Unique B&B’s, inns,
and hotels spring up in Delta
Travelers can sample a wide variety of accommodations
by JULIE WHITEHEAD
DBJ Contributing Writer

Looking to do a little traveling through the Delta this summer? Don’t settle for cookie-cutter hotels stamped out from some corporate mold-make your trip even more memorable with a visit at some of the more unusual properties scattered throughout the region, from historical bed-&-breakfasts to a row of sharecroppers shacks to the only boutique hotel in the state.

As everyone knows, the Delta begins in the lobby of The Peabody in Memphis-so start out there and work your way down after spending some time in the revitalized property, reopened in 1981 after a six-year restoration effort. Built in its present location in 1925, the hotel offers 468 guest rooms and suites, elegantly appointed meeting rooms, an attached shopping center, and of course-the Peabody Ducks, making their visit to the lobby at 11 a.m. and traveling back upstairs by elevator at 5 p.m.

You might take a few days to work your way through the restaurants, from Chez Phillipe’s French cuisine to Dux’s southern favorites, from Mallards’ burgers to Café Espresso’s pastries. Throw in the Lobby Bar, the Skyway and the Plantation Roof-and you just might need to visit the in-house athletic club! For rates and reservations, call 1-800-PEABODY or log on to www peabodymemphis.com.

Travel down into the Delta and back to Tennessee Williams’ day with a visit to Uncle Henry’s Place, located between Tunica and Clarksdale on Highway 61. Once the site of the famous Moon Lake Casino that the Mississippi playwright referenced in “The Glass Menagerie”, the former Elks Lodge was bought by Henry Trevino in 1946 and run as Henry’s Place, a nightclub/ resort area, where local folks could rent boats and cabins on the lake. “A lot of prominent people in the Delta met their spouse in that juke joint,” said owner Sarah Wright, a descendant of Trevino’s.

The restored Uncle Henry’s Place now boasts suites, a cottage, a fisherman’s shack, and a well-regarded restaurant. Wright and her son George reacquired the property in 1985 and began redoing the place, opening the restaurant in 1986 and the rooms in 1992. Visitors who stay wake up to Moon Lake on one side and the Yazoo Canal on the other, accompanied by a complimentary Southern breakfast. Three suites feature private baths, as does the cottage behind the original 1920 building, restored from photographs to the Moon Lake’s heyday period, the 30’s.

Sarah Wright notes that the blues history in Clarksdale pulls in a lot of visitors to the area, as does the Tennessee Williams connection. “He was a friend of my parents, and even after he made it big, he would send my parents a Christmas card every year and sign it “Tom” in quotation marks,” said Wright. For information on rates and reservations, call 662-337-2757.

Further down Highway 61 in Clarksdale proper is The Shack Up Inn, a wonderfully offbeat property where blues enthusiasts, honeymooners, and Delta locals alike pay $50 and upwards an evening to spend the weekend in one of six sharecroppers’ cabins at Hopson Plantation. Head Shackmeister Bill Talbot said the idea of buying the property at first was to just preserve the site’s heritage and allow the five original investors to have a place to go to share their blues obsession. “If we weren’t using it, people would walk up to us and ask if they could rent the shack,” said Talbot. The Shacks opened for business in 1998.

With names like The Cadillac Shack, The Fullilove Shack, and The Robert Clay Shack, each cabin, while retaining the authentic appearance on the outside, has been made over on the inside with all the amenities, including central air, window units, refrigerators, coffeemakers, and full kitchens into two of the cabins. Don’t bother messing with the TV dials, though—-”You can only get one in the cabins, the blues station,” said Talbot.

But the down-home atmosphere seems to be working well for the Shackmeisters-a quick scan of the guestbook on the web site shows visitors from Australia, Indianapolis, Britain, and points closer to home in Mississippi. The eclectic mix of customers makes for some interesting weeks at Hopson-”It’s strange that some days all we have is Europeans. Then the next week everyone here’s from Jackson,” said Talbot.

On July 1, the Shackmeisters unveil their newest offering-five rooms in the Cotton Gin Inn at Hopson Plantation. The newer area boasts a little more traditional-style environment, including 150 channels on the TV dials. Talbot and his fellow owners hope to add a second floor to the property in the next year, along with meeting space. “Maybe move the lobby out of my house, and have a real lobby with a gift shop,” said Talbot, the only owner to live on the property full-time. For reservations and more information, call (662) 624-8329 or log on to www.shackupinn.com.

Keep traveling down Highway 61 to Cleveland and stop in to Molly’s Bed and Breakfast, owned by Molly and Floyd Shaman. The property opened in 1996 in a late-Victorian home after Molly decided to find a way to work from home. “Cleveland didn’t have a bed-and-breakfast at the time,” said Molly.

Four eclectic suites feature Floyd’s sculptures and Molly’s whimsical decorating taste-visitors can choose from the “cowboy room” with a Rocky Mountain theme, the “oasis room” with desert murals on the wall, the “watermelon room” with images of the namesake fruit scattered about, and the “Victorian room” with an authentic Eastlake bed.

Amenities include complimentary beverages and coffee in the rooms with a full breakfast available to guests downstairs, cooked by Molly herself. “We try with our breakfast to have very fresh ingredients-very fresh fruits and fresh-baked bread for the French toast,” Molly noted.
Molly’s has been featured in Richard Knight’s “Blues Highway” and Marlo Kirkpatrick’s “Mississippi Off the Beaten Path,” pulling in Mississippians and out-of-town visitors alike with a mix of art and hospitality. “We think that personal service is important,” Molly said. For rates and reservations, call (662) 843-9913.

If up-to-date palatial elegance is more your traveling preference, be sure to make time to stay at The Alluvian in Greenwood, Mississippi’s only “boutique hotel,” created out of the shell of the historic Hotel Irving. “Boutique” is an industry term for elegant, smaller properties that emphasize the art of their region and the importance of personal service to travelers, according to Chris Carl, account executive for publicity and owner Fred Carl’s son. “You cater to each and every guest,” said Carl.

Sixteen Delta artists contributed artwork throughout the property, from established Delta names such as Maude Schuler Clay, Gerald Deloach, and Duff Dorough, along with others like Pat Brown, Mary Ann Ross, and Kim Rushing. The furniture in all fifty units was designed exclusively for The Alluvian by ForrestPerkins in Washington DC and Dallas, and in-room amenities include flat-screen TV’s and Aveda bath products, as well as more standard five-star fare-bathrobes, high-speed internet connections, and coffeemakers. Don’t forget the complimentary Southern gourmet breakfast, the library stocked with works by Southern authors, and Giardina’s restaurant, a fixture in Delta floodways, relocated to The Alluvian and continuing to offer their classic recipes accompanied by Chef Ferris’ Nouvelle Delta cuisine.

The property lives up to the hopes expressed by general manager Jondi Brackeen when the facility opened-”We anticipate The Alluvian being a unique destination in the Mississippi Delta, serving as a gathering place for locals and visitors alike.”

So don’t settle for the ordinary when you travel through the Delta this summer-make your hotel one you can truly look forward to going ‘home” to after a day of visiting the Delta’s other attractions. Look forward to seeing you here! DBJ