The largest city in this state on the Mississippi River, Greenville, (population 40,648), sits at the junction of Hwy 82 and State Route 1. Though its economy remains based around its river port, the sea of fading neons along Route 1 seems to exemplify the sweltering fatigue of this tired city.

Rising from the ashes of three devastating fires, Greenville has received a shot in the arm since the introduction of gaming. Casinos now lap in the Old Muddy’s waters alongside river barges and a replica of a nineteenth-century sternwheeler that serves as the River Road Queen Welcome Center.

The hometown of Civil War historian Shelby Foote, Greenville had liberal views on black integration in the 1940s that set the city a league apart from the rest of staunchly segregated Mississippi.

In 1946 Greenville came under the national spotlight when Hodding Carter from the Delta Democrat-Times won a Pulitzer Prize for his essay on racial reform. The city now hosts the Greenville Writers Exhibit, celebrating its rich literary heritage, which also includes Walker Percy and Ellen Douglas.

At Warfield Point Park, 5 miles south of the city, an observation tower provides a panoramic vista of life on the Mississippi River.

Leland, east of Greenville on Hwy 82, was the childhood home of Muppet maestro, Jim Henson; the whimsical Birthplace of the Frog Museum on South Deer Creek Drive features Kermit and other Muppet memorabilia.

Visitors will need a car to travel State Route 1 to Greenville.