Mississippi Delta and Memphis, 5 days
The blues came up this road, and our Mississippi Blues Trail tour goes down it: from Beale Street to the crossroads at Clarksdale, two nights in the juke joints, Dockery Farms where Charley Patton played, and Indianola, where B.B. King grew up. The April date is timed to the Juke Joint Festival.
From $2,290per person in a double room
Five days on Highway 61 from Memphis into the Delta, with two nights of juke joints in Clarksdale and the B.B. King Museum on the way back.
Categories: Blues Trail, Festival Trips. Destinations: Mississippi Delta, Memphis. Getting around: tour van. Tour leader: Darnell Hayes or a colleague from our team.
Red's Lounge and Ground Zero, with the cover charges paid.
Muddy Waters's cabin from Stovall Farms.
Where many say the blues began, with Charley Patton.
In the Indianola cotton gin where he worked.
A morning at the National Civil Rights Museum.
After dark
Two Clarksdale nights out, one at a real juke joint and one at a bigger club, plus Beale Street at both ends of the trip.
Traveling solo
A small, friendly tour that suits solo travelers, with shared tables at every dinner.
Your tour leader
Darnell Hayes, based in Memphis. Born in Clarksdale and raised in Memphis; designs the Delta and Chicago tours and still leads several each season.
3 live shows in the price
Show nights follow the club and theater calendars; your tour leader confirms each evening the day before.
Pickup at Memphis International. In the evening the tour leader walks the group down Beale Street to dinner and a blues set at a club that books real Delta players.
A morning at the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel. After lunch, the van heads south on Highway 61, stopping at Blues Trail markers along the way. In Clarksdale, check in to the Shack Up Inn, a row of old sharecropper shacks, and go out to Red's Lounge.
The Delta Blues Museum in the old freight depot, the crossroads of Highways 61 and 49, and a guided walk through the downtown where the blues clubs are. Afternoon free in the record shops. Dinner, then Ground Zero Blues Club.
Early to Dockery Farms while the light is low on the barns. Lunch in Leland and the Highway 61 Blues Museum, then the B.B. King Museum in Indianola and his grave in the garden. A last stop at Club Ebony, then back north to Memphis for the farewell dinner.
A free morning, with Sun Studio as an option, and transfers to the airport from about noon.
Hotels within walking distance of the clubs, or a short ride away, or similar of the same class. Breakfast is included every day.
Memphis
4-star2 nights
Clarksdale
3-star2 nights
Loading the map
Tour vanAmtrak trainRiverboatShort flight Map tiles: © Esri, HERE, Garmin © OpenStreetMap contributors. Lines join the stops in tour order in simplified form.
4 breakfasts and 3 dinners4 studio and museum entries3 live shows in the price
Pace. Easy. Short walks and plenty of sitting: shows, studio tours and the van.
Good to know. Short drives and an easy pace, but the Delta is hot from June to September and juke joints are rough and ready: cash only, few comforts, music late. The Shack Up Inn rooms are rustic. The April date is busy with the Juke Joint Festival.
Weather and changes. Shows and studio visits run in all weather; if a venue cancels, we replace it with one of the same kind and tell you in writing.
Most of our guests fly in on their own, drive, or use miles, and the tour price does not include flights. If you would rather we handle it, we book round-trip economy flights on scheduled airlines into Memphis and home from Clarksdale, and the airport pickup on the tour dates is already included.
| Fly from | Airport | Add-on from |
|---|---|---|
| New York | JFK, LaGuardia and Newark | $390 |
| Chicago | O'Hare and Midway | $390 |
| Atlanta | Hartsfield-Jackson | $390 |
| Dallas | DFW and Love Field | $390 |
| Washington DC | Reagan National and Dulles | $430 |
| Boston | Logan | $450 |
| Philadelphia | PHL | $430 |
| Denver | DEN | $450 |
| Los Angeles | LAX | $500 |
| San Francisco | SFO | $500 |
Fares change daily; the add-on is confirmed when you book. Other US airports on request.
6 dates from to . "Guaranteed" means the group has reached its minimum and will run.
| Dates | Status | Tour price | With flights from New York |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deal, save $250 | Guaranteed | $2,040 | $2,430 |
| Available | $2,440 | $2,830 | |
| Few seats left | $2,440 | $2,830 | |
| Available | $2,440 | $2,830 | |
| Available | $2,440 | $2,830 | |
| Available | $2,440 | $2,830 |
Single room supplement $590. Deposit $300 per person; the balance is due 60 days before departure. All dates, booking terms.
A weekend in April when Clarksdale fills with blues on every corner and in every club. Our April date is timed to it, and the price includes the festival wristbands.
Rustic outside, comfortable inside: private bathrooms, air conditioning and porches. If you prefer a hotel, the Travelers Hotel downtown is the alternative.
Some have a barbecue smoker or hot tamales; we eat dinner first.
Usually fifteen to twenty, from Memphis to Indianola, each with a story the guide tells in the van.
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See the tourAsk about a date
Email a travel advisor with the date you like and whether you want flights to Memphis. We answer within one business day with seats and the exact price, and hold your places for 72 hours while you decide.
Email a travel advisor
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