I arrived in Greenville, Mississippi, the night before Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, with an overnight bag. Thirteen years later, I’m still here, explaining several times every week, it seems, that no, Greenville is not home to The Alluvian Spa, or the former world headquarters of Viking. “That’s Greenwood, about an hour away.”
TurnRow Books, Greenwood, Mississippi. Photo courtesy Greenwood Tourism
But it’s certainly peculiar that two reasonably large towns with the same color in their names are but 50 miles apart. Each is about two hours south of Memphis, one down Highway 61 and the other down Interstate 55.
Greenville is named after General Nathanael Greene, the Revolutionary War hero — although no one today seems quite sure why the “e” was dropped — and one of Washington’s most trusted generals; hence the county’s name, Washington. The general never set foot in Greenville; on the other hand, Choctaw Chief Greenwood Leflore, the principal chief of the Choctaw Nation, inspired Greenwood’s name in 1844, and that of the county, Leflore. He played a prominent role in the area and in the removal of most Choctaws to Oklahoma in the 1830s.
Greenwood is on the Yazoo River, while Greenville, being on the Mississippi, has by far the more spectacular water views, especially at Warfield Point Park. Listening to soulful music at the Mighty Mississippi Music Festival every October is as much a treat as catching an up-and-coming country star like Chris Stapleton. When Greenville-born producer Steve Azar booked Stapleton at the Festival three years ago, it was easy to get to center stage along the river and dance to “Tennessee Whiskey.” A year later, during a visit to Memphis, I paid twice the price to stand a mile away at Snowden Grove.
It’s worth the trip to Greenwood if all one does is visit TurnRow Books, on the southern edge of town. I still love the feel, smell, and art of a beautifully designed book cover, the intrigue behind it, and real bookstores where people like Ben are behind the counter. I mistake him for the owner because he knows every book in this large, well-curated shop. On this particular day, I have nothing in mind but after chatting a few moments, Ben says, “I think you’d like Still Me, by Jojo Moyes.” Although I hadn’t read romantic fiction for years I couldn’t put it down until finishing all 387 pages. As my brother-in-law says, “How do it know?”
TurnRow Books, Greenwood. Photo courtesy Greenwood Tourism
I stroll a couple of blocks over to Fan & Johnny’s for lunch (to avoid spending all my money on books). As I walk in, light streams through the hanging glass panels and lands on the bright yellow and chrome 1950s tables. It’s a harbinger of how I feel taking a bite of the black-eyed pea cake moments later — sunny and smiling — as the crunchy batter gives way to the soft, savory pea mixture accompanied by a New Orleans remoulade. Chef and owner Taylor Ricketts changes the artful, Southern menu frequently to take advantage of seasonal produce. The eclectic folk art and paintings by her or her husband are all for sale, but as she remarks, “I keep forgetting to put price tags on them,” confirming Taylor as a true artist with simply a burning passion to create something special.
Later, as I await a massage at The Alluvian Spa, I am reminded of what makes this hotel complex so popular, especially for women. I am an unusual Southerner, never drinking sweet tea, but as Allie describes the spa’s exclusive products, I suddenly crave soaking in the Sweet Tea Soul bath and being scrubbed with Sweet Tea Refresher while my nails and toes are drenched in Sweet Tea lotion. I imagine that there are several other experiences at this landmark property that are hard to find anywhere else — from a grits and sea grains body scrub to a “Muddy Waters” Blues Bath. I can have a muddy bath every night back at home in Greenville, but that’s another story.
The Alluvian Spa shouldn't be missed. Photograph courtesy Greenwood Tourism
Emerging completely mellow, I’m grateful that the hotel is directly across the street. Entering The Alluvian, I’m transported from the golden glow of streetlamps illuminating old facades into a juxtaposition of sleek marble, glass, and chrome. Momentarily I think “I could be in New York,” but the stunning Bill Dunlap landscape in the lobby reminds me I’m someplace better. I’m in that “country” where everyone says hello and wants to know where you’re from and “who your people are,” where folks wave in traffic instead of curse, and time is enjoyed, not scheduled.
I awaken Saturday morning considering the Robert Johnson Tour (part of the Blues Trail) but settle on the Museum of the Mississippi Delta. Inside, the Leflore County historical timeline gives a great overview, like taking a bus tour to get your bearings. Next, I combine two walking tours, one of the city’s historic buildings and the other of civil rights sites. I get chill bumps looking at the photo of Martin Luther King while standing on the corner where he marched and end my journey by taking the short drive to the ruins of Bryant’s Grocery on Money Road to view the Freedom Trail marker about Emmett Till.
Eden Brent, an award-winning blues artist, calls Greenville home. Photograph courtesy Eden Brent
Afterwards, as I walk toward the Viking Cooking School and Store, legacies of visionary Fred Carl, a riot of pink and yellow petunias, flanked by yellow hibiscus, catches my eye. Inside, the store is like walking into a candy shop for foodies, everything so colorful and dazzling that in seconds I convince myself I need 15 new gadgets. The hottest new cooking class, The Help (named for the 2012 Oscar-winning movie filmed here), teaches how to make truly “finger-lickin’” fried chicken, feather-light biscuits, and Minny’s famous chocolate pie. It sells out months in advance.
