To Plan A Trip

For information on lodging and a calendar of events, call the Mississippi Development Authority Division of Tourism (601-359-3297) or visit its Web site at www.visitmississippi.org. I found Steve Cheseborough’s book Blues Traveling (University Press of Mississippi) an indispensable guide, full of detailed historical and cultural information as well as driving directions to out-of-the-way sites.

In late September, Greenville hosts the Mississippi Delta Blues and Heritage Festival ( www.deltablues.org ), the oldest but not the only blues festival in the Delta. You can find information about the smaller festivals in Cheseborough’s book or through the Division of Tourism. If you come for the Blues and Heritage Festival, make your hotel reservations early. There are plenty of chain hotels on Routes 61 and 49, but you can find unique accommodation in the Delta. The elegant Belle Clark Bed and Breakfast, in Clarksdale (662-627-1280, www.thebelleclark.com ), is in the restored home of John Clark, the town’s founder.

Coming from New York, where a seaweed salad can be a meal, I found Southern dining a revelation. Don’t be afraid of the modest-looking barbecue shacks, general stores, and roadside stands. They offer up Southern dining at its finest, with hot-sauce-soaked pigs’ feet, tamales, and fried catfish. I discovered the salty Southern delicacy of fried dill pickles at the Hollywood café in Robinsonville, near Tunica (662-363-1126). They were tart and crispy and, dipped in horseradish sauce, had an alarming bite. But they proved addictive.