Whether you’re a music lover, in search of award-winning Southern cuisine, or looking for outdoor adventures on the Mississippi River, you’ll find plenty to see and do in the southern Great River Road states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Here are five cities you shouldn’t miss on your next road trip.

Learn more about the southern Great River Road here.

Wickliffe, Kentucky

Located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers along the Kentucky Great River Road, the small city of Wickliffe is home to great opportunities for outdoor recreation—including fishing, hunting, and hiking—as well as Wickliffe Mounds State Historic Site. An official Great River Road Interpretive Center, Wickliffe Mounds is an archaeological site featuring artifacts from the Mississippian mound builder culture that made their home in the region more than 1,000 years ago.

Find more Wickliffe visitor information.

Memphis, Tennessee

Located in southwestern Tennessee, Memphis is a must-visit stop along the Great River Road, offering an amazing mix of musical attractions, recreational opportunities, and delicious food. Iconic music attractions in the city include Elvis Presley’s Graceland, Beale Street, Sun Studio, the Stax Museum, and the Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum. Visitors can get out and enjoy canoeing on the Mississippi River or biking, hiking, and more at Shelby Farms Park. If you’re hungry, you’re in luck: Memphis is home to more than 100 barbecue restaurants.

Find more Memphis visitor information.

West Memphis, Arkansas

Just across the Mississippi River from Memphis, West Memphis on the Arkansas Great River Road offers visitors a wide array of opportunities for exploration. Be sure to stop at the Delta Cultural Center, a museum and official Great River Road Interpretive Center that features educational exhibits about the people and the land in the Arkansas Delta (it’s also home to the long-running King Biscuit Time radio show). Visitors can also take a stroll (or a bike ride) across the Big River Crossing, a former railroad bridge that spans the Mississippi River between Arkansas and Tennessee and is now the longest cycle/pedestrian bridge over the mighty waterway.

Find more West Memphis visitor information.

Clarksdale, Mississippi

Visit the “Birthplace of the Blues” in northwestern Mississippi, about a 90-minute drive from Memphis along the Blues Highway (U.S. Highway 6estaurants 1). Music lovers will find lots to love, from the exhibits and history at the Delta Blues Museum to the historic Crossroads at Highway 49 and 61 historic performance venues throughout the city, where visitors can find live music every night of the year. Outdoors adventurers can explore the Mississippi River through Quapaw Canoe Company, and local restaurants serve up regional favorites like catfish, tamales, barbeque, and more.

Find more Clarksdale visitor information.

New Orleans, Louisiana

Whatever you’re interested in exploring along the southern Great River Road—music, history, food, nature, or anything in between—you’ll find a place to do it in New Orleans. Visit iconic music attractions like the French Quarter (home to Preservation Hall, the Jazz Playhouse, and other iconic venues), Frenchmen Street, and the New Orleans Jazz Museum or find delicious local dishes like jambalaya, po’ boys, and gumbo at world-renowned and Michelin-starred restaurants. Great River Road Interpretive Centers like the Louisiana State Museum (which includes seven historic buildings) and the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park & Preserve are amazing places to discover historical and natural attractions.

Find more New Orleans visitor information.

(Photo: Elvis fans in front of Graceland in Memphis – Alex Shansky/Memphis Travel)