Helena, Arkansas is a 1-hour 30-minute drive west across the Mississippi River for the King Biscuit Blues Festival in October and Bubba's BBQ.
Tip: The blues festival runs in early October. Bubba's BBQ is the steady BBQ lunch on Cherry Street.
Tunica, Mississippi is a 45-minute drive south of Memphis on US-61, with casino buffets and the Blue and White Restaurant, a 1937 Southern diner.
Tip: Blue and White runs breakfast and lunch all day. Casinos run nightly buffets.
Oxford, Mississippi is a 1-hour 20-minute drive from Memphis to John Currence's City Grocery on the town Square. The Beard-winning chef's flagship since 1992.
Tip: Lunch at City Grocery; browse Square Books after. Stop at Big Bad Breakfast on Highway 6 on the way back.
Tupelo, Mississippi is Elvis Presley's birthplace, a 1-hour 50-minute drive from Memphis. Eat a dough burger at Johnnie's Drive-In where Elvis once ate.
Tip: Johnnie's runs the dough burger Elvis ordered in his teens. Closed Sundays. Lunch then the birthplace.
Clarksdale, Mississippi sits at the crossroads of the blues, 1 hour 20 minutes south of Memphis on US-61. Delta hot tamales at Abe's BBQ and juke joints.
Tip: Abe's BBQ at the famous crossroads has had Delta tamales since 1924. Ground Zero Blues Club for music after.
Robinsonville, Mississippi is a 50-minute drive south of Memphis on US-61 to the Hollywood Cafe, where the fried dill pickle was born in 1969.
Tip: Closed Sundays and Mondays. Order fried dill pickles, fried chicken and the catfish basket.