The Most Southern Place On Earth: A small adventure guide for our guests
- The Agricoutourist
- Jan 23, 2021
- 8 min read
Updated: Mar 13, 2021
Gabe and I are thrilled to be starting our new life together with all of the people that have meant the most to us in the past, at present, and now into the future. We so appreciate all of you taking the time to celebrate with us in a place that is so dear to my heart and one in which we look forward to spending the years ahead with our children, grandchildren, and hopefully all of you!
While we are glad for the few hours we will be together, we also hope you will take some time to yourself to relax and explore the Delta on your own. We hope this writing will encourage you to plan a few small adventures; get lost in the Delta. With a little planning, there's the possibility for everyone to find a few roads of their own to follow. Whether you are looking to take home a piece of McCarty's pottery, try some regional food, listen to some blues, or tour the homes from The Help, we look forward to sharing this very special place with you.
Although my family has been spending time together here for years, it wasn't until my children were old enough to be responsible for their own deaths that I began to sneak off campus with my younger brother David and explore The Delta. We mostly just wandered back roads with no real agenda but to see the area from a different, larger perspective. However, I didn't fully understand the influence and culture of this region until I was fortunate enough to have participated in a summer workshop at Delta State University (the Fighting Okras) in the summer of 2019 entitled “The Most Southern Place on Earth: Music, History, and Culture in the Mississippi Delta". I copy below the course description as I really can't describe the Delta any better.
"Welcome to the Mississippi Delta, a place of paradox and contrast, a place described by Will Campbell as being “of mean poverty and garish opulence.” A place that has produced great authors yet continues to suffer from illiteracy. A place that has produced great wealth for a few but persistent poverty for many. A place of privilege for some and disadvantage for others. A place that has produced powerful political leaders, both for and against segregation. A place in which apartheid has been replaced by empowerment. A place of unquestioned artistic creativity that has given the world both the Blues and rock ‘n’ roll, and is also home to Charley Pride, Conway Twitty, Bobby Gentry, Sam Cooke, Mose Allison and B. B. King. This is the Mississippi Delta, a microcosm of America, The most American place on earth."
Or even better, the description by Luther Brown which I link to here.
No gifts please!-
Do Gabe a favor and don't bring or send gifts. Gabe says I have too much stuff as it is. Our gift is your presence and choosing to take the time to celebrate our future.
Lodging
The Delta is really spread out and there really isn't a real close place to stay near the farm. The closest towns with lodging are Greenwood, Clarksdale and Cleveland. I have a few favorites in each of these places and it really just depends on what your preference is. Regardless, I suggest you book as early as possible.
The Shack Up Inn in Clarksdale is by far my favorite. It has several bars, often local music at night, coffee in the lobby in the morning, and several houses and barn/farm structures salvaged from around the Delta and restored. All the houses I have stayed in here have had kitchens and were decorated really cool. It is a little rustic and can get very muddy if it rains. I also believe they can arrange transportation in an old blue cadillac. Don't know if they still do.
Ground Zero in Clarksdale is Morgan Freeman's place which has become the modern response to most tourists' desire to experience a Delta Juke Joint. It also has a few rooms to rent upstairs, each sticking to some vintage theme. Staying here would provide you with food and entertainment just downstairs and the Blues Museum is within a short walk. As a side note, Red's is across the street and the only real Juke Joint still in the area. You'll hear some great musicians at Red's, and he'll be tending the beer only bar himself but don't expect to meet any locals and do prepare to hear a lot of foreign languages. Clarksdale has become a hot spot for European blues enthusiasts.
Viking's Alluvian Hotel in Greenwood was our home away from home last year when Lizzie made her Delta Debut. There is a cozy bar, true Delta dining at Giardina's, a spa, the Viking cooking school, and access to some fun shopping within walking distance. Smith and Company Outfitters, The Mississippi Gift Company, Turnrow Books, and the Viking Cooking School store are my must stops every trip.They also have a shuttle but not sure how far this goes. Maybe those staying here can work together. I'll put someone in charge of this once I know who is staying where.
The new Cotton House in Cleveland is another wonderful option and Cleveland has some great shopping and dining options. It has a rooftop bar, great restaurant on site, and some good nightlife options as it's a college town.
Transportation
You'll want to be careful if you plan to drink and drive. For anyone interested, I have found a nice lady that has three shuttles she can run from any of the surrounding locations.
Debbie Oxnam (662) 299-8035
If this is something you are interested in and want to get a group together, I can try to see who is staying where so shuttles can be arranged.
Weekend Itinerary
Gabe and I will be arriving in the Delta around Wednesday. Let us know if you are around as we will be happy to put you to work.
Saturday, feel free to spend your time exploring the Delta on your own or relaxing at Rackrent Plantation with us. Bring your drink of choice and try to find a quiet place to read, watch Gabe and company cook a hog, or jump on a four wheeler and ride the grounds. We suggest you dress comfortably for the day and into the evening's events as we can't determine the weather and the alluvial soil can get quite messy in places.I am wearing boots and suggest you do similarly. This is not fancy and not a place to wear a long dress - again, it can be muddy.
