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Greenville sits deep in the flat Mississippi Delta, where an old bend of the great river became Lake Ferguson and a tall levee rises above the streets. It is the Delta's largest city, known as much for its writers, blues and hot tamales as for its cotton history.
The town was rebuilt after the Civil War and devastated again by the Great Flood of 1927, when the levee broke and water stood in the streets for weeks; a museum downtown tells that story. Greenville produced an unusual number of authors, including Shelby Foote, Walker Percy and William Alexander Percy, and editor Hodding Carter won a Pulitzer Prize here. Nelson Street was a celebrated blues strip, and Doe's Eat Place still serves steaks and tamales in a former grocery.
Nearby trips include the ancient Winterville Mounds just north of town, alligators and cypress at Leroy Percy State Park, and Leland, Jim Henson's boyhood home, about 10 miles east.
Opened by Dominick 'Doe' Signa in the 1940s in his family's former grocery on Nelson Street, Doe's serves huge steaks, broiled shrimp and its famous hot tamales. Diners often walk through the busy kitchen to reach their tables. It opens for dinner and fills up fast, so arrive early or call ahead.
Each October downtown Greenville celebrates the Delta's tamale tradition with a cooking contest, a street fair of tamale vendors, live music and author events. The festival grew from the city's long tamale culture and draws food lovers from across the South. Come hungry and compare several makers' styles side by side.
About six miles north of Greenville, this Mississippian ceremonial center has a dozen earthen mounds built roughly 1,000 to 1,450 AD, including a temple mound about 55 feet high. A small museum displays pottery and tools found on the site, and paths loop across the grassy plaza. It is a stop on the Mississippi Mound Trail.
Once one of the liveliest blues strips in the Delta, Nelson Street drew touring and local musicians to its clubs, juke joints and cafes from the 1940s onward. A Mississippi Blues Trail marker tells the story of the street's heyday and the artists who played there. Visit in daylight and pair it with dinner at nearby Doe's.
Home to one of Mississippi's oldest Jewish congregations, this 1906 temple has handsome stained glass windows and a small museum, the Century of History, on Jewish life in the Delta, when Jewish merchants were central to Greenville's downtown. Visits are by arrangement, so contact the congregation before you go.
This small downtown museum tells the story of the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, when the levee broke at Mounds Landing north of Greenville and water covered the city for weeks. Photographs, film and personal accounts show the disaster and how it reshaped the Delta and spurred migration north. Call ahead for opening times.
A former school turned community arts center, the E.E. Bass hosts concerts, theater productions and gallery shows, and it is home to a carousel that delights young visitors. Many rooms open only for performances and exhibitions, so check the events calendar of the local arts council before you stop by.
In the William Alexander Percy Memorial Library, this exhibit honors the remarkable number of authors tied to Greenville, from Shelby Foote and Walker Percy to Hodding Carter, Ellen Douglas and Beverly Lowry. Displays include books, photographs and biographical panels. It is free during library hours and pairs well with a downtown walk.
Just south of the US 82 bridge, this county park sits right on the bank of the Mississippi River, with campsites, picnic shelters and an observation tower for watching towboats push barges past. Sunsets over the Arkansas shore are the highlight. Bring insect repellent in summer and check river levels in spring.
Mississippi's oldest state park, south of town near Hollandale, protects cypress swamps, warm artesian springs and a boardwalk where alligators are often seen basking. Cabins, campsites, nature trails and a fishing lake make it a relaxed escape. Spring and fall are best, since summer brings heat and mosquitoes.
This long oxbow lake, formed from an old channel of the Mississippi River, curves along Greenville's waterfront behind the levee. It serves as the city's harbor and a spot for fishing, birding and boating, and the levee top offers wide views. Visit at dawn or dusk to see herons and egrets along the shore.
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