The Spirit of Travel, The Spirit of the Delta

The hotel receptionist checking us into The Alluvian, Greenwood’s award-winning luxury boutique hotel, has good news and bad news. “Bad news first, please,” requests Ines. Like many local establishments taking COVID-19 precautions, the hotel is scaling back some services. But the good news makes up for it. Just across the street, class is back in session at Viking Cooking School. Thanks to a last-minute cancellation, we manage to score two spots in the morning’s Date Night class. The talented instructor teaches us how to spice up a romantic dinner and whip up a mean risotto at the same time. 

That afternoon we trade our matching aprons for his and hers robes at the hotel’s 7,000 square-foot spa. Since I like to fish, the spa menu’s Field & Stream section, featuring the “Sportsman’s Special,” caught my eye. But, in keeping with the date night theme, we opt for the “Date Night in the Delta” package. Any stress that doesn’t dissipate during our soak in a sweet tea bath melts away during our couple’s hot Delta river rock massage. “I’m relaxed to the max,” I tell Ines. She tells me to summon my second wind. We have a dinner reservation in the hotel’s restaurant. 

Giardina’s is just one of a few remaining restaurants in Greenwood with private booths where diners used to sneak drinks during Prohibition. Between the fine Italian wines, the shrimp prepared three ways and the feeling we’re getting away with something illegal, the experience is unforgettable. But our night doesn’t end there. “As a food blogger, I can’t not visit a destination restaurant recognized for its desserts by The Food Network and Southern Living,” I say. So, after dinner we walk over to The Crystal Grill to try their famous gravity-defying mile-high meringue pies.

“As a travel blogger whose readers book trips based on their tastebuds, I can definitely write about this place,” says Ines in between bites of the first, but certainly not last, lemon ice box pie of her life.

Greenwood may be known as “the cotton capital of the world,” but it’s also a gold mine for history buffs. Since most of the mother lode is within a few blocks of The Alluvian our morning begins by traveling back in time on a self-guided walking tour of downtown. Cameras in hand, we capture tons of new, yet old, material for our Instagrams. The first photo I post is of a striking Romanesque revival building from the early 20th Century. Ines uploads one of Mississippi’s largest and most well-preserved Neoclassical lodges. It’s featured in the Academy-Award nominated movie ‘The Help.” Given how peaceful it is, it’s hard to believe Greenwood was a ground zero during the civil rights movement. But we encounter several Mississippi Freedom Trail markers. In fact, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once led marches in the same streets we walk down. We’re humbled. 

We’re also hungry, so we grab lunch at Fan & Johnny's – Greenwood’s newest downtown restaurant named for owner Taylor Bowen Ricketts’ grandparents. The James Beard Best Chef South semi-finalist’s menu changes daily. But one thing remains the same: her grandfather’s comeback sauce recipe. “How will we survive if the dinosaurs come back?” Ines asks that afternoon. We’re standing in front of a 12,000-year-old mastodon skeleton at the Museum of the Mississippi Delta. “Certainly not hunt them with bows and arrows,” I answer. The museum – which has 9 galleries and several special exhibits – is also home to a collection of tiny hand-carved arrowheads left behind by the Choctaw tribe.

“No rib left behind,” I say during dinner that night. Ines also looks like she’s about to lick her Styrofoam container clean. The line at Drake’s BBQ is as long as the aroma is alluring. But it’s not surprising. Here, the massive outdoor smoker perfects every protein from pork chops to bone-in rib-eyes, catfish and jumbo turkey legs. I’m tempted to get in line again for seconds but Ines reminds me of our plans to head to Tallahatchie Flats for a blues jam. In addition to renting out restored 1940s housing for plantation workers, Tallahatchie Flats hosts live music and special events in its tavern.

Our final morning in Greenwood begins in its nationally-known book shop. In fact, a New York Times writer called Turnrow Book Company one of the most beautiful bookstores she knows. We take some photos for Insta and despite the fact we both transitioned to e-readers long ago, we treat ourselves to a few old-fashioned books. Turnrow is not the only independently-owned shop we visit. I find the perfect pair of loafers at Goldberg’s – a shoe store celebrating its centennial in 2021. Ines completes her Christmas shopping at Etsy-esque boutiques featuring local artists and artisans. Like a kid’s in a candy store, her blue eyes sparkle.  

Once our shopping is done, we dive into learning about the Delta Blues. Because Greenwood was home to so many game-changers in the history of the blues, and ultimately, rock-and roll, it boasts 8 of the state’s 200 Mississippi Blues Trail markers. We visit all of them but are most moved by Baptist Town. Morgan Freeman was raised in this historic African American neighborhood. It’s also the last place where the legendary Robert Johnson lived before his untimely death. Had he not been poisoned by his lover’s husband, he would have been alive to attend his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony and to accept his awards at the Grammy’s. He also probably would have kept a copy of the Rolling Stone Magazine ranking him the 5th best guitarist of all time.

“I don’t want to leave Greenwood on a sad note,” I say at the cemetery where Johnson is reportedly buried. “We’re not,” Ines says. “Look at how fondly he’s remembered here. His legacy will never die.” I think about it for a minute before deciding she’s right. The late musician’s spirit, like his music, and like Greenwood and the spirit of the Mississippi Delta, will live on. The best part is we didn’t have to board a plane or cross an international border to learn this.