Overview
Clarksdale is a town of 15,000 people (2020) in the Mississippi Delta. About an hour south of Memphis, this little podunk town draws visitors from all over the world for its blues clubs and blues history.
2 sights · 2 things to do · 7 places to eat · 6 bars & cafés · 12 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about Clarksdale
The Delta Blues Museum
A museum founded in 1979 and dedicated to "the blues," which is in the restored Illinois Central Railroad freight depot.
The Crossroads
The intersection of Highway 49 and Highway 61 where Robert Johnson is said to have sold his soul to the devil in exchange for musical genius.
Blues Harmonica Jam Camp
"Shack Up Inn & Hopson Comissary, 001 Comissary Circle. If there is one place where you can say the blues was created it is Mississippi Delta. Learn to play blues harmonica in the heart of the Blues Country at a 5-da…
Quapaw Canoe Company
Offers wilderness expeditions on the Lower Mississippi River, its Back Waters, Bayous, Oxbows, and Flood Plain between the levees. Tours can be arranged by the day or the week.
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: Mar–May, Sep–Nov. Summer highs reach about 92°F; winter lows dip to about 33°F. Very hot (Jul, Aug) — plan outdoor time for mornings. Wettest: Apr and Mar. (climate data from nearby Memphis)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- GLH Mid Delta Regional Airport, Greenville — 55 mi away. Directions
- MEM Frederick W. Smith International Airport, Memphis — 68 mi away (major hub). Directions
Downtown Clarksdale is a little north of the junction of Highway 61 and Highway 49 (the famous "Crossroads"). Memphis, Tennessee is about 75 miles north of Clarksdale on Highway 61. Jackson, Mississippi, is about 150 miles south. It is about 15 miles east of the Mississippi River.
Full “Get in” guide ↓Budget & where to stay
- Places to stay listed here: about $40–$90 a night (typical $90), from 3 listed prices.
- Estimated daily budget per person (room, two meals, local transport and an activity): budget ~$80, mid-range ~$160, comfortable ~$260.
Options are grouped as Budget, Mid-range in the Sleep guide ↓.
Sample 1-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning The Crossroads, The Delta Blues Museum
- Lunch Yazoo Pass
- Afternoon Quapaw Canoe Company, Blues Harmonica Jam Camp
- Dinner Rust Restaurant
- Evening New Roxy
Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.
Food for you
Cuisine (tap to filter)
What to ask about, for your diet
Diet labels come from each listing's description and cuisine; “likely” means the cuisine usually has good choices, not a promise. Check with the restaurant. Open the food finder
Photos
Map
Every listing with a location. Tap a pin for its Google Maps link.
Get in
By car
Downtown Clarksdale is a little north of the junction of Highway 61 and Highway 49 (the famous "Crossroads"). Memphis, Tennessee is about 75 miles north of Clarksdale on Highway 61. Jackson, Mississippi, is about 150 miles south. It is about 15 miles east of the Mississippi River.
By plane
Clarksdale is served by a public airport, which is capable of serving large private airplanes. There are no commercial flights into Clarksdale.
Memphis International Airport is 75 miles north of Clarksdale.
By bus
- Greyhound Bus Line, 1604 N State St., +1 662 627-7893.
Get around
Having a car is pretty much a requirement in Clarksdale. According to one website, 91% of Clarksdale residents drive to work. However, visiting for a short time does not require driving as the downtown is entirely pedestrian-friendly.
Taxi services:
- Jerry's Cab Co., +1 662 624-9222.
- Jolly Cab, +1 662 624-9256.
- Pro Taxi, +1 662 302-0864. 24/7 taxi
See
See The Crossroads
The intersection of Highway 49 and Highway 61 where Robert Johnson is said to have sold his soul to the devil in exchange for musical genius.
Do
- Clarksdale Film Festival (January)
- Juke Joint Festival and Related Events (April)
- Mini Blues Fest (April)
- Crossroads Half-Marathon (Look for date)
- Annual Sunflower River Blues & Gospel Festival (August)
- Pinetop Perkins Homecoming at the historic Shack Up Inn and Hopson Plantation in Clarksdale. (Oct)
- Mississippi Delta Tennessee Williams Festival (October)
Do Blues Harmonica Jam Camp
"Shack Up Inn & Hopson Comissary, 001 Comissary Circle. If there is one place where you can say the blues was created it is Mississippi Delta. Learn to play blues harmonica in the heart of the Blues Country at a 5-day seminar filled with classes, jams, and friendship. Travel out to Sonny Boy Williamson's grave, visit Muddy's cabin, and learn and play harmonica with some of America's great teachers and players.
Buy
Shop Cat Head delta blues and folk art, inc.
According to its website, "Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art, Inc. is a 6-day-a-week store that features a full selection of blues CDs, videos, DVDs, books and collectibles as well as an affordable mix of Southern self-taught, folk and outsider art. 'It's kind of like shopping in a juke joint,' Roger (Stolle - owner) said, describing the building's rustic interior, colorful artwork, and down-home music. 'It's the kind of store we always dreamed of finding in our Delta travels but never did.'"
Eat
Eat Abe’s Barbecue
At the Crossroads of Highways 61 and 49. Opened in 1924. According to its website, entertainers eating there include ZZ Top, Paul Simon, Big Jack Johnson, Thomas Harris, Steve Azar, Charlie Pride, Conway Twitty. Abe’s is famous for its barbecue pork and beef, hot tamales, and ribs.
