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Why Visiting Ground Zero In Mississippi May Make You See Red

The unassuming Red’s by day

If you’re following the Blues trail around the Mississippi Delta, you’ll almost certainly have Clarksdale down on your hitlist. Not only is it the biggest of the blues towns (well, technically Greenville is bigger, but there’s not much going on round there these days), but it’s also the closest to civilization Memphis (75 miles south) and the town that’s adapted best to visitors with (gasp) a choice of nice places to stay, as well as restaurants and shops all within the teeny town center.

The blues clubs are what you’re really going for, though. Ground Zero is the most famous, possibly because it’s the largest, possibly because it’s the most geared towards tourists (announcing musicians well in advance and keeping to published opening hours) or possibly because it’s owned by Morgan Freeman.

Ground Zero

There’s just one problem with Ground Zero: having given it a go on three separate visits, we can’t help but conclude that it’s just not that great. It’s obviously very touristy and the clientele are, um, one of a kind – lots of girls in daisy dukes and cowboy boots without the figures to match, and guys whose hookup modus operandi is by asking you to come to their farm and “see my animals” (100% true story). Everyone’s too blitzed to listen to the music and the general atmosphere is one of meat market/country bachelorette party.

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