# @cnntravel on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DNqqVtBJ7I7
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/33565068-cnntravel-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/2291f0f57b.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-08-22T18:00:56.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** CNN Travel (@CNNTravel) — https://gondola.cc/CNNTravel

## Caption

On the surface, downtown Clarksdale, Mississippi, looks largely the same as it did decades ago: a collection of historic brick buildings lining wide avenues faded to postcard sepia. But local Bubba O'Keefe has a retort ready for visitors to his hometown who eye the city's aesthetic as anything but authentic Southern charm.

"People come here and say, 'Oh my gosh, this place is going down,'" says O'Keefe, the tourism director for this Mississippi Delta city of 14,000, with an implied wink. "I say, 'Well, you should have seen it 25 years ago. We're on the way up.'"

Jokes aside, he makes a solid point. It was a Saturday night in Clarksdale 25 years ago that inspired blues aficionado-turned-Clarksdale champion Roger Stolle to move to town. Somehow, in a city with a deep blues history that claimed to be the home of the legendary crossroads — where according to lore, Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil under cover of darkness for his dazzling slide-guitar chops — he couldn't find a lick of live music anywhere.

But thanks to years of efforts by Stolle, O'Keefe and plenty of other believers, music fans can now find live music seven nights a week in the blues capital recently fictionalized in the hit vampire flick "Sinners," which leans heavily into the region's musical heritage. According to O'Keefe, tourism tax receipts are steadily rising, and blues-related clubs, shops and cafes started by locals and transplants are fueling the success.

"The thing about Clarkdale is, you have to experience it," O'Keefe says. "It's blues in an authentic setting. And when you walk around downtown, it's like being on a movie set. You're walking back in time."

Clarksdale's rich musical heritage, live shows, festival calendar and Southern flavors land it at No. 9 on CNN's list of America's Best Towns to Visit for 2025. Swipe to explore some of its best spots, and read more at the link in our bio. 

#clarksdale #clarksdalemississippi #mississippi #misssissippiphotographer #misssissippiartist

📸 Rory Doyle for CNN

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## Tags

misssissippiphotographer, mississippi, misssissippiartist, clarksdalemississippi, clarksdale

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