Eat Atzimba Mexican Restaurant
This has become a popular spot in Clarksdale since it opened. The restaurant is usually filled to capacity, but there is never a long wait. If it’s your birthday, be sure and tell them as they love to put a traditional sombrero on your head and sing “happy birthday” to you in Spanish.
Eat Ramon's
Fried Butterfly shrimp is one of the favorite dishes at Ramon's, which has a full menu of delicious food. Ramon's is only open evenings.
Eat Rest Haven
A Clarksdale tradition for more than 50 years. Middle Eastern cuisine shares the same table with traditional southern food, such as black-eyed peas and turnip greens. The specialty is kibbie, and include stuffed kibbie, kibbie patties, kibbie sandwiches, and even raw kibbie. The coconut and chocolate cream pies that have been popular for almost 30 years.
Eat Rust Restaurant
Rust Restaurant is a trendy, upscale restaurant which was opened in 2008 by Randall Andrews, a Clarksdale native who graduated from the Memphis Culinary Academy. Rust Restaurant's fare includes gumbo, crawfish, and seared tuna.
Eat Stone Pony Pizza and the brick bar
Its building that has been in Clarksdale since 1912 and has been renovated. The restaurant has five flat-screen televisions, Wi-Fi accessibility, and a pictorial history of Clarksdale and many of its colorful residents. The food is homemade, hand-tossed pizza.
Eat Yazoo Pass
You can enjoy a cup of coffee and a fresh baked pastry in the cozy atmosphere. Offers free wireless internet.
Drink
Drink Bluesberry Cafe
A dive with live blues on Mondays.
Drink Ground Zero Blues Club
So named because of the wide-spread belief that Clarksdale is where “the blues” began. The club is partly owned by actor Morgan Freeman, who is a native of the Delta area of Mississippi. He helped open both Ground Zero Blues Club and Madidi’s Restaurants partly because he wanted some to make sure he had good restaurants when he returned home from Hollywood. Ground Zero has pool tables in the front part of the restaurant, exposed brick walls, rough wooden floors, and purposefully mismatched furniture that could have come from a garage sale. In the evening, it is an excellent place to hear live music and drink cold beer.
Drink Hopson Plantation (Hopson Commisary)
Has a big music hall with live music.
Drink New Roxy
An old movie theater with a roof that caved in, now an open air live music venue.
Drink Red’s Lounge
A genuine juke joint with regular live music, and one of the last great juke joints in the Delta region.
Sleep
Budget
Stay Budget Inn (Formerly Plantation Inn)
Stay Riverside Hotel
Formerly "the Afro-American Hospital," the Riverside Hotel in Clarksdale was the site of the dedication of the fourth historic marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail. It's where Bessie Smith died on 26 September 1937 after her auto accident on Highway 61. Ike Turner wrote the first rock n' roll tune of all time here, Rocket 88. Sam Cooke lived here. Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters stayed here. To spend your nights at the Riverside is to immerse yourself in the history of the blues, and the proprietors will help you explore the past and present of the town. Accommodations are very basic, with shared bathrooms and window A/C units/gas heaters, but you don't stay here for the luxury, or for that matter, come to Clarksdale for luxury! Very close to Red's.
Stay Royal Inn (Formerly Days Inn)
Stay Southern Inn
Mid-range
Stay The Lofts at the Five and Dime
These lofts have 1 bedroom, 1½ bathrooms, a kitchen, and a great room. The full-size bathroom has a large marble shower. There is a half bath in the hallway. In the bedroom are a king-size bed and a pull-out queen size sleeper sofa in the living room. Plasma televisions in the living room and bedroom. Each loft is approximately 985 square feet.
Stay Shack Up Inn-Cotton Gin Inn
For those blues lovers visiting Clarksdale who want something different, you can have the experience of staying in one of the renovated shotgun shacks or one of the newly renovated bins in the Cotton Gin Inn. These buildings are restored only enough to accommodate 21st-century expectations (including indoor bathrooms, heat, and air conditioning. Besides, there are coffee makers, refrigerators, and microwaves in all units).
Go next
- Cleveland — 37 miles to the south
- Tunica — just north of Tunica on the Mississippi River are numerous casinos that are always open. They are about 45 miles north of Clarksdale.
- Oxford is the home of Ole Miss, and seeing the university is worth the trip. Also, there are many fine restaurants, Square Books, and some good shopping.
- Memphis, Tennessee is about 75 miles north of Clarksdale and has all the amenities you would expect of a large city.
- Helena, Arkansas — just before crossing the bridge into Helena, there is the Isle of Capri casinos. They are about 25 miles from Clarksdale. Helena is also home to the Delta Cultural Center, and the well-known Blues and Heritage Festival.
Nearby
Helena
City / town · 3 listings · 23 mi away
Cleveland
City / town · 5 listings · 33 mi away
Tunica
City / town · 16 listings · 36 mi away
Batesville
City / town · 1 listings · 37 mi away
Greenwood
City / town · 8 listings · 52 mi away
Indianola
City / town · 3 listings · 52 mi away
Dumas
City / town · 2 listings · 57 mi away
Greenville
City / town · 5 listings · 62 mi away
My experience
Write about your trip here. Notes save automatically in this browser as you type; back them up from My journal.