America's 'Blues Highway' Is Bob Dylan's Favorite And Perfect For Road Trips

In the 1960s Bob Dylan emerged as a prominent folksinger and a mouthpiece for the counterculture movement. He has performed in over 50 countries, and in the United States he has played thousands of shows over the years. It's safe to say that he probably knows a thing or two about road trips, having spent so much time living in a tour bus. Highway 61, also known as the Blues Highway, is a route that he's particularly fond of. Although he dabbled in various musical genres, blues music was one of his greatest influences. "Those old songs are my lexicon and prayer book," he once said.

In a 1997 interview, Bob Dylan was asked what the blues meant to him. "The blues? An extremely simple and open form by which you can say anything; also, what's being said comes out the way you meant it. But the blues has become rare. I don't even know if people know what to do with it in this world, which has become a rat race. The blues stems from the countryside, from the cotton fields in the south. And they dragged it to the big cities and charged it with electricity," he answered.

Bob Dylan might believe that the blues has become rare, but he still knows where to find it: Highway 61 in the southern United States. He even named one of his most iconic albums "Highway 61 Revisited" — it was ranked the 18th best album of all time by Rolling Stone magazine. Highway 61 stretches from the southern state of Louisiana, and follows the Mississippi River north. Traveling along the iconic road from New Orleans to Memphis is the perfect way to experience the blues and immerse yourself in music history.

Blues music was created by Black communities in the Mississippi Delta region following the Civil War. According to National Geographic, the sorrows of formerly enslaved people "led to a raw new music—the blues—depicting work, love, poverty, and the hardships freedmen faced in a world barely removed from slavery." Music lovers and musicians will adore traveling along the famous route that cuts through the heart of the Mississippi Delta. You'll be walking in the footsteps of musical legends like Bob Dylan and the many great blues artists who influenced him. The road has been called the "root of all American music," and travelers can stop at some of the nation's best live music cities and venues along the way.

"Highway 61, the main thoroughfare of the country blues, begins about where I began. I always felt like I'd started on it, always had been on it and could go anywhere, even down into the deep Delta country. It was the same road, full of the same contradictions, the same one-horse towns, the same spiritual ancestors ... It was my place in the universe, always felt like it was in my blood," Dylan said in 2005.

The best way to begin your road trip along Highway 61 is to start in New Orleans, Louisiana. Music is rooted in the local culture, and it's considered the birthplace of jazz. While you're in town, make sure to spend some time at the historic venues, which are some of the best places to see live music. Visitors can also take a walking tour to learn about New Orleans' rich musical history.

From New Orleans, head north on the Blues Highway and make your way into the heart of the Mississippi Delta. Along the route you'll pass through some of the best towns for blues music. Leland is home to the Highway 61 Blues Museum, which is well worth a stop. In Clarksdale, you'll find another great museum: the Delta Blues Museum. Make sure to visit Morgan Freeman's Ground Zero Blues Club while you're in town. Red's Lounge is an excellent blues club where you can catch more live performances. It's a "real-deal Mississippi juke joint," according to the website. New Roxy is another venue worth checking out in Clarkesdale. As you leave town, you'll likely spot the famous Crossroads sign. Legend says that Robert Johnson struck a deal with the devil there in order to gain his musical abilities. In Tunica, Mississippi, pause to check out the Gateway to the Blues Visitors Center & Museum.

By the time you make it to Memphis, Tennessee, you'll already feel immersed in blues history, but make sure to check out the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. The museum was previously Stax Records, and a handful of legendary artists recorded songs there. 

Sun Studio, known as "The Birthplace of Rock 'n' Roll," is also a must-visit spot in Memphis. Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and B.B. King are a few of the greats who recorded there. The Blues Music Hall of Fame has ten different galleries and interactive exhibits that blues fans will love. Beale Street, often called the Home of the Blues, is a great place to catch live music during your stay in Memphis. B.B. King's Blues Club is one of the top-rated spots, but there are plenty of options to choose from as you wander the neighborhood.