From Bayou to Beach to the Blues, Mississippi’s Got Your Jam

Known as the catfish capital of the U.S., famous for its long stretches of beach along the Gulf Coast, Mississippi is also the place to come face to face with alligators foraging in swamplands, a place to discover unlimited road biking opportunities, and a place packed with tranquil stretches of river for paddling. The birthplace of Oprah Winfrey, Elvis Presley, and B.B. King is also home to business owners who have turned this Deep South state into an emerging outdoor adventure destination. From canoe companies offering dugout trips down the Mississippi River to tiny home communities nestled against historic running and biking trails, there is a bit of everything for the hardcore outdoor enthusiast and the curious nature traveler.

Being an adventurer at heart, I made sure our north-to-south itinerary was packed with nature-based activities that ranged from kayaking to road biking.

My older cousin and I landed in Memphis, crossed the Tennessee-Mississippi border, and began our trip in Clarksdale, Mississippi, a small town with a population of fewer than 19,000 residents and known as the “Birthplace of Blues” for having spawned so many musical legends, from Muddy Waters to Sam Cooke. Filled with historic buildings housing juke joints, record shops, and blues clubs, Clarksdale was also unexpectedly home to the Quapaw Canoe Company, an outfitter that leads expeditions down the Mississippi River.

After meeting up with African American naturalist guide Mark River, we set off in a dugout canoe on a stretch of the sediment-rich Mississippi with a leisurely 45-minute paddle to the nearby Montezuma Island. After we landed, the plentiful cottonwood trees rained down white cottony seeds all around us like snow. One of my most peaceful moments in recent memory is sitting at the edge of the island’s sandbank and watching bass and carp jump while turtles poked their heads out of the water and minnows nipped at the dead skin on my feet.

Some must-dos in Clarksdale include catching live blues music in the evenings at the Hambone Gallery and starting your day with coffee and muffins at the local hipster café, Meraki. Needless to say, our trip was off with a bang.

Starkville, Mississippi, is home to Mississippi State University and a 2.5-hour drive from Clarksdale. The destination immediately had a college-y town feel to it with its small, downtown area filled with bookstores, boutiques, and diners. We stopped for the day, explored the campus, and refueled at Nutrigroove, a small health-conscious eatery tucked away across from the main entrance. Some of the standout menu items were the cherry acai bowl; strawberry and blueberry bagels, and the beauty smoothies, infused with hyaluronic acid and probiotics for healthy skin and hair.

After leaving Starkville, we spent a few days in Ridgeland, a suburb of Jackson, the state capital. We rented bikes and rode several miles along the Natchez Trace, a primitive trail traveled by Native Americans for thousands of years that stretches 400 miles from Natchez, Mississippi, to Nashville, Tennessee. Some of the sights I took in while biking: canopies of maple, hickory, oak, and pine; small, murky swamps; openings to weedy campgrounds; and a cute snake in the middle of the trail.

If you’re driving down the adjacent Natchez Trace Parkway, Milepost 22 is worth a stop. Here you can traverse a wooden boardwalk that hovers above the Cypress Swamp. The cypress and tupelo tree-laden waters were populated by several juvenile alligators that measured around three feet. It was difficult to spot them in the swamp water at first since their bodies camouflaged nicely, but as you look closer you can see them moving slowly while turtles sun on nearby branches.

I recommend a stay at the AC Hotel Jackson Ridgeland and taking a cycling or yoga class a few steps away at The Club, a mega health center with a steam room, fitness center, and lap pool.

The capital of Jackson was established 200 years ago in 1822, and it has a checkered past. It is the location of the world’s first heart and lung transplants. It is also where civil rights leader Medgar Evers was shot and killed in 1963 while standing in his driveway.

We stayed at the Fairview Inn, a historic mansion from 1903 that is now a chic bed and breakfast. Here it’s possible to find meditative moments in the tons of outdoor space where red jays flit around stately trees, or you can choose to roast marshmallows over the eight-seater fire pit. Jackson was also the place where I could wind down from my adventuring with massages and pampering. I spent a few hours at the Westin Jackson’s Soul Spa, which was equipped with a jacuzzi, dry sauna, multi-jet experience shower experience, and peaceful massage rooms.

The last stop on my road trip was to the southern Mississippi city of Hattiesburg and one of the most tranquil parts of the voyage. After the one-hour drive from Jackson, we checked into the Longleaf Piney Resort, a collection of tiny houses in Hattiesburg with kitchenettes, comfortable beds, and TVs if you need some reverse digital detox.

You can rent manual or e-bikes from the resort and travel along some 50 miles of paved concrete on the Longleaf Trace Trail, which runs adjacent to the tiny homes. For food, a favorite stop was T Bones Records & Cafe, a record shop with gifts, memorabilia, and an eatery offering healthy fare from green salads to sandwiches with locally sourced produce.

To end our trip with an extremely tranquil experience, we kayaked down the local Bouie River, where there were dozens of blue and white herons gliding overhead. The most pivotal moment while paddling was jumping out of the kayak into the Mississippi to cool off from the aerobic activity. I had a mind-clearing moment that in these waters my ancestors waded, Native Americans survived, and hundreds of animal and bird species continue to thrive.