Around 5:00: We plan to have a short ceremony at the Garden of Memories. This was where the original log cabin style home stood and which burned while my grandparents were on their honeymoon. What stands now as the "big house" is a series of eclectic attempts over several generations to expand what was the original garage.
Around 5:30: Walk a few steps in your comfortable, probably a bit muddy, shoes and grab a drink while Gabe and friends finish up the pig and prepare it under the dining tent.
Around 6:30: Pile Grandma's Wedgewood high with Gabe's pig and sides then find a seat at a table under the tent and listen to some authentic Delta Blues music provided by Keith Johnson (great grandson of Robert Johnson) and George Mumford. Afterwards wander to the firepit where family gathers to end (or start) our evenings at Rackrent.
Optional Tours and Shopping
If you have a few extra days, here are some ways to spend your time and money.
Start your unforgettable journey into the land that spawned the single most important root source of modern popular music. Whether you're a die-hard blues fan or a casual traveler in search of an interesting trip, you'll find facts you didn't know, places you've never seen, and you'll gain a new appreciation for the area that gave birth to the blues. Clarksdale is a great place to start but look for markers throughout your drives. Here is a link to my experience during my summer study. I highly suggest the BB King Museum in Indianola and lunch nect door.
In the 1950's and 1960's the McCarty's experimented with native clays and glazes resulting in a wide variety of colors. By the 1970's, they had invented their signature glazes of nutmeg brown, cobalt blue, and jade. McCarty's pottery can be identified by the trademarked "river," a small black wavy line representing the Mississippi River on most functional pieces, and by the trademarked McCarty's signature which is hand signed on the bottom or back of each piece. Don't miss a walk through the gardens, my favorite part. Have a meal at Crawdad's next door. Hunters will enjoy all the big game filling the restaurant. I was told by a local that their wives got tired of them returning from Africa and such with all of their trophies so they purchased the restaurant as a place to display their kills. It's pretty amazing and the food is great.
I don't know anything about this but it's a thing. Probably nasty. I linked to a pretty honest review.
The Museum of the Mississippi Delta, founded in 1969, is at the crossroads of Delta history and art. Our extensive collection includes artifacts related to agriculture, Native America, regional military history and one of the Delta's most extensive collections of regional art.
The Museum of the Mississippi Delta focuses on the five "A's": art, archaeology, agriculture, antiques and animals. The Museum has a large collection of Mississippi art work, made possible by the state-wide biannual Museum of the Mississippi Delta's Fine Arts Competition. Our archaeology collection, on loan from the L.B. Jones Trust, is immense, and includes the largest collection of Native American trade beads in the southern United States.
The Museum also boasts a room dedicated to the agricultural history of our region, and includes artifacts such as plows, fertilizer spreaders, mule hames, and blacksmith tools. Artifacts and furniture from Malmaison, the home of Greenwood Leflore, and numerous military history items are also highlights of the antique collection. A life-size, walk-through diorama of a Mississippi swamp (complete with sound effects), coupled with a hands-on natural science room are always favorites of younger visitors.
The Leflore County Military History exhibit focuses on the effect of various wars on Greenwood and its citizens and exhibits uniforms, veteran lists, victory posters, and artifacts from the wars and the homefront. There is a Civil War-era cannon and a model of the battle of nearby Fort Pemberton.
Leflore County's Historical Time Line: This exhibit looks at significant events in Greenwood and Leflore County's history through a time-line format, augmented with artifacts, photographs and documents from the Museum's collections.
The GRAMMY Museum Mississippi is an interactive museum located in Cleveland, Mississippi focused on the continuing musical achievements of Mississippians. It's really amazing the Cleveland is home to this fun little gem of a museum. I have not been here yet but it is high on my list as I have heard nothing but great things.
Not only the birthplace of the Blues, many also consider The Delta to be the birthplace of the civil rights movement. Relive an incredibly difficult moment in Delta history, tracing the abominable kidnapping and murder of fourteen-year-old Emmett Till. Stop at the site where Emmett allegedly wolf-whistled at a white woman, leading to his vicious murder by two white men. Then visit the courthouse where Till's murder trial was held to hear a first-hand account of the atrocity.
The Help movie tour in Greenwood
Visit Greenwood, MS and use the linked page and google maps to drive, walk or bike to various locations. When you arrive at each location simply click on the icon on the map to see interactive videos about the location.
Reading list
Delta State University put on the workshop I attended and has a great page full of resources.
Here is a link to our reading list. I add to this Dispatches from Pluto and Lanterns on the Levee.
Places to eat
Cleveland
The Warehouse
Backdraft
The Airport Grocery
Merigold
Crawdad’s (where the dead stuff is)
Greenwood
Krystal Cafe (not the one you are thinking)
Lusco's (highly suggested for a small adult crowd to ask for a "room")
Giardina's
Clarksdale
Ground Zero Blues
Abe's BBQ
Here is another small read about Rackrent as told by my father. See page 13.
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