Coahoma County offers two distinct travel interests: blues and literary history with specific connections to Clarksdale, and water and nature activities at Moon Lake. For planning, it helps to decide first whether cultural events or outdoor activities should shape your stay. For events and guided tours, dates and availability are key.
Blues, Literature, and Local History
The Delta Blues Museum invites visitors to explore the history and legacy of the blues. It was founded in 1979 and reorganized as an independent museum in 1999; it is the oldest music museum in Mississippi. It is housed in a historic freight depot in Clarksdale, built in 1918 for the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad. The building brings together the history of the blues and the history of railroad architecture.
The Carnegie Public Library Archeology Collection offers a different cultural-history perspective. It includes Mississippi pottery, artifacts, and archaeological research materials. The collection complements the music and literature themes with an archaeological perspective on the region.
A literary-history connection leads to Tennessee Williams. The Tennessee Williams Rectory Museum is located in the former rectory of St. George’s Episcopal Church in Clarksdale. Williams spent part of his childhood in Clarksdale; his grandfather was rector of the church there from 1917 to 1931. The connection is based on both Williams’s childhood and his grandfather’s work.
Clarksdale also has a specific connection to civil rights history: Aaron Henry was a pharmacist there and an important early grassroots activist in the civil rights movement. As local NAACP president, he led the boycott campaign in Clarksdale in the early 1960s. Fifteen Mississippi Blues Trail markers are also listed for Clarksdale and Coahoma County; the number may change.
Festivals and Live Music
Several recurring events offer different reasons to visit. The Tennessee Williams Festival takes place every year on a weekend in October and includes literary events, Porch Plays, and live drama. The annual Juke Joint Festival combines a blues music festival with a small-town fair. The Pinetop Boogie & Crawfish Boil is also held annually at the Ground Zero Blues Club.
There is live music in Clarksdale seven nights a week. Check the schedules at individual venues. If a festival or a particular performance is the main reason for your trip, check the event dates in advance as well.
Moon Lake and Outdoor Activities
Moon Lake has public access for boating and fishing and is also a bird-watching destination. Moon Lake Park has a public boat ramp, a fish-cleaning station, a covered picnic shelter, and public restrooms. Free parking is available at Moon Lake Overlook; a path leads to a pier at the overlook.
The Quapaw Canoe Company offers a different kind of excursion: from Clarksdale, it organizes custom-guided adventures on the Lower Mississippi. Remote wilderness areas are reached by canoe or kayak. Ask in advance whether your preferred tour is available.
The Soldiers Field Disc Golf Course runs along the banks of the Sunflower River. The course has a walking path, picnic tables, and a children’s playground. The Hugh Jack Stubbs Recreational Trail offers an opportunity to combine exercise with nature experiences. These options offer different focuses: one combines a disc golf course with other amenities along the trail, while the other is used for exercise and nature experiences.
Friars Point and Getting to Clarksdale
The Friars Point Historic District comprises 49 buildings and one structure and is located mainly along Second Street. There is also a viewpoint on the Mississippi River north of Friars Point. These two details offer different points of reference: one concerns the historic buildings, the other the location of a viewpoint.
Memphis International Airport is about 68 miles from Clarksdale. The drive takes a little over an hour; travel time may vary depending on traffic.
Explore more destinations: Clarksdale, Coahoma, Jefferson Davis, Attala County, Harrison, Warren, Adams County, Marshall.
For the main travel overview: Mississippi.
