HappeningMild, and busy in the Delta and Natchez. Clarksdale usually holds a juke joint festival and Oxford an arts festival (dates vary). Storms are common, so check the forecast daily.
From average weather, 2021 to 2025: days that are warm but not hot, with few rainy days, score highest. Crowds and prices change through the year, so check them before you book.
Arrival day
Before Day 1. This trip moves south, so plan a car for all four days.Details
Flying in
The usual way in is a flight to Memphis, Tennessee, then a drive south to Oxford. Jackson also has an airport, which suits the way out. Check the road and the weather before each drive.
A car is needed
The days after Oxford are drives between towns, and there is little public transport between them. Book a rental car ahead and plan to drive in daylight on the country roads. The stops of each day are close together once you arrive.
Heat and storms
Summers are hot and humid, and spring and early summer bring thunderstorms and some tornado risk. Carry water, sun cover and a light rain layer, and check the forecast each morning.
First evening
Day 1 starts on foot in Oxford, so settle in, then take an easy walk around the town square as the day cools.
How much walking? On foot, about 0.7 miles a day, and 814.0 miles by car in all across 3 days. Distances are straight-line estimates, so allow extra for the streets.
Day 1. Oxford and the campus and The Delta, Sumner to Indianola
4 stops · 0.7 mi on foot, 60.7 mi by car
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
1
Morning
Lyceum and The Circle
The old heart of the University of Mississippi, eight buildings and several monuments around a circle, with the Lyceum among them. The district is tied to the civil rights movement. In 1962 a riot broke out here when segregationists tried to stop James Meredith, an African American applicant, from enrolling, and marshals sheltered in the Lyceum. Read the markers slowly.
Go whenMorning, before the campus fills.
Local tip Walk the circle and read the markers about 1962 and James Meredith. This is a working campus, so keep to the paths and be considerate of classes.
A shaded green of about 10 acres at the center of the campus, named for its oak, elm and magnolia trees. It is the tailgating area on football weekends, and an easy place to sit between buildings on any other day.
Go whenMorning or late afternoon (about 7:29 PM), under the trees.
Local tip On a football weekend the green is a crowd of tents and food, so on any other day it is a calm place to sit. Look up at the oaks and magnolias that give it its name.
Slices of firm green tomato, dipped in cornmeal and fried until crisp, served hot as a side or a small plate, often with a dipping sauce.
Local tip Eat them while they are hot, since they go soft as they cool.
About 12 min walk0.6 mi
3
Midday
Rowan Oak
The home of the author William Faulkner from 1930 until his death in 1962, a Greek Revival house built in 1844 on four landscaped acres beside woods. Faulkner wrote the outline of his novel A Fable on the walls of his office. A slave dwelling remains on the grounds from the antebellum years. Check ahead on visiting.
Go whenMidday, once the campus walk is done.
Local tip Walk the cedar alley to the house first, then the grounds and the woods behind. The slave dwelling on the grounds is part of the place, so read the signs. Check ahead on visiting.
About 1 h 32 min by car60.7 mi
4
MiddayIndoor
Delta Blues Museum
A museum of the blues in Clarksdale, housed in the passenger depot built in 1926. It holds memorabilia and art, and a shack said to be where Muddy Waters lived in his youth on a plantation near Clarksdale, rebuilt inside. Check ahead on the opening.
Go whenMidday, as an indoor stop.
Local tip Start with the shack said to be where Muddy Waters lived, then follow the rooms through the story of the blues. Check ahead on the opening.
Catfish fillets, coated in cornmeal and fried, served with hush puppies, slaw and lemon, a plain dish of the Delta, where catfish is raised in ponds.
Local tip Squeeze the lemon on while it is hot, and watch for small bones.
If it rains. Delta Blues Museum is covered, so keep it. Move Lyceum and The Circle, The Grove and Rowan Oak to a dry day if you can.
Day 2. The Delta, Sumner to Indianola and Jackson
4 stops · 460.8 mi by carAbout 10 h 31 min driving
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
Drive from Delta Blues MuseumAbout 2 h 56 min by car130.2 mi
Where Day 1 ended.
1
Midday
Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home
The Jackson home of the civil rights activist Medgar Evers and his wife Myrlie, built in 1956. Medgar Evers was shot in the carport here on June 11, 1963, by a white supremacist. The house is now a national monument. Come with care, and check ahead on how to visit.
Go whenMorning, before the city warms up.
Local tip This is the home of a family and the place where Medgar Evers was shot in 1963, so come with care. Check ahead on how to visit, since the house is a national monument and not a walk-in museum.
In Sumner, the Tallahatchie County courthouse where the trial took place in September 1955, restored to hold the Emmett Till Interpretive Center. Emmett Till, a boy of 14 from Chicago, was abducted and murdered in August 1955 while visiting relatives in the Delta, and an all-white jury acquitted the two men tried for it. Come ready for a serious visit, and check ahead on how to go in.
Go whenMorning, with time to go slowly.
Local tip This is a serious visit about a murder and a trial, so allow time and keep your voice low. Check ahead on how to go in, and check the road before the drive north into the Delta.
Lunch
Delta hot tamales
A small tamale of the Delta, a roll of cornmeal dough around seasoned meat, wrapped in paper and cooked in a spiced broth, eaten by hand from the wrapper.
Local tip Open the wrapper and let it cool a minute, and ask what the spice level is.
