It doesn’t get more American than this. The Shack Up Inn was built on the acreage of a repurposed cotton plantation along the Mississippi Delta, three miles from the legendary crossroads where Robert Johnson is said to have sold his soul to the devil to master the guitar. Sporting shotgun style shacks with corrugated tin roofing, seed houses and antique farm equipment, this establishment is only minimally restored for modern comfort. Explore the renovated commissary of the Hopson Plantation, and enrich (or begin) your blues pilgrimage in Clarksdale — a charming town with several museums situated in-between Jackson and Memphis, TN.

      The Shack Up Inn is one of the most authentic and historical experiences you might ever have in your lodgings; guests may pick up a guitar at check-in to lounge on the patio of their sharecropper’s shacks; if you find your own musical talent lacking, it would be hard to miss the Juke Joint Chapel in the lobby, towering with corrugated metal and decorated with road signs. Scoring a blues destination won’t be a challenge – the Ground Zero Blues Club is only a few short miles away, but you cannot miss the chance to visit Red’s Lounge, an extraordinarily authentic, funky little establishment that serves as a mecca for the Delta Blues.

      The Shack-Up Inn is a true gem of Americana — and plenty comfortable, too. This historic refuge has played host to several musicians and stars including Tom Waits, Samuel L. Jackson, Morgan Freeman, and Elvis Costello to name but a few. Quiet, decently priced and utterly charming — we hope the Shack Up Inn sticks around for a long time.