Must-visit towns on the Mississippi Blues Trail this summer

Some of the most soul-stirring towns in Mississippi come alive along the legendary Blues Trail, especially in summer. From smoky juke joints and historic birthplaces to small-town museums and roadside markers, the Mississippi Blues Trail isn’t just a route; it’s a rhythmic journey through American music history.

This trail weaves through towns both tiny and iconic, each pulsing with stories of heartbreak, resistance, and joy expressed through the blues. Whether you’re a die-hard music lover or just want a different kind of Southern road trip, these towns promise unforgettable stops.

Ready to chase the blues in the best way possible? Let’s get rolling!

Clarksdale: The heart of Delta blues

If there’s a ground zero for blues, it’s Clarksdale.

Located in the Mississippi Delta, Clarksdale is where legends like Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker got their start. Today, it’s home to the Delta Blues Museum and hosts the famous Juke Joint Festival every April, which keeps the spirit of the music alive year-round.

Ground Zero Blues Club, co-owned by actor Morgan Freeman, is a must-visit spot for authentic performances. You’ll also find quirky places like the Shack Up Inn, a cotton gin turned lodging and live music venue.

Indianola: B.B. King’s hometown

This small town gave the world one of the blues’ biggest names.

Indianola is where B.B. King grew up and is now his final resting place, the legendary guitarist and singer whose influence is still felt across the music world. The town’s crown jewel is the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center, which gives a powerful look at his life and legacy.

The museum sits on the site of a cotton gin where B.B. once worked. Indianola also hosts the annual B.B. King Homecoming Festival in June, attracting both seasoned blues fans and curious newcomers.

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The Delta Blues Museum, Mississippi

In the heart of the Mississippi Delta, there’s a former railroad freight depot that holds the roots of American music.

The Delta Blues Museum tells the story of sharecroppers turned legends, handmade guitars, and the raw sound that traveled from cotton fields to Chicago clubs and shaped everything from rock to hip-hop.

Flickr/MuddyRavine

Muddy Waters’ Cabin

You can step inside the real cabin where Muddy Waters (born McKinley Morganfield) lived on Stovall Plantation.

Back in 1941, Alan Lomax recorded Muddy right on the front porch for the Library of Congress. Workers took the cabin apart in 1996, fixed it up, and put it back together in a special 7,000-square-foot wing added in 2012.

When you go inside, you’ll see a life-size Muddy Waters figure in a sharp suit holding an old electric guitar.

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Famous Musicians Left Their Actual Instruments Here

You’ll see instruments the blues legends really played, not just copies. Check out one of B.B. King’s own “Lucille” guitars and Big Joe Williams’ unique nine-string guitar.

Don’t miss the “Muddywood” guitar that ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons made from wood he saved after a tornado hit Muddy’s cabin.

The display cases also hold Big Mama Thornton’s stage clothes and a harmonica signed by Charlie Musselwhite himself.

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Rare Blues Recordings Fill The Museum’s Sound Collection

Listen to old recordings you won’t find anywhere else. The museum keeps Alan Lomax’s original 1941 recordings of Muddy Waters made right at Stovall Plantation.

You can hear John Lee Hooker’s first big hit “Boogie Chillen” from 1949 that sold more than a million copies. They’ve also saved music from Mississippi Fred McDowell, Little Milton, and other Delta musicians who helped create rock and roll.

Sound stations throughout the museum let you play these authentic blues tracks.

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One Harmonica Here Might Be Cursed

In the back corner, there’s a collection of harmonicas. The brass one is said to be cursed and once belonged to a blues player who died mysteriously in 1943.

The harmonica has a visible crack on its side, and workers claim their equipment breaks and they lose their voice after touching it. Due to superstition, it’s not cleaned.

Flickr/visitmississippi

Photos Capture the Delta Blues Experience

The photography collections show what blues culture really looked like. You’ll see Panny Flautt Mayfield’s “Juke Joints: Live from the Mississippi Delta” collection that documents the local blues scene over twenty years.

