The highway route to the Mississippi Delta is flat land with scattered outcroppings of forests of hardwood and cypress. For miles the traveler can see fields and fields of cotton row crops with the forests dotting the horizon. Small towns sit quietly by the various approaching highways waiting to welcome guests. But the Mississippi Delta is a region of history, blues, antiques, nature, and the river. The river is the reason for the Delta, but the people of the Delta made their way with growing cotton, making music, and enjoying nature. That's what the traveler along the highways leading to the Delta wants to experience - its history, its music, its antiques, its nature, and its river.

The Mississippi Delta is the region of lowlands bordering the Mississippi River. It occurs, not at the mouth of the river where it empties into the Gulf of Mexico as many people think, but in the middle part of Mississippi. Greenville is the largest Mississippi city in the Delta and is located midway between Vicksburg in Mississippi and Memphis, Tennessee.

Blues, Nature, History and the River
The Blues and the Delta are almost inseparable in conversations. Blues can be discussed without mentioning the Delta, but the opposite is seldom true. A walk along the streets of Greenville will prove this to be true. Take a short drive north to Clarksdale to one of the Delta's most popular attractions -- the Delta Blues Museum. Take the scenic Highway 1 North, which offers a panoramic view of the Delta and its massive Levee System. Many of the original records, instruments and belongings of some of the world's greatest Blues players are at the Blues Museum in Clarksdale.

The Mississippi River Levee System is all that stands between North America's largest river and the washing away of the Delta's land. This engineering marvel created largely by the blood, sweat and tears of manual laborers, winds endlessly along the Delta landscape. The Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau can offer several points available for motorcoach entry and exit for a brief drive down this impressive project. Nearby is an antebellum slave-built levee system along Rattlesnake Bayou, now in the middle of one of Greenville's most exclusive neighborhoods.

The natural side of the Delta is almost as inseparable as the Blues. Hunting and fishing are popular pastimes in the Delta because of the abundance of wild game and suitable habitat. Along the Mississippi River, a major flyway during waterfowl migrations, wildlife refuges and management areas are favorite winter hangouts for sportsmen. There are excellent concentrations of ducks and geese in the Delta's flooded timber and agricultural fields and on its oxbow lakes. Fishing is a popular pastime on these lakes also. An oxbow lake is one that is curved and is formed by the changing route of a meandering river. Oxbows are characteristic along the Mississippi.

The Walking Tour
Upon entering the city of Greenville, a visit to the historic district is a must. Signs point to district from the main street (Highway 82). Take the walking tour of the downtown historic district. Then take the driving tour of the surrounding area of Greenville. The renovated downtown district has many fine restaurants and shops amidst the historic buildings and museums. A restaurant is operating within the renovated C & G Railroad Depot (built around 1880). Walk up old Main Street along cotton row where cotton was traded in years past. The buildings on both sides of the 200 block of Main Street display a certain character.

The Old Number 1 Firehouse Museum on Main Street is a vintage fire station with antique trucks and equipment used to fight fires in the 1920s. The firehouse was originally built in 1923 and served as a cotton factoring office. It later served Greenville as a firehouse from 1923-1969.

There are a few other notable old buildings along Main Street. The First National Bank Building (1903), the St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church (1907), and the Hebrew Union Temple (1906) are all examples are the architecture of the day and are very prominent and distinctive structures in the historic district.

Walnut Avenue is the main street running parallel and adjacent to the river. Many restaurants and shops are located along Walnut. Crossing Walnut toward the river takes the traveler onto the levee. Topping the levee provides an excellent vantage point of the Mississippi River and the casinos along riverbank. The three large and popular casinos (the Jubilee, the Las Vegas, and the Lighthouse Point) on the other side of the levee create a contrast to the historic downtown Greenville.

The Driving Tour
After taking the walking tour of the historic downtown district, drive around the Delta and get another perspective of the countryside. Stop by the River Road Queen Welcome Center and sample the Delta's treasures. The Welcome Center resembles one of the Victorian riverboats that once ruled the Mississippi River. This unique exhibit originally served as the State of Mississippi exhibit in the 1984 New Orleans World's Fair. In the water around the Welcome Center are catfish - another thing for which the Delta is famous. In season there is a small crop of cotton growing on the grounds of the center. Get information here for some of the nearby attractions of the Delta.

Several plantation houses are scattered throughout the region. Some are private residences and only allow drive by viewing. Linden Plantation was built in the early 1900s. This twenty-room mansion is an example of turn of the century Colonial Revival architecture and is now operated as a bed and breakfast inn. It is located on South Lake Washington Road south of Greenville off Highway 1.

Leroy Percy State Park is the oldest in Mississippi. It is characterized by bubbling hot springs, cypress trees and ancient oaks laced with spanish moss. It is also known for its alligator population. Visitors can observe the animals from an elevated boardwalk. There is an RV park, restaurant, fishing and swimming facilities at the park, as well as a wildlife preserve. Leroy Percy State Park is located south of Greenville. To get there from Greenville, take Highway 1 south to Highway 12. Go east to the park.

Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge is further south of Leroy Percy on Highway 1. This is a wetland project between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Ducks Unlimited. Bird watching is considered excellent here at Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge and at Leroy Percy State Park.

Greenville Balloon Fest
There are annual events that occur in Greenville to commemorate the Delta's heritage - the Delta Wildlife Expo in the fall, Greenville Celebrates America on the Fourth of July, Delta Blues Week, the second largest blues festival, and the Mississippi Folk Festival. But there is nothing as impressive as seeing dozens of hot air balloons rising above the banks of the Mississippi River and floating over the historic district of Greenville.

The last weekend of October the Greenville Balloon Festival takes to the air. For the past few years hot air balloons from around the country have gathered on the Great Wall of the Mississippi. With balloon glows in the evening and races early in the mornings, there are events over the weekend to make this a special time over the Delta.

The Mississippi Delta is an enchanting destination. A visit to Greenville and the surrounding area will make the traveler understand the mystique of the Delta. Its music. Its history. Its nature. Its river.