I would like some suggestions for planning a 7 day driving holiday starting in Clarksdale and ending in Memphis. I am from Australia and will be spending a week in Clarksdale for a harmonica jam camp. My husband will join me at the end of the camp and we have 7 days to fill in before we join an escorted tour which starts in Memphis and visits Nashville, Louisville, Lexington, Gatlinburg and ends in Atlanta. We don't want to be pushing it each day, but rather take our time to soak up the experience. Since Memphis, Graceland & Nashville will be covered on the tour, I thought of heading south and would like to stop in Natchez as it will be the Fall Pilgrimage when we are there. Is New Orleans too far? Should we include a stop at Vicksburg & Jackson? Any suggestions of where to stop, eat and stay would be appreciated.
Suggested itinerary for 7 day roadtrip Deep South
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Oxford makes a good day trip from Clarksdale.
I'm from Seattle and I'm sure some of those who live in the South will disagree with me, but Jackson MS would not be on my list of places to see. Vicksburgh is of interest if you are a Civil War buff--which I am not.
I would head straight for New Orleans. If you leave Clarksdale at 8:00 a.m., you will be there in mid afternoon.
After three or four nights in NO, drive to Baton Rouge for the night visiting plantations on your way. Or, stay in Lafayette and have dinner at Prejeans--really good and fun.
The next day, head for Natchez--a delightful town.
Then, back to Clarksdale for your organized tour.
We took a three-week trip of the SE last spring and loved every minute of it.
Enjoy, HTTY
I agree with the above in reference to the MS stops.
Natchez is a neat little town and has lots of historic homes to visit. The views of the Mississippi River from there are breathtaking!
That said, if I were planning this trip, I would head to New Orleans straight away, as HTTY suggested. It's a few hours drive but I would prefer that rather than stop in Jackson. (Nothing wrong with Jackson, but I've been a few times and the biggest draw for us was to visit the capitol, part of a quest to visit all U.S. capitol buildings.) Anyway, I'd spend three or four nights in NO.
Drive up to Natchez for two nights. There's a delicious bbq joint not to be missed. Sorry for this very long link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60910-d422401-Reviews-Pig_Out_Inn_Barbeque-Natchez_Mississippi.html
Also in Natchez is Locust Alley. We stayed here for a weekend. Billed as a B&B it's more like a vacation apartment. The fridge and cupboard was stocked with essentials and there was a bowl of fresh fruit. Pastries were delivered to our porch in the morning. http://www.locustalley.com/
Then scoot up to Little Rock, Arkansas for a night. Arkansas' motto is "the natural state" and it is quite lovely, in my opinion. LR is home to a presidential library and the downtown area is revitalizing with shops and restaurants. This would put you just two hours from Memphis to meet up with your tour group.
In LR, I love this place http://www.flyingfishinthe.net/
As for lodging, I recommend the St. Clair room (very spacious) at the Rosemont. http://www.rosemontoflittlerock.com/
Whatever you decide, have a great time. You'll find this part of the country especially beautiful.
Thank you so much HTTY & ChicagoDallasGirl for your suggestions. Will definitely include New Orleans on our itinerary together with Little Rock & Natchez. This should fill in the 7 days we have available without being too rushed.
You will have a memorable experience with your husband.
Enjoy, HTTY
I would eat lunch at Morgan Freeman's Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarsdale and visit the Blues Museum down the street then head S on Highway 49 to Greenwood, MS and spend a night at the 4 * Alluvian Hotel owned by Viking Range and dine at Giardinia's or Lusco's in old family Italian atmosphere. I would head for Vicksburg the next day and visit the Military Park and have lunch. You could have a good southern lunch at
Walnut Hills. After visiting around town head S to Natchez and spend 2 nights. You can reach NOLA in a few hours. Spend about 3 nights in NOLA in the French Quarter. Have dinner at Galatoire's. You can return to Clarksdale by traveling I 55 N through Jackson, MS. Stop for lunch at Walker's Drive In or get some good BBQ at Pig Skin BBQ. You will be in Clarksdale before dark.
http://www.visitthedelta.com/
Alluvian Hotel @ 318 Howard Street, Greenwood, MS 662 - 451 - 1500.
http://www.thealluvian.com/
Walnut Hill's Restaurant @ 1214 Adams St., Vicksburg, MS. 601 - 638 - 4910. *
http://www.walnuthillsms.net/
Thanks to everyone for mentioning Natchez as a stop on "aussie's" trip.
Aussie, you might consider stopping in Natchez before going on to New Orleans, as you will have traveled a good bit by that time. If you'd like to get more info about Natchez, check out http://www.natchezms.com. We list B&B's, hotels, restaurants, attractions and more.
For info on Fall Pilgrimage, check out http://www.natchezpilgrimage.com.
Thanks again to everyone, and have a great trip!
I am from MS and I agree with the above comments -- don't bother with Jackson. Visit New Orleans and Natchez, and if time, Vicksburg.
Definitely will echo those suggesting a visit to New Orleans. You could in fact spend a week or better there seeing (and eating) all the good stuff the city has to offer.
There's actually about a day's worth of things to see in Jackson, MS (a very good state capitol building, the old capitol which is now a history museum, a small art museum, and a governor's mansion) if that's of interest. Agreed that Little Rock is fine for a day's visit (capitol, old capitol that's a history museum, small art museum, Clinton Presidential Library). But I'd choose NOLA over both unless you're a capitol building enthusiast.