The museum has displayed Dick Waterman’s photos of John Lee Hooker (limited prints are for sale in the gift shop). In 2010, they featured Michael Loyd Young’s “Blues, Booze & BBQ” photos that showed life along 150 miles of Highway 61, the famous blues highway cutting through the Delta.

Flickr/Diego Sideburns

They Keep DNA Samples from Blues Legends

The museum collects DNA from famous blues musicians to preserve it for future study. You can view the tools used in a small lab area.

More than 30 musicians’ DNA has been saved, with consent from the musicians or their families. This project, which started in 2010, aims to study whether musical talent might be genetically inherited.

They release findings every few months.

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They Break a Guitar String Every New Year

Each New Year’s Eve, staff break a guitar string at midnight as part of a tradition.

These broken strings are displayed in the north wing, each labeled with the year it was broken.

The tradition started after John Lee Hooker’s death in 2001, and each year a different string is used, progressing from the low E to high E.

There are currently 24 strings, each in its own glass tube.

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Old Blues Players Live in the Building

You’ll find a huge collection of historical materials that tell the blues story. Sid Graves (1946-2005), who ran Clarksdale’s Carnegie Public Library, started this collection in 1979.

It was so small at first that he took everything home each night to keep it safe. Now the archives include William Gottlieb’s photos from the 1930s-40s that were originally in Down Beat Magazine and the Washington Post.

They also have George Mitchell’s black and white photos of Mississippi Hill Country blues musicians from 1967.

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Stand Where Robert Johnson Sold His Soul

This museum has the brick from where Robert Johnson supposedly sold his soul to the devil for musical talent.

It supposedly happened at the intersection of Highways 61 and 49 in Clarksdale (now marked by giant guitar signs).

This plain-looking brick is in the middle of the main hall, marked by a small sign. Famous musicians often stand on this brick before recording new music.

The brick was discovered during roadwork in 1979, and its authenticity was confirmed through old photos and dirt testing.

Information panels also tell you about Johnson’s short career – he recorded just 29 songs between 1936-1937 before mysteriously dying at age 27 in 1938.

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Real Moonshine Are Hidden in Displays

Parts of a real moonshine still are incorporated into the museum displays.

Copper pipes and barrels, once used in a still that made liquor for blues clubs until it was discovered by the police in 1958, are found throughout the main exhibit.

These parts were anonymously donated to the museum in 1997, and tests have shown traces of corn mash from the 1950s still present on some pieces.

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Blues Music Here Helps People Heal

The museum has a soundproof room where people undergo blues music therapy. Book a slot and feel the music influence your soul with blues sounds.

Local doctors refer patients dealing with stress, and studies have shown that many patients improve after sessions. This therapy began in 2012 and has helped over 500 people.

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Visiting The Delta Blues Museum in 2025

You’ll find the museum at #1 Blues Alley Lane in Clarksdale, inside a historic train depot built in 1918 for the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad.

• Open Monday-Saturday 10am-5pm (with special Sunday hours during festivals)
• Your admission fee helps support all museum programs
• They’re celebrating their 46th anniversary throughout 2025 with new exhibits

You can get audio guides in six languages and catch live blues every Friday night. There’s free parking behind the building with easy access if you have trouble walking.

Bentonia: Home of the haunting Bentonia style

Bentonia may be small, but its blues legacy is anything but.

It’s known for a distinct and eerie style of blues developed by local musician Skip James. His influence still echoes through the annual Bentonia Blues Festival, held at the Blue Front Café, the oldest juke joint in Mississippi still in operation.

It’s one of the most intimate blues experiences you can find. Owned by Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, a direct musical descendant of James, the Blue Front Café continues to serve up authentic music sessions with raw Delta soul.

Greenwood: Rich history, rich sound

This Delta town blends blues roots with civil rights history.

