Come explore the southern states of the Great River Road—Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Learn about what highways make up the Great River Road, river towns and cities to visit, and Interpretive Centers you shouldn’t miss.

Kentucky

Kentucky’s section of the Great River Road is the shortest (only about 60 miles or so), but it’s not lacking in scenery or history. Columbus-Belmont State Park offers outstanding views of the Mississippi River and shares the area’s Civil War history. Wickliffe Mounds State Historic Site preserves structures and artifacts from the native people who inhabited the region in the 12th to 14th centuries.

Notable Great River Road towns & cities in Kentucky:

• Wickliffe
• Bardwell
• Clinton

Notable highways that make up the Great River Road in Kentucky:

• U.S. Highway 51

Notable Great River Road Interpretive Centers in Kentucky: 

• Columbus-Belmont State Park, Columbus
• Wickliffe Mounds State Historic Site, Wickliffe

Learn more about the Great River Road Interpretive Centers in Kentucky here.

Tennessee

Whether you’re looking for outdoor recreation options, iconic music attractions, delicious barbeque, or anything else, you’ll find it along Tennessee’s stretch of the Great River Road. The route starts in the northwestern part of the state, which is home to Reelfoot Lake, a popular fishing and birding destination that’s actually a flooded forest. It ends in southwestern Tennessee in Memphis, which is home to everything from Elvis Presley’s Graceland to can’t miss-music attractions on Beale Street. 

Notable Great River Road towns & cities in Tennessee:

• Tiptonville
• Ripley
• Covington
• Memphis

Notable highways that make up the Great River Road in Tennessee:

• State Highway 78 (Reelfoot Lake State Park/Tiptonville)
• U.S. Highway 51 (Ripley to Memphis)

Notable Great River Road Interpretive Centers in Tennessee: 

• Discovery Park of America, Union City
• Reelfoot Lake State Park, Tiptonville
• Chucalissa and the C.H. Nash Museum, Memphis

Learn more about the Great River Road Interpretive Centers in Tennessee here.

Arkansas

The Great River Road passes through Arkansas’ Delta, offering great chances to explore the state’s natural beauty, including national forests, wildlife refuges, and lakes (like Lake Chicot, the largest natural lake in Arkansas and the largest oxbow lake in North America). Visitors will discover engaging history, too—travelers can visit Johnny Cash’s boyhood home or learn about the worst maritime disaster in U.S. history.

Notable Great River Road towns & cities in Arkansas:

• Osceola
• West Memphis
• Marianna
• Helena-West Helena
• Lake Village

Notable highways that make up the Great River Road in Arkansas:

• U.S. Highway 61 (Blytheville to Wilson)
• State Highway 79 (West Memphis to Marianna)
• U.S. Highway 65 (Dumas to Eudora)

Notable Great River Road Interpretive Centers in Arkansas: 

• Delta Cultural Center, Helena
• Historic Dyess Colony: Johnny Cash Boyhood Home, Dyess
• Sultana Disaster Museum, Marion

See more Great River Road Interpretive Centers in Arkansas here.

Mississippi

Part of Mississippi’s stretch of the Great River Road includes U.S. Highway 61—“the Blues Highway”—and road trippers will discover important sites along the Mississippi Blues Trail in Tunica, Cleveland, Clarksdale, and other cities and towns along the way. Be sure to stop in Natchez (the oldest city on the Mississippi River) and discover a vital Civil War site in Vicksburg.

Notable Great River Road towns & cities in Mississippi:

• Tunica
• Clarksdale
• Vicksburg
• Natchez

Notable highways that make up the Great River Road in Mississippi:

• State Highway 1 (Lula to Rolling Fork)
• U.S. Highway 61 (Onward to Woodsville)

Notable Great River Road Interpretive Centers in Mississippi: 

• Delta Blues Museum, Clarksdale
• Vicksburg National Military Park
• Natchez Convention and Visitors Bureau

See more Great River Road Interpretive Centers in Mississippi here.

Louisiana

Louisiana is the only state that has a section of the Great River Road on either side of the Mississippi River—the western section starts at the Louisiana-Arkansas border and travels all the way to the Gulf of Mexico, and the eastern section starts at Louisiana’s border with Mississippi and travels through St. Francisville, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans. There’s lots of history, culture, and delicious cuisine to discover along the route.

Notable Great River Road towns & cities in Louisiana:

• St. Francisville
• Plaquemine
• Baton Rouge
• New Orleans

Notable highways that make up the Great River Road in Louisiana:

• U.S. Highway 65 (State line to Vidalia) – west of Mississippi River
• U.S. Highway 61 (State line to Baton Rouge) – east of Mississippi River
• State Highway 15 (Vidalia to Plaquemine)
• Interstate 10 (Baton Rouge to New Orleans)

Notable Great River Road Interpretive Centers in Louisiana: 

• Poverty Point UNESCO World Heritage Site, Pioneer
• The Louisiana Great River Road Interpretive Center and Museum, Darrow
• Jean Lafitte National Historic Park & Preserve, New Orleans

See more Great River Road Interpretive Centers in Louisiana here.

Photo: Mississippi River bridge in Helena-West Helena/Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage & Tourism