A Quick 48 Hours: Greenville, Mississippi
Jennifer Drinkwater. The DDT, acrylic on wood panel, 16” H x 20” W x 1.75” D, 2020.
The original office building for the Delta Democrat-Times is located at the corner of Walnut and Main Streets in downtown Greenville. Learn more here.
Being a Mississippi River port city between Memphis and New Orleans, Greenville (pop. 30,000) has a history of being a very cosmopolitan, diverse, and relatively progressive community, at one time boasting more than sixty Chinese grocery stores in the early twentieth century. Greenville’s Jewish community has existed since the early nineteenth century, and the town’s first elected mayor in 1875 was Leopold Wilczinski, a Polish Jew. If you’ve ever stopped in Greenville, you may have noticed hot tamales on every menu in town. A Delta staple, tamales are as prevalent as cotton and catfish, and folks across the world visit the Delta to take advantage of the Tamale Trail and the Delta Hot Tamale Festival.
A QUICK 48 IN GREENVILLE, MISSISSIPPI
I asked William Coppage, my old friend and fomer director of the Washington County Economic Alliance, to help flesh out a fun weekend in and around Greenville. (Incidentally, Will has a wonderful interview series called Fables and Folk, and was kind enough to invite me to participate - you can read that interview here.) Here are some of his suggestions, along with my comments.
Where to Stay:
Cabin on the Bogue, Leland
Hotel 27, Greenville - Mississippi’s only hotel owned and operated by a nonprofit. Profits fund local grants for small businesses and support for local schools.
The Loft, Greenville
The Lollipop Bed and Breakfast, Hollandale
The Thompson House Bed and Breakfast, Leland
Tru by Hilton, Greenville - I stayed here the day after Halloween, 2019. It was great. And not haunted.
Where to Eat:
Cajun Shotgun House and BBQ, Greenville - Brand new and excited to try!
Doe’s Eat Place, Greenville (James Beard winner) - A no brainer. Go. Have your life changed. Unless you are a vegetarian. Then you should go to Lush Vegan Eats.
The Downtown Butcher and Mercantile, Greenville - A cool new sandwich shop + Mississippi products for sale.
Lush Health Drinks and Vegan Eats, Greenville
Downtown Grille, Greenville
Grounded Sister Coffee Shop, Greenville
Hot Tamale Heaven and Grille, Greenville
Jim’s Cafe, Greenville
Sherman’s Restaurant, Greenville
Vito’s Marketplace, Leland
Delta Hot Tamale Festival, third weekend in October, Greenville
What to Do:
**In Mississippi, Eating and Doing are synonymous activities. The following suggestions are in case you’d like activities unrelated to food.
1901 Armitage Herschell Carousel, E.E. Bass Cultural Center, Greenville
Winterville Indian Mounds and Museum, Greenville
Jim Henson Museum, Leland -Jim Henson was born in the same hospital as me - that’s my claim to fame. His father was an agronomist for the USDA.
Highway 61 Blues Museum, Leland
Mississippi Wildlife Heritage Museum & Outdoor Hall of Fame, Leland
Greenville Writers’ Exhibit, William Alexander Percy Memorial Library, Greenville
Greenville Cypress Preserve, Greenville - This is a real treasure and is cared for by the Greenville Garden Club. A cypress swamp right in town.
Where are my Greenville peeps at? What are some hidden treasures in Washington County? What stories do you have?
Want the condensed list? Download a free PDF of great ways to spend A Quick 48 Hours near Greenville, Mississippi.
Like what you see? Invest in a painting or a limited edition print of Greenville.
Plus! Looking for a few other off-the-beaten-path itineraries this year? Check out more places to spend A Quick 48 Hours:
Jennifer Drinkwater. Hebrew Union Temple, acrylic on wood panel, 20” x 16”, 2019. Invest in a print of Hebrew Union Temple here.