste buds sing) come from Hick’s World Famous Tamales & More in Clarksdale. Down the road in Rosedale, Barbara Pope at the tiny, off-the-beaten-path White Front Cafe (also called Joe’s Hot Tamale Place) hand-rolls tamales that are slightly less spicy, but taste equally delicious. Doe’s Eat Place in Greenville may be famous for its steaks, but the tamales are equally popular with the locals.
Southern Favorites
For a true Southern meal, nothing takes the place of fried chicken, turnip greens, black-eyed peas, and other regional offerings. One place to satisfy your craving is the Hollywood Café on Old Highway 61 in Robinsonville, north of Tunica. Catfish, shrimp, and frog legs are on the menu for lunch and dinner, along with fried dill pickles, a delicacy said to have originated here. For a sweet ending, have a slice of pecan pie or a serving of hot cobbler. If the Blue & White Restaurant, along U.S. 61 in Tunica, looks like an old gas station, it’s because that’s what it was at one time. Go for breakfast and order the country ham with red-eye gravy, grits, and biscuits. For lunch, try the chicken and dumplings.
Peggy’s, on East Bay Street in Philadelphia, has a way with veggies, served family-style. And if you’re in Corinth on a Thursday, you’re in luck. That’s the day they serve cornbread salad at Borroum’s Drug Store. Arrive early, because it sells out quickly, and enjoy it with a hand-drawn fountain drink. For dessert, nothing beats one of their thick, creamy milkshakes.
Comeback Sauce
At first encounter you might mistake it for remoulade, but Comeback Sauce, which originated in Jackson, is uniquely Mississippi. Basically mayonnaise with ingredients added to make it pink and zesty, it’s served with everything from crab cakes and sandwiches, to salads. At Walker’s Drive In, in Jackson, a spicy horseradish version accompanies the Portobello fries. At Delta Bistro in Greenwood, they slather it on the Reuben sandwich, serve it with crab cakes, and offer it as a salad dressing.
The Mississippi Gift Company in Greenwood can keep you supplied with Comeback Sauce, as well as other delicacies made or grown in the state, including pecans, cheese straws, shrimp sauce, muscadine jellies, and the most amazing caramel cake we’ve ever tasted.
SOME DON’T-MISS SPOTS
Mississippi offers a wealth of places to see and things to do. Here are a baker's dozen of our favorite places and activities to get you started. You can find out about all the state has to offer at VisitMississippi.org.
Biloxi: Take a shrimping trip aboard the Sailfish with Captain Mike Moore or his wife Captain Brandy Moore. It’s a 70-minute education about shrimp (one can grow an inch every seven days, if something doesn’t eat it first), the shrimp industry, and how to properly boil them (a little butter or canola oil in the water makes the shell crisp and easy to peel). And make sure to visit our Biloxi & Gulfport Insider Guide for writer and local resident Jason Stuart's latest recommendations.
Jackson: Tour the Eudora Welty House and Gardens, on Pinehurst Street. See the rooms where the author lived and wrote, and be sure to spend time in her beloved garden. At our Jackson Insider Guide, seasoned traveler Joey Lee shares the latest dish on his home town.
Merigold: Shop at McCarty’s Pottery. You won’t find any signs; just look for the pole with colored streamers in front of what was once an old mule barn in this tiny community just north of Cleveland. The pottery ranges from dinnerware to decorative pieces. Look for the trademark black wavy line, usually on the rim, that represents the Mississippi River.
Moss Point: Take a guided canoe trip on the Pascagoula River, one of the country’s last free-flowing rivers, with Capt. Benny McCoy. Tours depart from the Pascagoula River Audubon Center, near Interstate 10 in Moss Point. Come April 17-24 and celebrate the Pascagoula River Nature Festival that takes place at the Audubon Center and in Gautier, Lucedale, Moss Point, and Ocean Springs.
Natchez: See the entire town, from the antebellum mansions to the downtown shops, especially Darby’s Gifts & Decorative Accessories at 410 Main Street. Step into Darby’s for a pound (at least) of the fabulous fudge. Pick up a book by local author Greg Iles at Turning Pages Books & More, and keep an eye out for landmarks you find mentioned within the pages.
Ocean Springs: Stop at the visitor’s center in the old depot for a map to the Walter Anderson Museum of Art, and to the Anderson family’s Shearwater Pottery. The original pottery studio was destroyed during hurricane Katrina, but it has since been rebuilt and opened to visitors.
Oxford: William Faulkner lived in his beloved home, Rowan Oak, for more than three decades. You can see where he ate, slept, and wrote—his black Underwood typewriter still sits in his office. The town is also part-time home to author John Grisham (his farm sits just outside of town). Find books by both authors downtown at Square Books. Get recommendations for more to do from Ole Miss grad and man-about-town David Molina on our Oxford Insider Guide.
Philadelphia: Browse through Williams Brothers Store, founded in 1907. Shoppers come to buy groceries (take home a wedge of cheese cut to order) and clothing (need overalls or a flannel shirt?). Come in July (July 23-30, 2010) for the Neshoba County Fair. Calling itself "Mississippi's Giant Houseparty," it features harness and running horse racing, concerts, arts show, and a midway.
Port Gibson: Make the drive to the Ruins of Windsor; take the Alcorn University exit off U.S. 61 and follow the signs. Twenty-three hauntingly beautiful Corinthian columns are all that remain of a mansion that burned in 1890, but they’re worth taking time to see.
Ridgeland: The Mississippi Crafts Center showcases works by state artists and craftsmen. Look for beautiful blown glass, furniture, pottery, baskets, carved wooden animals, and jewelry. Most weekends you’ll find one or more craftsmen demonstrating their talents.
Rolling Fork: Look for the bears (statues, not live ones) placed around town. According to popular legend, this is where the teddy bear originated. In 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt came to the area to hunt, and ended up sparing the life of a bear cub. Thus was born the teddy bear, and later, the annual Great Delta Bear Affair. The date for the 2010 event is October 23. While here, look for the Blues Trail marker that honors hometown musician Muddy Waters.
Tupelo: Step inside the Tupelo Automobile Museum for a trip through old-car heaven. The collection includes more than 100 vintage vehicles, including a three-wheeled 1886 Benz, a Lincoln once owned by Elvis Presley, a 1994 Dodge Viper with 12 miles on the odometer, and a 1957 Corvette, one of only 6,339 made that year.
Vicksburg: Drive through the Vicksburg National Military Park, and then visit the antebellum mansions Anchuca and Cedar Grove. All are said to be haunted by ghosts from the Civil War, and you can stay overnight at either.
Karen Lingo, Executive Editor
Best of the South
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