Belzoni is a small town in northwest Mississippi that offers a glimpse of small-town Southern life and hospitality. Located in the heart of the Mississippi Delta, Belzoni hosts the World Catfish Festival each April and hosts sites on the Mississippi Blues Trail. With an estimated population of 2,300, according to the U.S. Census, this small town has limited options for overnight visitors. Travelers should consider staying at a hotel in a neighboring town.
The Alluvian Hotel in Greenwood is 30 miles northeast of Belzoni and features 45 rooms and five suites. The Alluvian offers a nightly turndown service, marble bathrooms and an art collection spotlighting Mississippi artists. Guests receive a complimentary Southern buffet breakfast and access to a library featuring Southern literature. The hotel has a business center, 24-hour fitness center, wireless Internet access. Giardina’s Restaurant, onsite, was founded in 1936.
The Days Inn at Indianola is 21 miles northwest of Belzoni and features complimentary wireless Internet access, free breakfast, vending machines, handicap-accessible rooms and nonsmoking rooms. Rooms include cable, a refrigerator and a microwave. The Days Inn is near the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center, which honors Indianola’s hometown legend with exhibits and music. The main exhibit features King’s 60-plus year career through his personal papers, materials and objects from his life and work. Visitors can make their own music in the guitar studio.
The Best Western Blues Traveler Inn also is in Indianola. The 48-room hotel is at the intersection of U.S. Highways 82 and 49 near the B. B. King Museum. The Best Western features a complimentary breakfast, pool, meeting rooms and business center. Rooms include cable television with HBO and Cinemax, high-speed Internet access, a microwave, refrigerator and a newspaper each morning.
The Hampton Inn at Yazoo City is about 20 miles south of Belzoni. The hotel features 74 rooms, Internet access, a business center, a fitness center, a pool, a bar and a lounge area. Meeting space accommodates up to 100 people. Guestrooms include cable television, microwaves, ironing boards and free onsite parking. If you’re visiting Belzoni in April, stop by the World Catfish Festival. The event has grown to more than 20,000 visitors each year from just 3,000 in 1976, according to the Belzoni-Humphreys Economic Development Foundation. Attendees can sample fried Mississippi catfish grown in the area. The festival also has an arts and crafts show and entertainment. Visitors also can visit the places where blues legends got their start as part of the Mississippi Blues Trail. Belzoni has site on the trail that is a tribute Turner’s Drug store, an early sponsor of blues radio shows. Other blues trail sites honor musicians Denise LaSalle and Pinetop Perkins.
