People may get their kicks on Route 66, but the true "Blues Highway" is U.S. Highway 61 North. Tourists beginning a tour of the Mississippi Blues Trail in Tunica can take in the local markers that tell the stories of local bluesmen Harold "Hardface" Clanton, Eddie James "Son" House, and James Cotton. Visitors to the area can stop by Tunica's Dockery Farms, which is reputed to be the birthplace of the "Delta Blues," declared so by B.B. King, who claimed Charlie Patton created the style there. Tunica is also home to the planned "Gateway to the Blues Visitors Center and Museum," slated to begin construction in 2011.
With the number of local casinos, guests could spend a week in the small town of Tunica without spending a night in the same casino twice. Throughout the various casinos, guests enjoy access to slot machines, craps tables, blackjack games, and Texas "Hold 'Em" poker tables. Mimicking the eclectic style of Las Vegas casinos, local gambling establishments have themes like the locally inspired 1800s delta-themed Bally's to the Tinsel Town-style of the Hollywood Casino, which features a museum of movie memorabilia. Tunica's casinos also get their share of headline entertainers performing in on-site venues such as Gold Strike's Stage Bar and the state-of-the-art Bluesville entertainment complex at Horseshoe. Gamblers who like to spend a few hours at the links will enjoy the 18-hole golf course at Harrah's.
Although Tunica has a reputation as a gambler's haven, it also features a number of educational historic sites and entertainment venues that make the small town fun for the whole family. At the Tate Log House, visitors can explore how the earliest residents of the town lived, when it was built in 1840. Free admission at the Tunica Museum lets kids explore the region's rich social and agricultural history, along with Native American prehistory. Near the museum in historic downtown Tunica, tourists will find a number of antique shops and authentic delta dining at the historic Blue and White Restaurant. No family excursion to the area will be complete without a cruise on the Mississippi in the Tunica Queen riverboat. After disembarking from the cruise at Tunica's Riverpark, families can discover the freshwater creatures inhabiting the water at the Mississippi River Museum.