Greenwood was once a key stop for blues musicians and is still home to legendary sites like the gravesite of Robert Johnson, often dubbed the “King of the Delta Blues.” The nearby Three Forks store is said to be the place where he played his last gig.

You can also catch modern blues at places like the Alluvian Hotel. This upscale boutique stay even offers blues packages and curated trail maps to help travelers explore the surrounding musical heritage.

Tunica: Casinos and deep blues

Tunica isn’t just about slots and poker; it’s a true blues destination.

This town hosts the Gateway to the Blues Museum, built inside a restored 1895 train depot. Inside, visitors get a full sensory immersion into blues history, instruments, and iconic performances.

The museum is your perfect starting point for trail exploration. While in Tunica, you can also check out the Hollywood Café, where Marc Cohn famously sang about in “Walking in Memphis,” and where the blues still play on the weekends.

Leland: The birthplace of James “Son” Thomas

Leland may be tiny, but its blues credentials are strong.

This is the hometown of James “Son” Thomas, a bluesman known for both his haunting music and his equally eerie clay skull sculptures. The Highway 61 Blues Museum, housed in an old grocery store, honors him and other local artists.

Leland is a key stop on the famed Highway 61, the “Blues Highway.” You’ll find murals, jam sessions, and friendly locals ready to talk blues and share stories passed down through generations.

Merigold: A town that lives for juke joints

Merigold is where you go when you want the blues raw and real.

The town’s Po’ Monkey’s Lounge was one of the last rural juke joints in the Delta, famous for its raucous vibes and music-packed nights. Although it officially closed after the owner’s death in 2016, its memory lives on with a historical Blues Trail marker.

The spirit of Po’ Monkey’s still lingers in the Merigold air. You’ll find artists and photographers visiting the site to honor its legacy, and nearby bars still carry that gritty Delta energy.

Holly Ridge: The final stop for Robert Johnson

This quiet hamlet is steeped in mystery and music lore.

Holly Ridge is home to one of three possible graves of Robert Johnson, a pivotal figure in blues mythology. Whether or not it’s his actual resting place, blues fans flock here to pay tribute and leave guitar picks or whiskey bottles at the headstone.

It’s a solemn yet iconic point on the trail. The grave is marked with a Mississippi Blues Trail plaque that details Johnson’s short yet groundbreaking life.

Cleveland: Blues with a side of modern flair

This college town has blues bones with a youthful twist.

Cleveland is home to the GRAMMY Museum Mississippi, the only GRAMMY Museum outside of Los Angeles. It explores music history with high-tech exhibits and regular live performances.

Cleveland blends the blues past with future innovation. It’s also home to Dockery Farms, considered the “Birthplace of the Blues,” where Charley Patton, Howlin’ Wolf, and others once worked and performed.

Why summer is the perfect time to hit the trail

Many festivals and live shows pop up during the summer months.

The warm weather invites porch concerts, park performances, and lively festivals that make each town’s blues heritage even more alive. From Indianola’s B.B. King Homecoming to Clarksdale’s Summer Blues events, there’s never a dull weekend.

It’s the season when the Mississippi Blues Trail truly sings. Plus, with longer days and warmer nights, you can spend more time soaking up the sounds and stories under the open Delta sky.

TL;DR

• Clarksdale is the beating heart of the Delta blues, full of live music and history.
• Indianola honors B.B. King with a world-class museum and summer festivals.
• Bentonia offers a unique blues style and is the oldest juke joint in Mississippi.
• Greenwood blends music history with the legacy of Robert Johnson.
• Tunica mixes casino life with rich blues attractions.
• Leland celebrates “Son” Thomas and Highway 61 culture.
• Merigold’s juke joint past is a soulful stop on the trail.
• Holly Ridge draws fans to Robert Johnson’s mysterious gravesite.
• Cleveland combines its blues heritage with modern music exhibits.
• Summer is ideal for trail travel thanks to festivals, outdoor shows, and warm Delta nights.

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This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.