I end the day at Lusco’s, a Delta institution since 1933, a restaurant which has been operated by five generations of Luscos for 85 years. Karen Lusco Pinkston explains how she and her husband, Andy, continue the tradition with fresh fish fileted in-house. “If it doesn’t meet his standards, it isn’t served”, which is why I miss tasting the whole sautéed pompano. But if it’s half as good as my redfish, paired with a delicate, buttery vinaigrette called simply “fish sauce,” then it’s marvelous.
Lusco's is a Greenwood institution. Photograph courtesy Greenwood Tourism
In Greenville, history is also intertwined with dining, refreshment, and lodging. Local businessman Bill Boykin has single-handedly revived the entire 500 block of the city’s main street, Washington Avenue, opening the Downtown Grille, The Mighty Miss. Brewing Company, The Lofts, and Downtown Butcher & Mercantile, all in historic buildings.
I begin my journey along Washington at the Downtown Grille, where I bite into the Delta Cheeseburger with pimento cheese oozing out, like my mom’s. I call it a “three-napkin” burger — deliciously messy, made from in-house ground steak, topped with bacon and served with literally the best homemade chips I’ve ever eaten.
“I believe in a small menu so that everything can be fresh, top-quality, and made from scratch,” says Allen Sanders, chef and owner. I am a believer.
Not yet ready for a beer, but curious how it’s made, I wander next door to the Mighty Miss. Brewing Company, the only craft brewery in the Delta. I discover that they make 450 gallons of beer on brew days, and you can taste specialty beers on the premises Wednesday through Saturday evenings. “We aim for great beer that’s easy to drink — not high alcohol content or crazy ingredients” says brewmaster Scott Hettig. I remind myself to come back for a flight — perhaps the fastest, most enjoyable way to “travel” through Arcola, Sledge, Kinlock, Pace, and Onward, all towns in the Mississippi Delta for which the beers are named.
While I’d visited several downtown Greenville museums, including the 1927 Flood Museum, which commemorates that historic event in downtown’s oldest building, I’d never been to the Winterville Mounds, in a state park six miles north of town on Highway One, deciding it’s time to see the site of some of the tallest Native American mounds in the country. Twelve earthwork elevated monuments survive alongside the Mississippi, dating from the prehistoric period, from 1000 to 1350 a.d., built centuries ago by native Americans now considered part of the Plaquemine Mississippian culture which predated that of the later Choctaw and Chickasaw tribes. Though quiet and peaceful most days, Winterville Mounds is the site of an annual Native American Days celebration in the fall (October 24-26 this year) with dances and songs, storytelling, food, and arts and crafts during the three-day festival.
That evening I head for a familiar spot, Doe’s Eat Place. Just walking through the building — originally the Signas’ grocery store in the early 1900s — is an experience, and I may see Charles or Baby Doe Signa, the third generation of family owners, in the front kitchen grilling “one of the top steaks in America,” according to the Food Network.
There are no menus, so just ask a local what to order — I say if you’re with a friend, share the porterhouse (“the best thing to eat in America,” according to Men’s Journal), but never share your side of steaming, home-cut fries. Try an appetizer of Mamie Signa’s original recipe hot tamales with chili, and for an “insider” treat eat one on top of the crisp, cold Italian salad. Hot tamales are revered in this town, which claims to be the Hot Tamale Capital of the World and where some of the South’s most influential chefs and writers gather, along with hundreds of visitors, at the Hot Tamale Festival every October (18-20 this year).
Greenville is the tamale capital of the world. Photograph by lunamaria / Dreamstime
Although I live in Greenville, I regret not reserving one of the 14 rooms at The Lofts after a walk-through with Terri Timmes. Each one- or two-bedroom is the size of an apartment and decorated with luxurious, contemporary furnishings. And while each has a full kitchen, washer/dryer, and walk-in closet, I am most enthralled by the idea of ordering potato-crusted salmon from the Downtown Grille’s room service menu.
The next day I combine a history tour with visiting another “hotel” option, Belmont Plantation. One of the few antebellum mansions left in the Mississippi Delta, Belmont was built in 1857, and its 9,000 square feet offers seven room/suite options. Owner Joshua Cain’s love of design and history has made this bed-and-breakfast so much more than just a place to rest your head. I could not decide whether to study the period furnishings or just sit on the immense second floor screened porch and gaze at the endless view of soybean fields.
Belmont bed-and-breakfast, Greenville. Photograph by pfunk9 / Dreamstime
As I drive home, I feel a bit like Scarlett leaving Tara, but one last stop calls me. Under the pretext of more research I head for Midtown, now a quaint café in the old McCormick bookstore, owned by Chris and Lea Margaret Hamilton. The Hamiltons kept much of the original bookstore, including the brick fireplace where Delta writers like Walker Percy, Ellen Douglas, and Shelby Foote were known to gather. As a devoted customer, I know they always have a divine dessert concoction of the day, which I indulge in after the spinach and pear salad with ahi tuna.
As dessert ends my meal, so ends my quest. I’m surprised how much history I’ve learned about my own hometown! And differences aside, I come away enlightened to know that both Greenwood and Greenville have some extremely talented, visionary people who have created experiences well worth a visit from both near and far.
Jennifer Magee owned an advertising agency in New Orleans for 33 years. She now lives in Greenville, Mississippi, and enjoys traveling, writing, and spending time with family and friends.
