Best Things to do in Greenwood, Mississippi
Whether it’s history, food or shopping you’re craving, we have it all in Greenwood. We’ve mapped out many different itineraries for you no matter what length of stay or desires you have, but we decided to narrow those lists down in one place for you with our best things to do in Greenwood, MS below…..
Explore the ghosts of the blues by experiencing the Robert Johnson Life and Legacy Tour. Perhaps the original member of the 27 club, he’s a blues great who left the world too soon at 27 years old with 29 songs to his credit. The mystique surrounding Robert Johnson’s life and legacy is what blues legends are made of. Pick up a copy of this self-guided tour at the Greenwood Visitor Center at 225 Howard Street or print online here and explore this musical mystery, ending at the graveside most widely believed to be the final resting place of this blues icon at Little Zion Church. This church was also a film site for The Help and ABC’s Women of the Movement.
Learn some tricks of the Trade at the original Viking Cooking School. Don’t worry if you aren’t a cook, this is the most fun school you’ll ever go to! Choose your menu and enjoy mingling with your classmates in an intimate setting where you’ll take part in making a delectable meal that you’ll enjoy along the way. You’ll also get all of the recipes to take home to wow your friends and family with your newfound culinary skills. The Viking Cooking School also offers private parties for your friends or supper club. After your class, enjoy a discount in the Viking Retail Store where you’ll find unique gifts and every cooking gadget you never knew you needed. You can also purchase Viking appliances to build your dream kitchen through the cooking school.
Hollywood descended on Greenwood during the spring and summer of 2010, bringing Dreamworks Studio stars into local homes and businesses. “The Help” garnered several Academy Award nominations and was a box-office smash. Walking the streets of downtown Greenwood during that hot summer of filming, it was not at all unusual to run into Octavia Spencer, Emma Stone, Jessica Chastain or Viola Davis. Cicely Tyson and Sissy Spacek shopped in local stores and Allison Janney and Bryce Dallas Howard might be found sharing lattes at Turnrow Books during breaks in the filming. Experience our self-guided tours of the film sites
If you are a public art lover, walk around downtown and explore murals and public art.
- Great Blue Heron by Vermont artist, Mary Lacy, on the side of the Chassaniol building on Howard Street. Watch the video that follows her artistic process here.
- Great group photo op in front of the Welcome to GreenwoodMural on side of Old City Hall (103 east market street)
- Spread your wings with the Butterfly backdrops in Ramcat Alley next to Fan and Johnny’s,
- Coca-Cola is still a Delta favorite. Check out this vintage mural on Front Street at Viking Headquarters
- The Jax Beer mural on Johnson Street was created during the filming of ABC’s Women of the Movement.
- Tree Sculpture by artist and designer, Stephen McIntyre, on Rail Spike Park trail
Bryant’s Grocery ruins in Money, Mississippi. It was here where the tragic story of Emmett Till began, setting off a chain of events that ended in his murder and galvanizing the Civil Rights Movement. While the store is in ruin, visit the Mississippi Freedom Trail marker and explore other sites with the Emmett Till Memory Project app.
To learn about the Delta region’s first inhabitants, visit the Museum of the Mississippi Delta, founded in 1969. The Museum is at the crossroads of Delta history and art. Our extensive collection includes artifacts related to agriculture, Native American history, regional military history and one of the Delta’s most extensive collections of regional art. The Museum of the Mississippi Delta focuses on the five “A’s”: art, archaeology, agriculture, antiques and animals. The Museum has a large collection of Mississippi artwork, made possible by the state-wide biannual Museum of the Mississippi Delta’s Fine Arts Competition. The archaeology collection, on loan from the L.B. Jones Trust, is immense, and includes the largest collection of Native American trade beads in the southern United States. Artifacts and furniture from Malmaison, the home of the last Choctaw Chief Greenwood Leflore, whom Greenwood is named for and numerous military history items are also highlights of the antique collection. A life-size, walk-through diorama of a Mississippi swamp (complete with sound effects), coupled with a hands-on natural science and children’s discovery room are always favorites of younger visitors. The Leflore County Military History exhibit focuses on the effect of various wars on Greenwood and its citizens and exhibits uniforms, veteran lists, victory posters, and artifacts from the wars and the home front. There is a Civil War-era cannon and a model of the battle of nearby Fort Pemberton.
Often called one of America’s most beautiful bookstores, Turnrow Bookstore is one of Greenwood’s most treasured spots for book lovers. As you peruse signed, first editions and unique gifts and vinyl records, you will be lured by the smell of fresh paninis and homemade soups from Turnrow Café upstairs from the bookstore. Also upstairs, you’ll find Turnrow Art Company. Take in the beauty of local and regional artwork and take home a souvenir art piece to remember your time here in Greenwood.
The first boutique hotel in the Delta region and the gem of downtown Greenwood is the Alluvian Hotel and Spa. The hotel hosts two great events weekly, Tuesdays on the Terrace (seasonal) and Lobby Lounge Live Music Happy Hour on Thursdays. These events are a great way to mix and mingle with locals and fellow visitors as you enjoy a cocktail and take in the sounds of the Delta. We love the Delta Gem and Old Fashioned from Giardina’s bar located within the hotel. Melt your troubles away at the Alluvian Spa. This 7,000 square feet, full-service spa is where you can enjoy indigenous treatments and its signature sweet tea services.
Should you find yourself wanting to take home a little piece of Mississippi, Mississippi Gift Company is your go-to destination for all things Mississippi, where every single item is made in the state. You’ll find items ranging from art, jewelry, bath and body products, pottery, gourmet food items, and more. Mississippi Gift Company also ships all over the globe should you want to send a Mississippi care package to a friend.
Even if you aren’t led by your sweet tooth, one cannot visit Greenwood without having dessert at the iconic Greenwood staple, The Crystal Grill. Visitors cross their fingers that the pie safe behind the register at the Crystal is full of Chocolate and Coconut pies with meringue to the sky. Made fresh daily, you want to get there early to get your choice. If mile-high meringue isn’t your thing, try the lemon icebox, chronicled by Chef Cat Cora on The Food Network’s The Best Thing I Ever Ate, this one is a crisp taste of lemony heaven topped with fresh whipped cream. Don’t sleep on the Praline Ice Cream Cake or decadent cheesecake, either. There is something to delight any palate. We recommend saving room for dessert, but remember, you can always take it to-go, just be sure and take it!
One of the most memorable moments in a Mississippi Delta day is the magnificent sunset as they sink into the giant skies of the flat land at the end of the day. If you’re downtown, catch the sunset from Keesler Bridge in downtown Greenwood or hit the backroads to find an open spot in the country to take it all in. The perfect end to a day exploring history and culture in the most southern place on earth.
Do you think we’ve missed something off our list from your trip? Let us know on our social media pages on either Facebook or Instagram, and give us a follow while you are there. For other trip ideas and itineraries, visit here.