Shopping
You’ll love the relaxed shopping atmosphere in Cleveland where brick-paved sidewalks, landscaped walkways and Victorian lighting make it more like a stroll through the park. No big city traffic hassles in Cleveland, just park your car, and take off on our historic walking trail for a shopping adventure you won’t soon forget.
Cleveland’s notable antique shops boast timeless treasures for the passionate antique seeker. And, don’t miss the shopping district’s numerous boutiques and specialty shops for one-of-a-kind items you can’t overlook, whether your taste learns toward funky or classic.
Visitor information is available at downtown shops.
Dining
Cleveland satisfies famished guests with a variety of dining atmospheres. When you’re ready for a quick bite or a leisurely dinner, you’ll find your choices are practically limitless. Whether you are looking for a cozy coffee house or a quaint bistro, a trendy eatery, 4-star restaurant, or Blues and barbeque, Cleveland offers the best of the best in dining. Save plenty of time so you don’t have to rush. You’ll find the atmosphere and ambiance of Cleveland’s restaurants are half the experience.
For a list of our restaurants click on Where to Eat.
Blues
The Delta Blues has its roots in Bolivar County, along fabled Highway 61 and in unique towns like Merigold, Rosedale, Mound Bayou and Cleveland.
Visit Dockery Farms (www.dockeryfarms.org), a Mecca to Blues enthusiasts and the home to Charley Patton, the "Father of the Blues".
You'll find live Blues at a number of our local venues and you can't miss Po' Monkey's (www.southernspaces.org/contents/2006/brown/1a.htm), in Merigold for an authentic Juke Joint experience.
Follow the Mississippi Blues Trail to it's numberous sites of significance in Bolivar County at www.msbluestrail.org and see Links for additional sites of interest.
Delta State University
Delta State University attracts more than 4,000 students, and gives Cleveland a lively and youthful “college town” atmosphere. The University serves as a center for culture and the arts for the Delta, as well, offering the Bologna Performing Arts Center, which brings world-class entertainment to the region; The Hazel and Jimmy Sanders Sculpture Garden, located on the grounds of the Arts Center, and the Charles W. Capps, Jr. Archives building, home to the “Boo” Ferris Museum, which chronicles the baseball career of the native son of the Delta, and fabled Boston Red Sox player. Delta State also has spawned many national championship sports teams and is home to a world-class aquatic center that hosts regional and national events.
Visit www.deltastate.edu for more information or call 1.800.GOTODSU.
The Arts
The Mississippi Delta, and particularly Cleveland, is rich in visual and performing arts. At the center of the lively entertainment scene is the Bologna Performing Arts Center at Delta State University, which attracts nationally acclaimed shows from Blues to Broadway (www.bolognapac.com). The Wright Art Center Gallery, also on the Delta State Campus, features rotating exhibits of students, faculty and talented local and regional artists.
Pottery
Collectors come to Merigold from across the country to shop famous McCartys Pottery for its treasured items fashioned from Mississippi clay. While you’re there, tour the lush McCarty gardens and dine in their serene lunch hot-spot, The Gallery. Head north on Highway 61, and you’ll find another sought-after destination for handmade Mississippi earthenware, Peter’s Pottery.
For more information visit www.mccartyspottery.com and www.peters-pottery.net
Entertainment
In Cleveland and Bolivar County you’ll find entertainment to satisfy a variety of tastes from Broadway to the Blues. Live music is available at many local restaurants and venues, including Po’ Monkeys on Thursday evenings, an authentic Juke experience near Merigold. The Bologna Performing Arts Center, at Delta State University has earned recognition as one of the premier houses for arts and entertainment in Mississippi and the Southeast.
Outdoor Recreation
In addition to hunting and fishing opportunities, Bolivar County offers a variety of other outdoor activities, including bird watching, boating, water sports and hiking. The County also features a number of excellent public and private golf courses. One of the region’s most prominent geographical features is also the subject of historic legend and lore… the mighty Mississippi River, that forms the Bolivar County’s western border. Click here for more informaton: www.mdwfp.com
Heritage and Culture
Only in the Mississippi Delta can you ‘experience a hundred years of history in twenty years’, according to legendary Delta author, Shelby Foote. Come to the Delta and immerse yourself in its land and culture--from blues legends and cotton plantations, to the Mississippi River and levee, the “Great Flood”, Native American history, struggles for civil rights, and legendary literary heritage, all as rich as the region’s famed fertile soil. The Delta Center for Culture and Learning at Delta State University and the Cleveland Tourism Association offer a number of educational tours, which explore Delta history and heritage and create the ultimate Delta experiential adventure.
Coming soon - The Martin & Sue King Railroad Heritage Museum. For more information, go to the museum's Face Book page.
For more about history and heritage tours visit www.blueshighway.org and www.visittheDelta.com.
Special Events
Cleveland and Bolivar County hosts a variety of popular events throughout the year, from the Italian Festival of Mississippi in March, to Crosstie Arts & Jazz Festival in April, Crossroads Blues & Heritage Festival in May, to Octoberfest and more. And, you’ll find the holiday festivities in historic downtown make shopping an event in itself.
For projected dates and details click on Special Events or see our special events Calendar on the Home page.
To locate these and other Cleveland-Bolivar County attractions, shopping
areas and facilities, see the Maps & Directions page of this site. The map
key for these locations is listed below, so you can identify places you want
to visit.
Other Attractions
Martin & Sue King Railroad Heritage Museum – This museum features a modeltrain that entertains visitors with realistic sights, sounds, and even smells of the 70” X17” layout that is representative of “Any town”, Mississippi. The goal of this museum is preserve and promote the history and the culture of the railroad and its impact on the Mississippi Delta.
Great River Road State Park – Situated inside the Mississippi River levee and bordered by the majestic river, this park offers magnificent views of the “Father of Waters.” The focal point of the park is a 75-foot high overlook tower, which provides panoramic views of the river. Trails lead down to the river where you can walk along the sand bar on the riverside. Other opportunities include fishing, picnic facilities, nature trail, RV and primitive camping.
The Hazel and Jimmy Sanders Sculpture Garden – The sculpture garden is located in front of the Bologna Performing Arts Center at Delta State University. This is a national sculpture contest. Seven pieces are selected and entered into the competition. They are displayed for 18 months and a winner is selected. The winning sculpture is purchased and placed on exhibit on the campus of Delta State.
The Boo Ferriss Baseball Museum – This museum honors Boo Ferris, patriarch and Red Sox Hall of Fame member. Boo Ferriss played with Ted Williams. This was partially funded by the Yawkey Foundation/Boston Red Sox.
The Mask of the Blues – The “life casts” are exact replicas of Blues musician’s faces, created using damp gauze and plaster. The results are astonishing, three-dimensional images of the facial structure of the musicians. The collection – 55 life casts of a disappearing generation of Blues performers.
The Mississippi Blues Trail www.msbluestrail.org Current area Blues Markers include:
Dockery Farms: B.B. King said if you had to name one place where it all began, it would be here.
Boyle’s Peavine Railroad: The Peavine branch of the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley Railroad was made famous by Charley Patton’s “Peavine Blues.”Shaw, Honey Boy Edward’s hometown.
Merigold’s Po Monkeys, one of the last remaining rural juke houses in the Mississippi Delta.
Rosedale was immortalized in Robert Johnson’s 1937 recording “Traveling Riverside Blues”
Cleveland’s Chrisman Street, a center of African American business and social life during the era of segregation in the South.