Delta Region - Must See Places? (Greenville, Vicksburg: hotels, house, neighborhoods)

[FSUMike]

Hello everyone,

I am considering a trip to the Delta with my family for this coming Fall. It's the only region of MS that I have never visited, so I'm really looking forward to it.

My tenative plan so far is to start in Natchez, and go north all the way to Memphis before coming back home to Alabama.

I plan on the trip taking one week or so.

I am looking for advice on must-see places along the way. We are interested in historical sites, nature, and food (tamales!), mostly.

Any activities will have to be appropriate and enjoyable for small children as well.

Thank you!

[Listener2307]

Clarksdale:
Stay at The Shack Up Inn and stay in either a shotgun shack that has been repurposed or a cotton bin that has been similarly repurposed.
Visit the Blues Museum.
If you time it right there would be a Blues Festival. All the entertainment is free and you may discover an artist or two you had never heard of. But even if you can't make it to town then, there is always plenty of entertainment.
If you like to drive, take MS Highway 1 starting at the far Northern point and wander South. Go through all the little dying towns (The Delta is dying) and check out all the various museums. Point out the levy to the kids and explain to them why it is there.


I'm sure there is good food everywhere, but I'll leave that to someone else. A Diet Coke and chicken wings are fine with me.

[Southern man]

The Windsor Ruins near Port Gibson are worth seeing.

[jhadorn]

If you go to Windsor Ruins you are only about 20 minutes from the ghost town of Rodney, MS. My wife and I went there and thought it was pretty cool.

[Mississippi Alabama Line]

If you're coming from Natchez, definitely see the Windsor Ruins that the other poster mentioned, and check out the military park in Vicksburg, if you've never been there.

'Delta' doesn't really start until you get north of Vicksburg, though.

[viverlibre]

In Clarksdale, eat at Ground Zero.

There is a new hotel in Cleveland with a nice rooftop bar. There is also a Grammy Museum on Delta State, but I haven't visited.

The Crystal Grill in Greenwood is one of the best restaurants in the State and been family-run since the 30s. I think a restaurant has been in that location since the turn of the 20th century.

Vicksburg is likely going to have the most to do; the military park, a walkable downtown, with 10 South overlooking the river. Rusty's is a Seafood restaurant that people drive long distances to eat. Walnut Hills is a "round table" restaurant and a neat place.

Visiting the Ghost Town of Rodney is on my bucket list, the Windsor Ruins may be a little underwhelming.

Natchez is a fun place with a ton of history, make sure to visit the Tavern Under the Hill.

Keep expectations low, there isn't much to the delta but farming and poverty. Unless your kids enjoy driving long distances, while looking at cotton, soybean and corn fields (with sketchy cell reception), it may not be enjoyable for them.

[brickpatio2018]

Natchez is the highlight. Monmouth and Dunleith mansions, both which are now hotels, are stunning, and the historic neighborhoods adjacent to downtown are lovely for walking. And the view of the river is beautiful.

Going north, Port Gibson is known for being "too beautiful to burn" for a reason, with tree-lined streets and elegant homes and churches. Nearby Windsor is fascinating and worth a look. The Natchez Trace has some interesting places to stop.

Vicksburg's best feature is the picturesque military park lined with grand monuments for all the states amid green rolling hills.

In the Delta, to me the best feature is the landscape itself. The wide-open landscape is an expanse of lush, green farmland, criscrossed with streams and bayous lined with lush hardwood forests. There is a serenity to it and a genuine sense of place, with very few people actually, almost entirely lush crops, streams, forests, and open space.

For places to visit, my favorites include Grand Boulevard in Greenwood (for elegant homes) and the Alluvian Hotel in downtown Greenwood and cooking school. Also, the town of Leland has Deer Creek, which is lined with beautifully elegant homes along both sides of the creek. Very pretty and surprisingly well maintained.

In Clarksdale for me the highlight is the Clarksdale Country Club neighborhood, which is nicely positioned across the small river from downtown away from the rest of town and remarkably upscale.

Cleveland has Delta State University which has a cute campus and a little Main Street with the new Cotton House hotel, there to serve visitors to the Grammy Museum.

[viverlibre]

Doe's in Greenville will likely be the place for tamales. I'm not a fan of Doe's, but it is a popular, well-known delta institution known for steaks and tamales.

An interesting fact about Doe's, it started out as an establishment serving blacks, but it was so good word spread and whites starting wanting to eat there, but they were served around back, take out only!

[sammyreynolds1977]

If you want the best tamales in the Delta go to Serio's in Greenwood

[AppalachianAngler]

Originally Posted by brickpatio2018

Natchez is the highlight. Monmouth and Dunleith mansions, both which are now hotels, are stunning, and the historic neighborhoods adjacent to downtown are lovely for walking. And the view of the river is beautiful.

Going north, Port Gibson is known for being "too beautiful to burn" for a reason, with tree-lined streets and elegant homes and churches. Nearby Windsor is fascinating and worth a look. The Natchez Trace has some interesting places to stop.

Vicksburg's best feature is the picturesque military park lined with grand monuments for all the states amid green rolling hills.

In the Delta, to me the best feature is the landscape itself. The wide-open landscape is an expanse of lush, green farmland, criscrossed with streams and bayous lined with lush hardwood forests. There is a serenity to it and a genuine sense of place, with very few people actually, almost entirely lush crops, streams, forests, and open space.

For places to visit, my favorites include Grand Boulevard in Greenwood (for elegant homes) and the Alluvian Hotel in downtown Greenwood and cooking school. Also, the town of Leland has Deer Creek, which is lined with beautifully elegant homes along both sides of the creek. Very pretty and surprisingly well maintained.

In Clarksdale for me the highlight is the Clarksdale Country Club neighborhood, which is nicely positioned across the small river from downtown away from the rest of town and remarkably upscale.

Cleveland has Delta State University which has a cute campus and a little Main Street with the new Cotton House hotel, there to serve visitors to the Grammy Museum.

All great recommendations.

BB King Museum in Indianola is a great stop as well if you are into the blues.

McCarty's in Merigold (just outside of Cleveland) if you want to get some great southern handmade pottery.