About 2 h 38 min by car115.9 mi
3
MiddayIndoor
Mississippi Civil Rights Museum
A state museum in Jackson that documents the civil rights movement in Mississippi between 1945 and 1970. It opened in December 2017 beside the Museum of Mississippi History. Some of the stories are hard. Allow plenty of time, and check ahead on tickets.
Go whenMidday, as an indoor stop.
Local tip It covers 1945 to 1970, and some rooms are hard. Give it real time, and let the second half of the day be lighter. Check ahead on tickets.
A former cotton plantation and sawmill on the Sunflower River, started in 1895 and widely regarded as the place where Delta blues was born. Charley Patton, Robert Johnson and Howlin' Wolf lived and played here, among workers and sharecroppers. It is now a working farm on private land with some historic buildings, so check ahead on how to visit.
Go whenAfternoon, in daylight.
Local tip The land is private and a working farm, so check ahead on how and when you may visit, and keep to the signed areas. The blues story here grew among workers and sharecroppers.
If it rains. Emmett Till Interpretive Center and Mississippi Civil Rights Museum are covered, so keep them. Move Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home and Dockery Plantation to a dry day if you can.
Day 3. Natchez and the Trace and Vicksburg
4 stops · 292.5 mi by carAbout 7 h 8 min driving
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
Drive from Dockery PlantationAbout 3 h 13 min by car145.0 mi
Where Day 2 ended.
1
Midday
Natchez Trace Parkway
A national parkway of 444 miles from Natchez to Nashville that follows the old Natchez Trace, a trail used for centuries by Native Americans and later by traders and travelers. The road is a two-lane drive with limited access. This stop is at Mount Locust, a restored inn, called a stand, on the old trail near milepost 15.5. Check ahead on the road.
Go whenMorning, with no hurry.
Local tip Drive it slowly with the windows down. The road has limited access and no stoplights, so fill the tank before you turn on, and check ahead on the road and the weather. Mount Locust is a restored inn on the old trail.
An octagonal mansion begun in 1859 for a cotton planter and built in part by enslaved people, said to be the largest octagonal house in the United States. Work stopped in 1861 when the craftsmen left at the start of the Civil War, and only the basement rooms were finished, so the upper floors are unfinished. A Freedmen's Picnic was held on the grounds on July 4, 1867. Check ahead on tours.
Go whenMidday, as an indoor stop.
Local tip The finished rooms are in the basement and the rest is raw brick and beams, left as the work stopped in 1861. The house was built in part by enslaved people, so read the story as well as the plan. Check ahead on tours.
The site of the siege of Vicksburg, from March to July 1863, which ended with the surrender of the city and gave the Union control of the Mississippi River. The park holds monuments and markers, trenches, a tour road, a national cemetery with many unidentified graves, and the ironclad USS Cairo. It is a battlefield and a burial ground, so keep a respectful tone, and check ahead on the road.
Go whenAfternoon into evening (about 7:29 PM), as the light softens on the hills.
Local tip Drive the tour road with the windows down, stopping at the markers that catch your eye. It is a battlefield and a burial ground. Carry water, and check ahead on the road and the weather.
A Greek Revival estate built for John T. McMurran, a lawyer and planter who used the forced labor of enslaved people. It is part of Natchez National Historical Park, furnished for the period just before the Civil War, with outbuildings that include one of the last remaining quarters for enslaved people in Natchez. Visits are by guided tour, so check ahead.
Go whenAfternoon, on the guided tour.
Local tip Take the tour of the house and the grounds, and look at the quarters for enslaved people among the outbuildings. It is run by the National Park Service, so check ahead on the tour times.
A slice of pecan pie, a sweet filling of eggs, sugar and pecans in a flaky crust, with hot coffee, a Southern way to end a long day on the river.
Local tip Share a slice, and ask for it warm.
If it rains. Longwood and Melrose are covered, so keep them. Move Natchez Trace Parkway and Vicksburg National Military Park to a dry day if you can.
Departure day
After the last day. You finish in Natchez, a long road from a large airport, so give the last day room.Details
Leaving Natchez
Natchez lies on the Mississippi River in the southwest corner of the state, and the nearest large airports are a long road away. Check the road and the weather, and leave plenty of time before a flight.
Return the car
If you rented in Memphis, plan the long drive north or turn the car in at a closer airport. Ask the rental desk about a one-way drop before you book.
If you have a few hours
Walk the bluff park above the river in Natchez once more, where the second French Fort Rosalie stood, and look out over the Mississippi.
Questions people ask
When is the best time to visit Oxford?
By average weather from 2021 to 2025, March to April and October to November are the most comfortable months for walking around Oxford. This plan is built for april to May, which is one of the best months. Crowds and prices change through the year, so check them before you book.
How many days does this plan cover?
It covers 3 days in Oxford, planned for april to May. Each day is built around a small number of stops, with room to rest.
Who is this plan for?
It was planned for most travelers. The pace and the places reflect that, so check it fits how you travel.
Is anything on this plan booked?
No. Places marked "book ahead" need a reservation. Hours, prices and availability change, so confirm before you go.
Can I plan my own days like this?
Yes. Archie drafts a day by day plan for your dates and takes your pace, the weather and who is travelling into account. You can start one from the Archie app.
Can I change this plan?
Yes. It is a starting point you can change to fit your own trip: swap a place, add a day or move the pace.
How much walking is there?
On foot, about 0.7 miles a day, and 814.0 miles by car in all across 3 days. Distances are straight-line estimates, so allow extra for the streets.
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