Clarksdale... this was a shock to my social system. To get here I had to fly into Memphis and drive down. Memphis is... well, it's still Memphis. The visible state of the area is heart sickening. Clarksdale doesn't get much better than that, though there WERE some unexpected highlights.
Clarksdale is pretty much all cotton fields, with the occasional gas station and business peppered about. While that could be boring, it is really pretty!
You will find a lot of stray animals in Clarksdale, and Batesville. Dogs mostly. We found a sweet bag of bones we named Dusty and fed him before a huge storm rolled into town. It's crushing to see how many dogs are running around fending for themselves and the locals really don't seem to notice it at all.
While driving from Clarksdale to Batesville we were almost hit head on by someone swerving to miss a turtle in the road. The turtle, who I named Franklin, survived with a small cut in the bottom of his shell. We stopped and got him out of traffic.
Let's talk about food and such, shall we?
Slim pickins in this area, but there are a few gems if you really look. One notable was Ground Zero Blues Club. It's tucked away in a small alley in downtown Clarksdale, but you really couldn't miss it - very distinct, it will catch your attention. Walk in, park your butt and enjoy the atmosphere. It won't take long to notice that everyone here knows each other and they either love or hate those of us who aren't locals. One of the co-owners walked around to every table to meet and greet patrons, got our stories, where we are from what we were doing in Clarksdale. I like that, that hospitality has become a bit rare really. The food. I had the fried green tomato sammich, it was freaking AWESOME. I sincerely doubt they have a bad meal on the menu!
OH! Worth mentioning, pretty much every where we ate in MS still allows smoking in the place. I guess that's a state thing??
After you've eaten and soaked up some of the local stories, take a little stroll through the streets downtown. It looks and feels like you've stepped back about 50 years, buildings haven't changed much and people are genuinely polite - please, thank you, ma'am and they won't let a door shut in your face.
Now, my favorite part of this trip. The Shack Up Inn. This place IS AMAZING and something you really need to see with your own eyes, I don't think I can do it enough justice in this blog. It's in the middle of no where, well, in the middle of some fields near or maybe even on, Hopson Plantation. It's unique and almost majestic out on the plain and much like Ground Zero, you couldn't miss it. It will catch your attention. You will either find it charismatic and want to see more or horrific and run screaming about the hippies who must inhabit this compound. Me? I could freaking LIVE there. History, art, musicians, beer, adults 25+ to reserve shacks - what more could a girl ask for?
Nearby on Hopson Plantation you will find one of the first mechanized cotton pickers. This is a HUGE piece of history for this part of the country and dramatically changed the social and economic landscape at the time.
On the long stretch between Clarskville and Batesville (where we stayed) you will find more fields, less businesses and more charm. I fell in love with this old church and it's cemetery located right on a piece of swamp with a lot of old cypress trees. Hauntingly beautiful...
If you ever find yourself traveling through this part of the Delta, don't dismiss it completely as backwoods and boring. There really are some great things hanging out here - you just need to open your eyes and your mind and take a look around.
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