2026 ChiTown2Mississippi Heritage Blues Trail Bus Tour, Oct 16-20, 2026
About this Event
Visiting 7 locations over 5 days on a state of the art motor coach, (Tunica, Clarksdale, Mound Bayou, Indianola, Cleveland, Greenwood, and Jackson), these cities are all essential stops on the Mississippi Blues and Freedom Trails. Tourists will delve into Mississippi's rich blues and civil rights history, visiting key landmarks, museums, juke joints, and community spaces that nurtured many iconic music legends.
Among those celebrated are Chicago Blues founder Muddy Waters, as well as the King of the Blues, B.B. King, and other notable figures like Robert Johnson, Hubert Sumlin, Willie Dixon, James Cotton, Little Milton, David “Honeyboy” Edwards, Denise LaSalle, Sam Cooke, Elmore James, Ike Turner, and Dorothy Moore.
Agenda
🕑: 12:30 PM - 01:00 AM
Day 1, Memphis - Clarksdale Friday, 10/16/2026
Host: Dr. Traci Lombre
Info: Tourists arrive in Memphis, TN, starting their journey with visits to iconic landmarks and monuments that highlight both Blues music history and civil rights. After enjoying lunch on Beale Street, visitors explore the nearby National Civil Rights Museum located at the historic Lorraine Motel. Next, we embark on a Mississippi Delta tour, traveling down the Blues Highway to Clarksdale, MS, the cradle of Delta Blues. Here, we savor dinner at the famous Ground Zero Blues Club before wrapping up the night at Red's Lounge, a key stop on the heritage blues trail tour.
🕑: 09:00 AM - 12:00 AM
Day 2, Clarksdale-Indianola Saturday, 10/17/2026
Host: Local Mississippi Historians
Info: Explore the spaces that shaped Blues music history, featuring legends like Muddy Waters and B.B. King, as well as civil rights figures such as Fannie Lou Hamer and many others. We visit the Crossroads and various significant landmarks and cultural institutions throughout Clarksdale, Mound Bayou, and Indianola. The evening concludes at Club Ebony in Indianola, King's hometown, after a visit to the B.B. King Museum & Delta Interpretive Center, making this Mississippi Delta tour an unforgettable experience.
🕑: 10:00 AM - 07:00 PM
Day 3, Cleveland-Greenwood Sunday, 10/18/2026
Host: Local Mississippi Historians
Info: Pay homage to the pioneers of Blues and Mississippi music by traveling to Cleveland, visiting the Grammy Museum and Dockery Farms. This plantation is closely tied to the birth of the Delta Blues and the legendary Charley Patton. We head to Greenwood to visit the gravesite of Robert Johnson, exploring more historical markers along the Mississippi Blues and Freedom Trails.
🕑: 10:30 AM - 09:00 PM
Day 4, All Day in Jackson Monday, 10/19/2026
Info: This day is dedicated to exploring Mississippi landmarks and institutions in Jackson, including the Smith-Robertson Museum, which preserves the crucial history of the civil rights movement and the Black experience in Mississippi, deeply connected to the roots of Blues music history. In the evening, we enjoy a Blues jam session presented by the Central Mississippi Blues Society at Hal & Mal's Restaurant in downtown Jackson, a showcase of the rich Mississippi culture.
🕑: 08:00 AM - 04:30 PM
Day 5, Heading Home Tuesday, 10/20/2026
Host: Dr. Traci Lombre
Info: On the final day of the Mississippi Delta tour, if departing for home from Jackson, we first visit the Two Museums of Mississippi, which celebrate the state's history.
For those departing from Memphis, we explore the Stax Museum of American Soul and enjoy a delicious Memphis-style BBQ lunch at Central BBQ before heading to the airport.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 1810.88 to USD 1920.63
