See and hear the musical legacy of the Mississippi
in photographer Andrew Kornylak's audio slideshow >>

Plus:  Delta Music  |  Adventure Guide

Canoeing:
Spring and fall are ideal for a trip down the lower Mississippi, thanks to milder temperatures and fewer insects. Quapaw Canoe Company, the author's guide, runs all-inclusive trips year-round ($75 per person a day, including meals; www.island63.com).

Wildlife:
Scope the banks for deer, beaver, and bear, or cast for the bass, catfish, and crappie that swim in the muddy depths. You'll also be sharing the waters with several species of turtle and the occasional alligator.

Lodging:
The Shack Up Inn B&B ($55; www.shackupinn.com), in Clarksdale, rents sharecroppers' shacks on Hopson Plantation, a remnant of Delta cotton culture. Finish off the trip at the Greenville Inn and Suites ($69; +1 662 332 6900), which sits across the levee from an oxbow lake formed after the flood of 1927.

Food:

An old cotton warehouse in downtown Clarksdale is home to Ground Zero Blues Club (www.groundzerobluesclub.com), a music haunt and restaurant that serves up traditional Delta fare with live performances Wednesday through Saturday nights. The steak, shrimp, and french fries at Doe's Eat Place (www.doeseatplace.com), in Greenville, promises to satisfy your just-off-the-river appetite.

Getting There: 
Rent a car in Memphis and head south on Route 61—the Blues Highway—to Clarksdale. For $35, Quapaw Canoe Company will transport your vehicle to Greenville or wherever you choose to get off the river.

See and hear the musical legacy of the Mississippi
in photographer Andrew Kornylak's audio slideshow >>

Plus:  Delta Music  |  Adventure Guide

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