Alabama/Mississippi Road Trip (Day 2)
The Grove at Ole Miss
The Sports Chief Photography/Garett
It was going to be a busy day. I had a lot planned, in addition to about four hours of driving to do. So I began the day with a McDonald’s breakfast in Tuscaloosa before making the ten minute trip back to the University of Alabama. There was one thing I hadn’t gotten to see the previous evening on the campus that I very much wanted to see, and that was the Paul “Bear” Bryant Museum. It had closed at 4:00 p.m. the previous day so I wanted to make sure to pay a visit while I was in town.
For just $2, I was able to go inside and tour the museum, which despite its name, is dedicated to the University of Alabama football history as a whole, and not just its most famous coach in history. For a long time I’ve been fascinated with the university’s football tradition so I very much enjoyed my self-guided tour around the place, which took about 45 minutes to an hour. I watched some videos, saw plenty of exhibits and artifacts, and even the set-up of Coach Bryant’s old office (complete with all the furnishings). One thing I remember being surprised by was the football uniforms worn in the early 1900s. They were thick, long-sleeved, and made of wool (I think). How in the world could anyone play football wearing those in the Alabama heat?
Replica of Coach Bryant’s office at the Paul “Bear” Bryant Museum
The Sports Chief Photography/Garett
After leaving the museum satisfied with my tour, it was time to check another state off my list. This time it was going to be Mississippi, as my next stop was Oxford. Like I said before, the driving part of the road trip is a big part of the fun, and driving across new state borders is always exciting for me. The “Welcome to Mississippi” sign was a pleasing sight as it signaled the arrival into my 20th state.
Once in Mississippi, it didn’t take too long for the land to get flatter. Trees alongside the highway were traded for open farmland. I had originally planned to make a small detour to Tupelo to see the childhood home of Elvis, but realized pretty early on that I simply didn’t have time for it if I wanted to do everything else that was on my list that day. I arrived in Oxford with the goal of walking around the campus of the University of Mississippi just as I had with the University of Alabama, take in the sights, and explore the downtown area which looks pretty neat in pictures.
The University of Mississippi
The Sports Chief Photography/Garett
The Ole Miss campus was just as I had imagined, old and historic looking, and very picturesque. I walked around the football stadium first, but couldn’t find a great spot to take a picture of it like I did at Bryant Denny Stadium in Alabama. I saw the basketball coliseum, baseball field, university halls, fraternity/sorority buildings (which were almost as impressive as the ones at the University of Alabama), among other things around campus. But my favorite sight, by far, was The Grove.
The Grove is a huge area of scattered old oak trees, with plenty of grassy space to hang out on. It is also one of the most popular tailgating spots in the nation. Though the Ole Miss football program isn’t a perennial national title contender like some programs, they have a legitimate argument that they have the best tailgating experience of any school. And that was something I was aware of before my visit, so it was especially cool to see The Grove in person. I couldn’t get enough of it. Walking through it and taking pictures of it, I just tried to soak it all in because it was absolutely beautiful. I would love to be there when it’s packed with thousands of people tailgating before a football game.
The Grove at Ole Miss
The Sports Chief Photography/Garett
When I happened upon the baseball stadium, I discovered a pretty cool surprise. The Super Regionals were taking place as Ole Miss was a host team. So when I came to the stadium to snap some pictures, I discovered a game taking place between Florida State and Southern Miss. I had a decent vantage point from the top of a hill on the third base line even though I was outside the stadium. Being a big baseball fan, I seriously thought for a few minutes about walking up to the ticket booth to see if I could buy a ticket. But I remembered my full schedule and knew I would have never gotten to see any live music that night in Clarksdale if I had stayed for a game. And besides, I’m not sure I would have been able to buy a ticket without scalping one because it felt like the entire state of Mississippi was flooding onto campus to watch their Rebels play in the upcoming game.
Ole Miss baseball stadium
The Sports Chief Photography/Garett
Next, I decided to walk to downtown Oxford instead of making the drive. It was only about a twenty-minute walk from where I was at, which isn’t bad, but I had unknowingly parked pretty far away at the other end of campus in a big open lot that I was sure wouldn’t get me a parking ticket. And I was right, because even with so many people coming in to see the baseball game and looking for parking, I was parked so far away that nobody even cared my car was there.
Prior to my trip, I wanted to explore downtown Oxford a lot more than I did. But because it was Sunday, pretty much all of the shops were closed. And The Square wasn’t very big at all, so it didn’t take long to stroll around it. It was, however, pretty unique looking. It didn’t look like a typical downtown square. In some ways it sort of gave me an old western town vibe. In other ways it gave me the southern charm vibe. It’s very tough to explain, but I did enjoy walking through it. The centerpiece of it all was the old historic courthouse, which was beautiful. I tried to capture it as best as I could in my pictures, but it was a little difficult to do so.
Lafayette County Courthouse in the Oxford Square, Oxford Mississippi
The Sports Chief Photography/Garett
Then it was time to make the long, long trek back to the car because I still had driving to do, dinner to find, and hopefully music to see. The next stop would be Clarksdale, in the heart of the Mississippi Delta.
