What We Love
Music: The Big Muddy has been a cradle for all sorts of American music, from Dixieland jazz and Delta blues to soul, gospel, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll.
Food: Many of the nation's best regional foods grew up along the Mississippi, including Memphis barbecue, the quirky Italian-American dishes of St. Louis, and the wondrous Creole cooking in New Orleans.
Best Known For
Antebellum South: The Lower Mississippi Valley between New Orleans and Memphis is strewn with historic plantations that now showcase the lives of the wealthy planters who created the estates and the downtrodden slaves who worked them.
Legendary Americans: Mark Twain in Hannibal, Andrew Jackson in New Orleans, Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis, General Grant at Vicksburg — many great Americans left their mark on river history.
Best Ports
New Orleans: A decade after Katrina, the Crescent City has rebounded in spectacular fashion, especially the legendary French Quarter. Throw in the food, the music, and all that history, and the Big Easy is truly a world-class destination.
St. Louis: With the Gateway Arch looming above the river, the Missouri metropolis makes a bold statement to anyone arriving via the Mississippi. The eclectic architecture, myriad museums, botanical garden, and baseball at Busch Stadium round out the St. Louis scene.
Minneapolis: The City of Lakes actually makes pretty good use of its river too. Perched on either side of the Mississippi, the Northeast River District and Mill District are spangled with restaurants, shops, theaters, and riverfront paths like the St. Anthony Falls Heritage Trail.
Natchez: The Antebellum South comes alive in this Mississippi burg, home to elegant mansion museums and the southern end of the gorgeous Natchez Trace Parkway.
Don't Say We Didn't Warn You
The Urban Mississippi Isn't Pretty: Giant levees, rust belt factories, and ugly dock areas scar much of the river flowing through urban areas. Although St. Louis and Minneapolis are trying, few cities have user-friendly riverfronts.
