Southern Icons: A Route Rooted in Legends

While it’s best known for its comfort food, warm weather and friendly hospitality, the heart and soul of the South can often be found in words written by its iconic authors and lyrics of its famous singers. Travel this route to explore the favorite sights, sounds and haunts of some of the South’s most famous locals. From politicians and visionaries to famed writers and music legends, experience how some of the South’s most notable people left important marks in the towns that helped to build their legends.

Visiting Iconic Music History Sites in Memphis, Tennessee

Start tapping your toes the minute your plane lands at Memphis International Airport (MEM). You’re in a musical hot spot, a place known as the “Home of the Blues” and the “Birthplace of Rock ’n’ Roll.” Start your trip with a visit to the Stax Museum of American Soul Music to peruse 2,000 cultural artifacts, music exhibits and memorabilia dedicated to preserving the legacy of American soul music. Afterward, head to one of the most famous recording studios in the world, Sun Studio. Tour the spot where stars such as Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley recorded hit songs. Keep exploring the legacy of “The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll” with a trip to Graceland, the lavish estate Elvis lived in from 1957 until his death in 1977. Stroll by his former racquetball court, now home to his sequined outfits, and pay your respects at his gravesite in the outdoor Meditation Garden. Back in the heart of the city, walk down Beale Street, where bands have been playing since the 1860s, to hear every style of music from Tennessee blues to rock and soul. Stop by the Arcade Restaurant, which was a film location for the adaptations of John Grisham’s novels “The Client” and “The Firm,” as well as the Johnny Cash biopic “Walk the Line.” To buy signed copies of Grisham’s books, visit Burke’s Bookstore. Spend an evening dipping into the many bars and live music venues along Beale before heading northwest to your next destination.

Paying Tribute to Johnny Cash in Dyess, Arkansas

About an hour north of Memphis by car, make a stop in this small town to pay tribute to their most notable native. Historic Dyess Colony was the childhood home of the “Man in Black,” iconic country music legend Johnny Cash. Today, you can tour his house, which was refurbished in 2012 and includes many of the Cash family’s original furnishings. Guided tours depart from the Dyess Colony Visitors Center hourly from Monday through Saturday. Be sure to stop by the Dyess Colony Administration Building next to the Visitors Center to see artifacts from Johnny Cash’s life and explore exhibits on how the Arkansas colony was founded during the Great Depression. A highlight each August is the Johnny Cash Music Festival, which raises money for continued restoration work and has featured big-name country stars like Reba McEntire, Rosanne Cash and Loretta Lynn.

Bentonville, Arkansas: Where Sam Walton Built Walmart

Soak up the sights on your half-day drive through the Ozark Mountains to reach Bentonville in northwestern Arkansas. In 1950, Sam Walton opened his convenience shop on the still-bustling Bentonville town square. Since then, that little spot has grown into a global retail leader, and the original shop site is now The Walmart Museum. Visitors can tour the exhibit gallery, the original store and The Spark Café, an old-fashioned soda fountain. Just north of downtown Bentonville is Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, founded by Alice Walton in 2011. Admission is free to the museum, which holds an incredible collection of masterpieces from all eras of American art, including works from Walton’s private collection. Stop inside the museum’s Eleven Restaurant, which serves regional comfort food. Cyclists won’t want to miss a spin on the museum’s Masterpiece Trail – or any of the over 100 kilometers of bike trails across the city. The Museum of Native American History is also worth a visit before you head three hours south to the state capital.

Getting Presidential in Little Rock, Arkansas

One of the biggest attractions in charming and historic Little Rock is named for the city’s most famous former resident. Visit the Clinton Presidential Center to see exhibits about Bill Clinton’s presidential campaigns and his years in the White House. While downtown, tour the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion on Center Street. During Clinton’s first presidential campaign, one restaurant receiving fanfare was Doe’s Eat Place, where Clinton gave his Rolling Stone cover story interview. Order a steak or the tamales, which are served with chili or ketchup and saltine crackers. Trio’s Restaurant, famous for its homemade desserts, was another Clinton family favorite. Schedule a visit to Little Rock Central High School, the first Southern high school to be racially integrated in 1957 following the Supreme Court ruling in Brown vs. the Board of Education. A museum across the street from the school tells the story of the Little Rock Nine, high school students who led the desegregation charge. If your visit is in late April, take part in the Arkansas Literary Festival. It’s a perfect primer for your next stop a couple of hours away in Mississippi.

Theater and the Blues in Clarksdale, Mississippi

Cross the Mississippi River and enter the Mississippi Delta region, where Clarksdale birthed the blues and sparked the creative juices of the Deep South. Although playwright Tennessee Williams moved from Clarksdale by his early childhood, the town provided the setting for many of his famous works. Visit Tennessee Williams Park, dedicated to him, and take a walking tour of the historic district to experience landmarks significant to Williams’ life. If you visit in October, enjoy the annual Tennessee Williams Festival to hear historical presentations and live performances of his plays.

To immerse yourself in local blues history, visit the Delta Blues Museum, housed inside a former train depot. Exhibits include the shack where singer-songwriter and guitarist Muddy Waters lived in his youth as well as one of B.B. King’s guitars. When the sun goes down, enjoy some live music at the famous Ground Zero Blues Club, co-owned by actor Morgan Freeman, just across the street from the museum. Before leaving town for Oxford, venture to the Crossroads, where State Street and Desoto Avenue intersect; myth says this is where legendary musician Robert Johnson sold his soul to the Devil in order to master the guitar.

Parading the Streets of Oxford, Mississippi

After driving east on Highway 278 for an hour, you’ll enter a picturesque Southern town built to resemble Oxford, England. You can envision a young William Faulkner, dressed in costume, parading the streets. For Faulkner, those strolls led to Rowan Oak, the home he bought in 1930. Take a tour of his family home, where he lived for over 30 years and wrote some of his most famous works, including his 1954 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “A Fable.” Inside and outside, on the home’s surrounding 11.7 hectares, Faulkner told ghost stories to his nieces, nephews and children, several of which were captured by his niece, Dean Faulkner Wells, in her book “The Ghosts of Rowan Oak: William Faulkner’s Ghost Stories for Children.” After Faulkner died in July 1962, he was buried in St. Peter’s Cemetery; today, see the statue in his honor downtown on The Square. Make time for a visit to beloved local bookstore Square Books. Now that you’ve learned about some of the most lasting figures of the South, it’s time to drive the 110 kilometers back to Memphis where your journey began and catch a flight home.