Galavanting in the South: a Train, a Hwy 61 Roadtrip, and a Hobo Gathering

Posted on 29. Apr, 2010 by Kim Mance in DESTINATION EPISODES, Southern USA

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In this episode, Kim Mance, Robert Reid, and Courtney McGann take a ride on classic train The City of New Orleans down to Memphis, from there, the journey continues as a road trip down Blues Highway 61 into the Mississippi Delta before settling down in Amory, MS to attend an annual hobo gathering.

ABOUT THE HOSTS
Kim Mance is a travel writer for places like MarieClaire.com and editor of online travel magazine GoGalavanting.com. Visit her online at kimmance.com or @kimmance on Twitter.

Robert Reid is a guidebook author and US spokesperson for Lonely Planet, visit him on the web at reidontravel.com or @reidontravel on Twitter.

Courtney McGann is a newbie traveler seeking fun and stamps in her passport; follow @courtneyisneato on Twitter.

OUR ITINERARY

The City of New Orleans Train
This historic train route leaves Chicago each night bound for New Orleans. There are a limited number of sleeper cars, so booking ahead is advisable, and hanging out in the lounge car is highly recommended. See Amtrak for details about The City of New Orleans.

The Blues Highway 61 Roadtrip
Robert brought his trusty The Carolinas Georgia & the South Trips Lonely Planet guidebook along and it led us on a fantastic road trip through the Mississippi Delta. With its curbside BBQ stands and juke joints tucked in every corner, Clarksdale is a highlight. It calls itself the “Birthplace and World Capital of the Blues and location of the famous Crossroads intersection of Highway 61 and 49″ and we have no reason to argue.

The Hobo Gathering
When we heard about a small hobo gathering in rural Mississippi, I couldn’t believe my ears. Hobos? Now? “Yes, they still meet each year during Amory’s Railroad Festival“, said Michael Bontempi from travel site Briefcase to Backpack as we drank beer in New York City recently. Each year there is also a large National Hobo Convention in Britt, Iowa. But we wanted to attend the more intimate gathering, and well, who can resist rural Mississippi?

We stayed at the delightfully cozy The Old Place B&B on the outskirts of Amory, and made good use of its back porch.

Word to the wise when visiting Amory: It’s in a dry county. That means no booze will be available once you get there. Just saying.

SPECIAL THANKS
Amtrak, Marc Magliari, and Charlie LeBlanc.

Stretch, Tuck, K-Bar, Queen Charlotte, Max,
Red Bird Express, and
Fran DeLorenzo the Hobo Minstrel.

Amory Regional Museum
Theresa & Jimmy Glenn
Bo Miller & the Amory Railroad Festival

Tags: Blues Hwy, Highway 61

BluesHoundFlat

Thanks for coming through Clarksdale or as I like to call it "Clarksvegas"! Next time your in town come stay at Blues Hound Flat. It's located right across the street from the Greyhound bus station, so you can just crawl back after a long night at the Juke Joints.
Dominique

Looks like a great trip. We've been to Memphis a couple of times and on down 49 to Helena, AR. This is one of those road trips I'd really love to do when I had the time to cover a lot of ground and stop for music and Southern eats at will.
Grits made me hungry!
AuthenticSeacoast

Great video. We're hungry for a Bill's burger now! As the late Canadian songwriter Paul Quarrington said, "You Gotta Love A Train". The train is an important part of the culture in Nova Scotia and VIA Rail still runs a passenger train from Montreal to Halifax. The Bluenose Cowboy Eddie LeGere sang about this trip in a great song called "The Maritme Express". You can give a listen to it here http://blip.fm/~hu89l Even our seacoast village on Chedabucto Bay was made famous in song by legendary folk musician Stan Rogers with "Guysborough Train". We hope the three of you can one day take the Maritime Express to visit us on Nova Scotia's Authentic Seacoast.
Cate

Cool!!! Ever thought about being a professional on the stage? You look like a natural.