Interesting places between Memphis and Baton Rouge?
April 28, 2023 1:01 PM Subscribe
If I drive down the river from Memphis to Baton Rouge, what interesting places should I see in between? Would it be fun?
I'm a guy from a large East coast city and want to make a solo trip to visit family in Pensacola. But instead of flying direct, I want to make a road trip out of it—flying into Memphis, renting a car and driving down the Mississippi and seeing some small towns there (Clarksdale, Rosedale, Natchez?), then Baton Rouge and New Orleans, before getting to Pensacola.
My friend from Jackson MS told me years ago "you should visit the Delta at some point, although it will break your heart." I never knew what she meant. But I was born and raised in a very rural poor part of North Carolina long before moving to NYC. I am pretty comfortable in small towns and meeting people I may not have much in common with.
I am mostly curious about places where the sights and people are interesting enough or colorful enough to make you want to stay a few nights. I like talking to friendly locals, drinking at bars and restaurants, seeing music, looking for weird off the beaten path sights too.
Thanks for any tips!
I'm a guy from a large East coast city and want to make a solo trip to visit family in Pensacola. But instead of flying direct, I want to make a road trip out of it—flying into Memphis, renting a car and driving down the Mississippi and seeing some small towns there (Clarksdale, Rosedale, Natchez?), then Baton Rouge and New Orleans, before getting to Pensacola.
My friend from Jackson MS told me years ago "you should visit the Delta at some point, although it will break your heart." I never knew what she meant. But I was born and raised in a very rural poor part of North Carolina long before moving to NYC. I am pretty comfortable in small towns and meeting people I may not have much in common with.
I am mostly curious about places where the sights and people are interesting enough or colorful enough to make you want to stay a few nights. I like talking to friendly locals, drinking at bars and restaurants, seeing music, looking for weird off the beaten path sights too.
Thanks for any tips!
If you're up for some historical sites and don't mind a detour, Poverty Point in LA is a spectacular 3000+ year old Indigenous earthworks site. It's one of only 11 human-built UNESCO World Heritage sites in the US.
The Natchez Trace Parkway also cuts through that area and is an interesting break from the highway, as well as having some interesting history.
Finally and perhaps most importantly, Abita Springs, LA is a cute town that's home to the inimitable outsider art tourist trap, the Abita Mystery House.
posted by toastedcheese at 4:09 PM on April 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
The Natchez Trace Parkway also cuts through that area and is an interesting break from the highway, as well as having some interesting history.
Finally and perhaps most importantly, Abita Springs, LA is a cute town that's home to the inimitable outsider art tourist trap, the Abita Mystery House.
posted by toastedcheese at 4:09 PM on April 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
Ocean Springs might be a good addition. I've heard that during the civil war Sherman saw it and found it so beautiful that he decided not to burn it, even though he was burning all the places in the South.
Oxford is a cute, quaint college town, but it is also very racist.
Abita Springs has a cute little Abita Brew Pub with live music many nights. The town center is right there.
posted by crunchy potato at 6:51 PM on April 28, 2023
Oxford is a cute, quaint college town, but it is also very racist.
Abita Springs has a cute little Abita Brew Pub with live music many nights. The town center is right there.
posted by crunchy potato at 6:51 PM on April 28, 2023
Laurel, MS has a nice downtown tourist-y area sort of based on the HGTV show 'Home Town' but the town has areas _NOT_ portrayed on the show. If you can time it to have dinner there, but make it further south to find a nice hotel afterward, The Loft was an excellent restaurant.
posted by TimHare at 7:02 PM on April 28, 2023
posted by TimHare at 7:02 PM on April 28, 2023
My friend from Jackson MS told me years ago "you should visit the Delta at some point, although it will break your heart." I never knew what she meant.
Possibly that a lot of the musicians that put the Delta on the map culturally have died, and a lot of the juke joints have closed. I believe Red's in Clarksdale is still open, but last time I was there it was just Thursday–Saturday (and even Thursday was kinda iffy). And yes, it's poor, but I've always found people to be friendly if you're friendly.
Plenty of nice nature, I don't think any of it is obviously better - close to NOLA is Fontainebleau State Park/Pearl River/Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge - all will provide a fairly similar landscape.
There are a lot of Native American mounds in Mississippi, if that's of interest.
Unless you have something in particular you want to see, I'd skip Baton Rouge. It would take you more out of your way, but Lafayette and the surrounding towns are fun on the weekends if you like Cajun music and/or Zydeco (though again, these are fairly sleepy places so it's really only going to be true on the weekends). The Tabasco factory and gardens in Avery Island is a nice stop between Lafayette and NOLA.
posted by coffeecat at 1:43 PM on April 29, 2023
Possibly that a lot of the musicians that put the Delta on the map culturally have died, and a lot of the juke joints have closed. I believe Red's in Clarksdale is still open, but last time I was there it was just Thursday–Saturday (and even Thursday was kinda iffy). And yes, it's poor, but I've always found people to be friendly if you're friendly.
Plenty of nice nature, I don't think any of it is obviously better - close to NOLA is Fontainebleau State Park/Pearl River/Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge - all will provide a fairly similar landscape.
There are a lot of Native American mounds in Mississippi, if that's of interest.
Unless you have something in particular you want to see, I'd skip Baton Rouge. It would take you more out of your way, but Lafayette and the surrounding towns are fun on the weekends if you like Cajun music and/or Zydeco (though again, these are fairly sleepy places so it's really only going to be true on the weekends). The Tabasco factory and gardens in Avery Island is a nice stop between Lafayette and NOLA.
posted by coffeecat at 1:43 PM on April 29, 2023
I second the Poverty Point suggestion. We also enjoyed Vicksburg -- the Civil War ironclad USS Cairo is there, along with the Army Corps of Engineers' Lower Mississippi Museum, which had cool stuff about flood history and efforts at flood control. Emerald Mound, just off the Natchez Trace near Natchez, is another cool Native American mound site.
posted by Jasper Fnorde at 6:50 PM on May 3, 2023
posted by Jasper Fnorde at 6:50 PM on May 3, 2023
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The small towns in between are a good place to see but not a great place to stop for long, due to poverty and crime. I’ll think more about landmarks for you—
posted by Countess Elena at 3:35 PM on April 28, 2023