Delta Blues Museum
In the old freight depot, with a piece of Muddy Waters's cabin.
The Mississippi Delta and Clarksdale
The birthplace of the blues: the flat cotton lands of Highway 61, with juke joints, the crossroads and a real sense of history.
Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, B.B. King and many others came from here. In Clarksdale, visit the Delta Blues Museum and hear live music at Red's or Ground Zero. Follow the Mississippi Blues Trail markers to the B.B. King Museum at Indianola, and to Emmett Till's Sumner and Money, a painful stop.
- Best Time
- March–May and September–October
- Time Needed
- 2–3 days
- Cost Level
- $$$$
- Open
- Check before you go; hours vary by season
- Getting There
- About 90 minutes by car south of Memphis.
What to See
1 of 4 are freeJuke Joints in Clarksdale
Red's Lounge and Ground Zero Blues Club keep the music alive.
B.B. King Museum
A fine museum in Indianola, in an old cotton gin.
Emmett Till Interpretive Center
In Sumner, by the courthouse of the 1955 trial.
Know Before You Go
- Live music is mostly on weekends, and venues keep unpredictable hours. Call first.
Where to Stay
Stay in Clarksdale.
Where to Eat
Our picks are on the way.
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Go Next
Worth a DetourMemphis and Graceland
Tennessee
Elvis's Graceland, the blues on Beale Street and the National Civil Rights Museum.
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Worth a DetourVicksburg National Military Park
Mississippi
The 47-day siege that gave the Union the Mississippi River, with over a thousand monuments and a salvaged ironclad.
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If You're NearbyOxford and Tupelo
Mississippi
William Faulkner's literary college town, and the tiny two-room house where Elvis Presley was born.
Full Guide
Last checked 2026-11-02. Part of the Southeast list.