2 Weeks in Mississippi River

From New Orleans to Memphis — the Lower Mississippi

The lower Mississippi offers a wealth of regional music, cuisine, history, and architecture. It's a fascinating region that is coming to terms with its past and looking to the future. You'll encounter impressive sights and activities in Memphis, Tennessee; Natchez, Mississippi; Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana; and some small towns along the way. 

The lower Mississippi technically starts from Cairo, Illinois.

In pre-civil war days, when cotton was king, two-thirds of all American millionaires lived between New Orleans and Natchez. That all ended abruptly with the war and the abolition of slavery — the scourge that had enabled the wealthy plantations to thrive.

French-accented New Orleans, with its iconic French Quarter and party-central Bourbon Street, is the place to down donut-like beignets for breakfast, eat fried oysters in a modest seafood shack, dine royally on the finest cuisine in one of the city's world-famous restaurants, or, of course, have a drink or two, perhaps at a local jazz club such as Preservation Hall.

Memphis is another musical mecca. You can tour Graceland, where Elvis Presley lived; Sun Studio, where Elvis made his name; the Stax Museum, which tells the history of one of the great rhythm and blues studios; and of course, Beale Street, with its parade of blues clubs. 

Begin your perfect evening with ribs at The Rendezvous or drinks atop the Madison Hotel, complete with panoramic views.

From St. Louis to Minneapolis — the Upper Mississippi

Cruising the upper Mississippi is a very different experience — the land of cotton gives way to the land of corn, and blues and jazz make way for the traditions of descendants of German immigrants in Iowa and Wisconsin.

St. Louis: Embarkations for upper Mississippi cruises usually begin in St. Louis, Missouri, one of the river's major cities and home to one of the country's best zoos. 

The swooping 530-foot-tall Gateway Arch, which sits on the west bank of the Mississippi and has become the symbol of St Louis, offers incredible views of the Mississippi and the entire area. You can ride to the top via tram or elevator, as some one million visitors do annually. Museums dedicated to westward expansion are at the foot of the steel arch.

• Hannibal: Mark Twain — the pen name for author Samuel Clemens and the most famous chronicler of the Mississippi River — hailed from Hannibal, Missouri, which lies north of St. Louis along the river. 
• Hannibal, Mark Twain's Boyhood Home, is an obligatory stop for any upper Mississippi River cruise. It's where Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn fans can enjoy a literary pilgrimage to the town where Twain found most of the inspiration for his best-known fictional characters.
• Clinton and Dubuque: Farther north, Clinton and Dubuque, Iowa, are paragons of Midwestern America. Clinton, a former lumber town, is now an agricultural capital, while Dubuque, one of the earliest settlements west of the Mississippi, is known for its historic homes. 
• LaCrosse: In LaCrosse, Wisconsin, farther north, you can still sample the local breweries, which replaced the lumber industry as one of the city's primary economic engines. 

Upper Mississippi River tours end in the Minneapolis area, perhaps at the historic town of Red Wing, south of Saint Paul. Formerly a center for commercial shipping along the river, Red Wing is now known for its artisans and historic homes. Minneapolis-St. Paul is one of America's most livable metropolitan areas, with many museums, restaurants, and other amenities.