It’s the second longest river in the US – stretching from Lake Itasca, Minnesota, to the Gulf of Mexico – so it’s no surprise that the list of experiences visitors can find along the waterway is as lengthy as its name: Mississippi.
And this week, representatives from the Mississippi River Country (MRC) tourism collective checked in in Toronto to talk travel, specifically the many opportunities calling to Canadians in the middle America region. Delegates at the event, held at the Gardiner Museum in Toronto (across from the ROM) hailed from five of 10 states – Illinois, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana – that are connected by the “thread of the Mississippi River.”
MRC managing director Lyn Pilch says the organization, which has been around since 1988, is continuing its outreach in Canada, which began during the pandemic, even if at the time travel was an idea rather than a reality.
However, now, Canadians will find again a “quilt of experiences” including history, culture, and natural beauty, all astride “the world’s most famous and culturally rich riverway.”
Those states also include Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, and Kentucky. On an urban scale, the route runs from Minneapolis/St. Paul and Chicago in the north to New Orleans in the south.
In between, there is much more, not least the rich culture of the “heart of America,” including:
• Culture: Stunning art museums, the iconic architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, and more
• Food & Agriculture: Mouth-watering barbeque and other regional delicacies, farmers’ markets, and food festivals
• Iconic America: From a stretch of the famed 500-km long Route 66 to minor league baseball parks and historic small towns
• Music: See (and hear!) where blues, jazz, country music and other quintessential forms of American music were born and celebrate the artists carrying on this legacy
• Outdoors & Recreation: Home to two Great Lakes, national parks, scenic overlooks, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and a Great River Road that runs adjacent to the river, as well as an “endless” list of activities like hiking, fishing, boating, paddling, and kayaking
• Science & History: Learn about the lives of American presidents, see animals from around the world at zoos & aquariums, and explore Civil War history
• Famous people: From the legacies of Abraham Lincoln in Springfield, Illinois, to Elvis Presley in Memphis, Tenn., and the more contemporary Britney Spears Museum, in Kentwood, La.
Other experiences include festivals (more than 400 in Louisiana each year alone), cultural trails, such as writers, blues, country music, and freedom, in Mississippi; civil rights sites; river cruises, kayaking, and fall foliage in Illinois; the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, plus more than 100 barbecue joints in Memphis (ie more than just Elvis); plus so much more.
In short, says Pilch, “Mississippi River Country is home to everything that epitomizes America.”