Itineraries
Music Blues Route
If you’re a hard core blues fan or interested in the Blues or American Music in general, a visit to the Mississippi Delta is a must. Below is a list of some of Mississippi’s best music attractions, and they’re all a short drive from Cleveland’s location exactly 100 miles south of Memphis on the legendary Highway 61. In addition to all the shopping, hotel choices, and great restaurants, Cleveland’s location makes it the best place to stay in the Mississippi Delta. With over 50 blues markers and famous blues historical sites and possible “crossroads” within a forty-five minute drive, Cleveland is smack dab in the middle of everything Delta. If you’re wanting to visit the birthplace of the blues, Dockery Farms (where early blues musicians like Charley Patton, Robert Johnson and Howlin’ Wolf, made music history), the BB King Museum in Indianola, the Blue Front Café in Bentonia, the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, the GRAMMY Museum and take in scores of other historical markers interpreting blues, Civil Rights, and music sites like Mississippi Blues Trail Markers while finding some authentic blues music before coming back to a comfy hotel and a nice dinner, this is the place for your perfect blues road trip.
Highway 61 Blues Museum
On the road between Cleveland and Greenville is the quaint town of Leland, Mississippi. Not only is it the location of the Kermit the Frog Museum, it's also the location Highway 61 Blues Museum. The town and the museum both have a lot of character and are definitely worth checking out.
Delta Blues Museum
And any blues journey has to include a stop in Clarksdale, which is about 30 miles north of Cleveland. The Delta Blues Museum is an excellent place to learn more about the blues and soak up some blues culture, plus Clarksdale has some pretty famous juke joints like Ground Zero and Red’s, where folks from around the world come to experience live blues music.
B.B. King Museum & Delta Interpretive Center
About 30 miles south of Cleveland in the small town of Indianola is the birthplace, resting place and museum of BB King. Any Blues itinerary must include this stop.
Grammy Museum Mississippi
The Grammy Museum Mississippi, located in Cleveland, is the only Grammy Museum outside of Los Angeles, and with good reason: Per capita, Mississippi is the birthplace of more Grammy winners than anywhere else in the world! The museum is a fantastic place to spend a couple of hours to start off your musical tour through the Mississippi Delta. Not only will you learn about the music industry, and the artists who work in it, you’ll be able to see the outfits and favorite instruments of many of your favorite musicians while learning more about the star-making quality of the music industry and the important contributions Mississippi has made to America’s music. Plus, with interactive exhibits from Keb Mo and others, you’ll even be able to walk out of there having written and produced your own work! You can even come up with dance moves for it, too!
A Cast of Blues
Just across from the Grammy Museum at Delta State University is a display of life-sized “life casts” of dozens of Mississippi Blues artists from Bo Diddly to Bobby Rush. The casts, which were taken by visually impared artist and sculptor Sharon McConnell-Dickerson serve as, “a 3D photograph to someone who is blind. It captures the flesh, muscle, bone, hair, and the subtle expression of emotion,” according to the artist. The works capture the artists in ways that photographs cannot. Admission to view the masks is free.
Dockery Farms
People who know music know that what we know as blues music started right outside of Cleveland at Dockery Farms. Back in the day, Mr. Dockery was one of the few plantation owners that allowed music to be played on the weekends and so blues music began to be refined and sprung up around the gin. You and your friends can join people from around the world in learning the history of the place, while taking some excellent photos, on a self-guided tour. There’s no entry fee, but donations are accepted.
Photo By Mark Hilton
Charley Patton Gravesite
The "Father of the Blues" Charley Patton, who rose to fame from nearby Dockery Farms is buried not far from BB King Museum. If you're going to themuseum, you can make this little side trip and pay your respects to Charley. This modest marker is located in the flattest part of the Delta in the Holly Ridge Cemetery, about 35 miles south of Cleveland and just a few minutes east of Indianola.
Po Monkey’s Blues Marker and the Mississippi Blues Trail
Po Monkey’s, one of the world’s most legendary and photographed juke joints, was just up the road from Cleveland in the nearby village of Merigold. While Po Monkey has passed and the joint has passed with him, the building and marker (and old outhouse) still remain and are a great place to start your journey on the Mississippi Blues Trail. There are more than 50 blues trail markers within a 45 minute drive of Cleveland and some of Mississippi’s most photogenic spots are on the route, no matter how you plan it. Roadside dives with fantastic food, interesting characters, and unparalleled Mississippi Delta views are just waiting for your discovery.
You can check out all the Mississippi Blues Trail Markers on the Mississippi Blues Trail Map.
Rosedale and Dockery Crossroads
(Where Robert Johnson may have really sold his soul)
You may have heard that Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads of Highway 61 and 49 in Clarksdale, but many who have studied the folklore surrounding that fateful and history-changing event, dispute that theory. We won’t get into the debate here, but the other plausible locations are in Rosedale at the intersection of Highway 1 and Highway 8 (More Info), and at a still unpaved crossroads about a mile due south of Dockery Farms. Both the Rosedale and Dockery theories (More Info) say that Robert Johnson was “run out” of Dockery Farms for his poor guitar playing and was heading to Rosedale where the patrons gave him an easier time. At the crossroads on his way (either near Dockery or just outside of Rosedale), the depressed and frustrated Robert Johnson met the devil and did the deal, and the rest is history. The good news is that it’s not hard to visit all three locations: they’re all within 40 minutes of Cleveland.
Catch a Show at the Bologna Performing Arts Center
Also known as the BPAC, the Bologna Performing Arts Center, located just a few blocks from downtown, brings regular nationally touring concerts and performances to the Delta Region. In the past year this modern and attractive venue has brought in Martina McBride, Dionne Warwick, Don Felder, Chloe Agnew and a host of others. You can plan your getaway to Cleveland around a show by checking out the schedule on their website.
Deep Roots Concerts Downtown
Held at the historic Ellis Theater in downtown Cleveland, Deep Roots hosts a monthly, sometimes weekly music series featuring Americana music. Americana can be anything from blues to jazz to country. This is a BYOB event, so you can bring a bottle of wine and kick back and listen to some of what makes American music the best music in the world.
Check Out the Area Nightlife!
Shows pop up all the time at restaurants and other events in and around Cleveland, so be sure and check out our calendar page to find out what’s playing around town when you’re headed to the Delta!
Check out our Calendar to find out who’s playing tonight.