Cleveland, Mississippi: Great Things in the Heart of the Delta
When your hotel room includes a record player and two popular blues records, you know you're in the ideal place if you enjoy music. Cleveland, Mississippi, you're welcome.
Cleveland’s Blues Heritage
Cleveland, Mississippi is located in the Delta and is close to Dockery Farms plantation, which is thought to be the birthplace of the blues in America. African Americans were employed by Will Dockery, who ran the southern plantation, to work the farm and transport cotton across the nation.
There, on the commissary steps, workers put on a special performance and exchanged musical inventions. Henry Sloan, Charley Patton, Willie Brown, Roebuck "Pops" Staples, and Son House were a few of these blues pioneers. Patton, who is regarded as the founder of the Delta Blues, was raised nearby.
Cleveland’s Grammy Museum
The Recording Academy picked Cleveland, Mississippi to house its first Grammy Museum outside of Los Angeles, in part due to the area's strong musical history. The Mississippi museum, which opened its doors in 2016, features both permanent and changing exhibitions, as well as occasional special events and live performances. Even better, guests can learn how to dance and record their own songs! Adults pay $12, while children pay $6. (ages 5 and under admitted free).
The "Fighting Okra" or Delta State University is located just next to the Grammy Museum. Visit the headquarters of the Delta Center for Culture and Learning to see Sharon McConnell's intricately crafted plaster portraits of bluesmen. The Mississippi Delta Chinese Heritage Museum and the Dave "Boo" Ferriss Museum, honoring the Boston Red Sox pitcher, are also located on the grounds.
Around Town
The Cotton House Hotel is located along Cotton Row, a lengthy major roadway that runs through the town. Around the new luxury lodgings, visitors will find charming boutiques, antique stores, and a variety of dining establishments.
The Delta Meat Market, run by James Beard nominee Chef Cole Ellis, is located inside the Cotton House. Start with the hanger steak frites, which are made of crispy russet potatoes, a rich Hoover Sauce made in Mississippi, green onions, Maytag blue cheese, and slices of melt-in-your-mouth hanger steak.
Heart of Mississippi Delta Attractions
The Martin and Sue King Railroad Heritage Museum, a free museum with a sizable miniature train set and Cleveland history, is among the must-see attractions. The McCarty family continues to produce its distinctive pottery outside of town in the little village of Merigold, producing both decorative and useful items (you may notice the platters used in the Delta Meat Market as McCarty). In 1954, Lee and Pup McCarty founded the McCarty Pottery firm, which is now run by their godsons, Jamie and Stephen Smith.
Cleveland also has a lot of Civil Rights and Mississippi Blues Memorials, and the surrounding area is full of exciting outdoor activities.