With limited options of lodging in and around Clarksdale, I elected for a stay at the Clark House Inn, a bed and breakfast in Clarksdale’s historic district. “Wow,” is all I could say upon checking in. I couldn’t believe I was staying in a place like that…in a very positive way. It was built in 1859 by the founder of Clarksdale, John Clark, who founded the town 11 years after buying up over a hundred acres of land in the area to make a living farming. It was cool enough just to step foot inside such a historic and beautiful home, but to actually be staying in it was another thing.
The Clark House Inn on a rainy day
The Sports Chief Photography/Garett
It was also my first time staying in a bed and breakfast. That particular one was like staying in someone’s home because I could help myself to any drinks and snacks in the kitchen at any time, as well as any of the books in the home’s library. It was like my house for the night. I remember thinking as I went to sleep that night in a very old looking (but very nice) room that, “everything about this place is awesome…now as long as there aren’t any ghosts...” I’ve watched enough movies that I know what haunted houses look like, and that one kind of had that look to it. And it was built in 1859 so it has seen a lot of people over the years. Fortunately I slept soundly that night.
Clark House Inn formal gathering room
The Sports Chief Photography/Garett
If you aren’t aware of Clarksdale you might wonder why in the world I would even bother going there. Plain and simple, it was for the blues scene. Clarksdale is the birthplace of the blues, a genre of music that I believe has made an impact on almost every genre of music since. Most profoundly rock and roll, which I have always loved. So, I wanted to go see where it all started and hopefully listen to some live blues music.
Now, I say “hopefully” because it was a Sunday night. Any other night of the week there would be 3 or 4 places all hosting live blues music, but on Sundays there may be one place that has someone playing. Well, I was lucky. As soon as I checked in my bed and breakfast, the hostess had a white board on the wall behind her desk with various local information, including live music playing on that particular day. On the board read, “Lucious Spiller at Red’s Lounge, 7:30 p.m.” I was excited that I didn’t drive to Clarksdale just to come up emptyhanded with live music. The problem was that it was already 8:00 p.m. at that point and I still needed to find something to eat. I knew they didn’t serve food at Red’s Lounge.
I found a Subway, grabbed a quick bite to eat, and made my way to Red’s Lounge, which I had read about before my trip. It is perhaps the most popular place to catch the blues in Clarksdale; either there or the Ground Zero Blues Club, which is part-owned by Morgan Freeman. Despite its popularity though, you would NEVER think it was a place that would attract tourists. It is the definition of a hole-in-the-wall place that probably hasn’t changed much in the last 50 years. You wouldn’t hardly know that it was even a blues club just walking by it, until you hear the music making its way through the open door with a few people smoking just outside of it.
Just by looking at it, if you didn’t know any better, you would surely assume it isn’t a place you would want to venture into. But you would be completely wrong. And I did enough research before the trip to know that. After parking on the street 50 feet away, I walked through the door and was told there was a $10 cover charge, cash only. With just $8 cash in my wallet, my mind instantly went two different directions: 1. Are you kidding me? Maybe it just wasn’t meant to be 2. Surely they will let me in the door if I’m only $2 short. Once again, I was lucky and the woman said that $8 is enough and to come on in.
I walked in, quickly taking in the interesting surroundings, and took a barstool seat. With the way the place looked on the outside, it looked exactly as you would expect on the inside. Not run-down, but instead the same way I imagine it looked 50 years ago. It was a very small, intimate atmosphere that had a bar, five or six barstools, three or four small tables off to one side, and a few other chairs lined up on the other side. In the middle of it all was a set of drums, a big guitar amp, and the musician (Lucious Spiller) who was playing the guitar and singing into the microphone.
Lucious Spiller playing at Red’s Lounge
The Sports Chief Photography/Garett
Getting there an hour and a half late, I wasn’t sure how much longer he’d play. I was just happy to be there. But he would end up playing for another two hours and I had such a good time being there. I enjoyed watching him play the guitar from no more than 15 feet away while being in such a cool atmosphere. There may have been 30 people total and several of them would interact with Spiller in between songs. He would talk to them, ask them questions, and tried to get to know all the people he was performing for a little bit. He asked where I was from on his way back in from his 10-minute break after giving me a fist bump.
While I really enjoyed the music, overall it was the atmosphere that made it such a special place. Everyone who was there, was there for one reason: they love music. I would say about 60-70% were tourists, while the rest were locals. I overheard some people say they were from Washington, while another was from Richmond, Virginia. For anyone who loves music, I would highly recommend they make the trip to Clarksdale at least once in their life to listen to the music. They won’t be greeted with big concert halls or anything close to luxury, but instead with little juke joints that have made such an impact on the area, and eventually the world. It truly was a unique and special experience.
Vaught Hemingway Stadium at Ole Miss
The Sports Chief Photography/Garett
The University of Mississippi
The Sports Chief Photography/Garett
The Grove at Ole Miss
The Sports Chief Photography/Garett
The University of Mississippi
The Sports Chief Photography/Garett
The Oxford Square, Oxford Mississippi
The Sports Chief Photography/Garett
The Oxford Square, Oxford Mississippi
The Sports Chief Photography/Garett
Lafayette County Courthouse in the Oxford Square, Oxford Mississippi
The Sports Chief Photography/Garett
Garett