Clarksdale
A Mississippi Delta town where much of the blues came from, with juke joints still running and a crossroads myth at the junction.
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Clarksdale sits in the Delta cotton country that produced Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Son House, Ike Turner and a long list beyond, and the Delta Blues Museum in the old railway depot holds the cabin Muddy Waters grew up in, moved and reassembled. The junction of Highways 61 and 49 is marked with three crossed guitars as the crossroads where Robert Johnson supposedly sold his soul; the story attached itself to Johnson after his death and several junctions claim it, which the town acknowledges. Live music runs several nights a week at Red's and Ground Zero among others - unusually for a music-heritage town, the venues are working juke joints rather than recreations. The town itself is poor and visibly so.
What you actually see
- The Delta Blues Museum - with Muddy Waters's cabin reassembled.
- The crossroads marker - a myth attached to Johnson posthumously.
- Working juke joints - not recreations, running most nights.
- The Delta around it - flat cotton country in every direction.
When to go
October to May; the Juke Joint Festival is in April. A full day or overnight.
Honest expectations
The town has real poverty and much of it is shuttered - this is not a polished heritage destination. Venues open on their own schedules, often late. The crossroads is a road junction with a sign. Summer is very hot.
Nearby
Memphis is north; the Delta runs south towards Greenwood.
What to pack for Clarksdale
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.