GREENVILLE
, seventy miles south of Clarksdale, is the largest town on the Delta. Still an important riverport, it hosts the
Mississippi Delta Blues Festival
(tel 1-888/812-5837,
) on the third weekend of September. Tree-lined avenues lead from the characterless outskirts into the business district, beyond which pallid warehouses stand in the shadow of a huge levee. If you're
staying
overnight, the hotels near the river and the casinos would probably be the safest option. For a place
to eat
, try the original
Doe's
, at the safer end of Nelson Street at no. 502 (tel 662/334-3315) - arguably the best in the entire Delta for down-home cooking.
Leland
, seven miles east of Greenville off US-82, is where Mississippi native
Jim Henson
created Kermit the Frog, naming him after his childhood playmate, Kermit Scott. The exhibit, located on the banks of Deer Creek, at the intersection of Hwy-82 and Hwy-61, is small, but well worth a stop, with displays following Henson's life, Muppet memorabilia, and videos showing much of his work, including his early efforts (Mon-Sat 10am-4pm; free; tel 662/686-2687).
Sixteen miles farther east on US-82,
INDIANOLA
is the home of the largest catfish processing company in the world, Delta.
B.B. King
, who was born here, plays an open-air hometown show once a year under the auspices of
Club Ebony
, 404 Hannah Ave (tel 662/887-9915).
GREENWOOD
, a sleepy town of 20,000 people, forty miles east on US-82, is the country's second largest cotton exchange after Memphis. The nineteenth-century offices of downtown's Cotton Row overlook the shady Yazoo River, and graceful mansions line pretty Grand Boulevard. The
Cottonlandia Museum
(Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat & Sun 2-5pm; $4), about two miles west of the town center on the US-82 W bypass, is a rag-tag collection of old hardware, Native American beads, stuffed birds and oddly long wooden benches polished by the tongues of mules - not one word on slavery or black history, but there's some intriguing artwork. Although Greenwood has recently begun to play on its Robert Johnson connection (he died here), the
Cotton Capital Blues Festival
in October is the city's current contribution to the Delta Blues music legacy.
Of the many
motels
along US-49 and US-82, the
Travel Inn
at no. 623 US-82 W (tel 662/453-8810, fax 662/453-1277; $35-50) is basic, clean and good value, with an outdoor pool. By far the best
place to eat
in Greenwood, and one of the finest in the South, is
Lusco's
, on the wrong side of the railway tracks at 722 Carrolton Ave (tel 662/453-5365). Each table in this eccentric old place is hidden away in a small booth, veiled from other diners, and waiters, by chintz curtains - an arrangement dating from the days of Prohibition, when
Lusco's
was the renowned haunt of cotton barons who came here to drink moonshine. Its Italian/Cajun food is superlative, especially the pompano, lightly grilled in a garlicky lemon butter.
