The Help Tour in Greenwood

We've been to the Delta - Greenwood, actually. We really packed a lot into this trip, including a tour of the places where they filmed the movie "The Help". We missed a few stops on the tour, but we had so much fun that we'll be back!

"THE HELP"

Given that the movie came out years ago, we almost blew it off from lack of interest. Really, we just took the tour as kind of an afterthought, but we're so glad we did! We relied on the color brochure, “The Help in Greenwood. A star-studded tour through the filming of 'The Help' during summer and fall 2010.” It's available all around town and includes a map and photos, and it's really easy to follow, so who could resist? And, by the way, although the featured houses are actual homes and are not open to the public, tours of the interiors can be prearranged.

Since we were setting out from The Alluvian hotel, which is downtown, we stopped by the County Courthouse first. We'd been admiring its clock tower from blocks away and had driven past often enough to see that it is a real beauty, so we would have stopped to take pictures anyway, but it turns out it was used for exterior shots for The Benefit. Remember The Benefit, where sweet, drunk Celia was abused by mean Hilly and mean Hilly got her comeuppance with the pie?

Sure you do!

While we were downtown, we worked in a quick photo op at the “Junior League of Jackson,” which is really the Mississippi Garden Club Headquarters (401 East Market Street). Yet another lovely old downtown house that someone had the foresight to save.

From there, we drove over to 613 River Road, where Skeeter's interior shots were filmed. What a gorgeous house! The pictures really don't do it justice since they can't capture the setting...a lovely old shady Southern street...a river view...trust us on this.

Next stop was Grand Boulevard, a lovely residential neighborhood and home to the infamous Hilly Holbrook. Okay, really 413 belongs to the Johnson family according to our “paperwork,” but that's beside the point; it is a gorgeous house! (And, by the way, they have carted off all those toilets.)

Hilly's friend Elizabeth, it turns out, lives right down the street. Well, the Leefolt home is at 1101 Poplar actually, but they're awfully close. I don't remember it looking so big in the movie, but it's really a huge house, much larger than it appears in the photo.

LITTLE ZION M. B. CHURCH

Our next stops were supposed to be Minny's and Abileen's houses, but for some reason the GPS – into which we had loaded all the addresses we wanted to see – sent us to Minny's and Abileen's church instead. At first, we were disappointed (and a bit confused), but we were soon distracted by the charm of the place. Not only is it the sort of old country church that warms your heart, but we are both suckers for old  church cemeteries. This particular one is not only charming in the way of rural church cemeteries but, according to the sign, it may be the final resting place of Robert Johnson. For anyone unfamiliar with The Blues, it was Robert who famously sold his soul to the devil – at the junction of Highway 61 and Highway 49, no less! – for the ability to play the guitar better than anyone ever had.

And those soybeans growing right in the front yard aren't something you see everyday!

SKEETER'S HOUSE

The church is located on Money Road, and since we were all the way out there anyway, we decided we wouldn't go back into town, we would just swoop by the house used for the outside shots of Skeeter's home, including the shots of Skeeter's and Constantine's conversation in the yard. We were just hoping the house and yard would be visible from the road, so imagine our surprise when we spotted this sign on their fence. (You can't read the bottom part, but it invites you to tour the yard.)

Can you believe it? Only in Mississippi. Anyway, we are not ones to argue when things are going our way, so we turned right in. It's a loooong driveway – that wasn't a camera trick – and so we puttered along, admiring everything until we got to the front of the house, which we just had to stop and admire separately. It is truly lovely...the house, the setting, their Fourth of July decorations, just everything.

TALLAHATCHIE FLATS

From there we moseyed down the road to Tallahatchie Flats, another plantation-cum-hotel similar to Clarksdale's Shack Up Inn. It's another brilliant example of "making do," something Mississippians are quite good at, thank you. Collect a few old sharecroppers' cabins, plumb them, wire them, add a window unit air conditioner and a good bed and rent it out..We didn't go inside any cabins here, but having stayed at the Shack Up Inn, I can assure you the cabins are as honest as they can be and still attract guests. Blues fans love the opportunity to "live the Blues," if only for a night or two. 

The Flats sit just off the highway, down a red dirt road. And for what it's worth, there is nothing - except perhaps the slam of a screen door - that tugs at the hearts of Mississippians like the sight of a red dirt road. There just isn't.

Tallahatchie Flats is surrounded by soybean fields. And, when we say surrounded, we actually mean surrounded. Soybeans are everywhere in the Delta. Well, everywhere cotton and corn aren't.

These are some of the cabins/hotel rooms, all lined up and complete with porch furniture. The outhouse is for effect (we hope).

The plantation's old commissary is now Tallahatchie Tavern, which we understand was very popular with The Help's cast and crew. So popular, in fact, that they chose it for their wrap party. There appeared to be a store on the grounds as well, but we were running short on time and couldn't nose around as much as we might have liked. And we really would have liked to snoop around the whole property. Although neither of us grew up in the Delta, there are things still there that are so familiar that we find ourselves instantly transported back to our childhoods, and sometimes that's just not a bad place to be.

Coffeeville

Ever been to Coffeeville? We hadn't, even though we had been close many times and had planned to visit many times. But, sadly, we had run out of time many times. So, on this day we made it one of our priorities to drive through town. It was a holiday, so nothing much was open, but we can always stop by again and check on them.

One of the first things we noticed was the beautiful church that houses the Yalobusha County Historical Society. It's unfortunate that it was closed because we have read that there is seriously interesting Civil War information housed there. Next time.

The most outstanding place we saw was the Yalobusha County Courthouse, surely one of the most beautiful of Mississippi's many beautiful courthouses.

We drove on to Coffeeville's main drag, where we spied some real potential – there are some charming brickwork details here. Like so many old Mississippi towns, however, it appears to have been "modernized" along about 1960. We see this in so many towns...the huge plate glass windows and the metal and plastic awnings over the sidewalk. While functional, these things sure cover up a lot of charm.

We were very impressed, however, that they have installed handrails at their handicap ramp. We don't recall ever seeing such a thoughtful, useful gesture.

But, it was the mural that made us park and get out of the car. As you can see, the plaster is tearing away from the brick now, so much of it is lost, but how stunning this must have been in its heyday. It's still beautiful, and one of the best murals we've seen – and that's saying something because Mississippi has some beauties.

We were also impressed that the powers that be in Coffeeville saw fit to salvage an old painted sign. These signs are one of our favorite things to spot on our travels. They are such a cool part of the past, but of course they fade over time until they eventually disappear. While painting a sign on a building is fine, reviving an ancient sign is the best of all.

Magnolia Grove Monastery

Did you know there is a monastery in Mississippi? We didn't. In fact, we were so doubtful that we just had to go see for ourselves.

It's there all right. It is called Magnolia Grove Monastery and it's in Batesville, although we use the word “in” loosely. It's out in the quiet countryside, of course, although it really isn't that far from downtown. Still, there is something about driving on old country roads that makes you think you have really done some traveling. We found it easily and just parked on the road, right in front of the entrance. It seemed like the right thing to do given that we hadn't seen another car the whole way, and we felt a little awkward pulling onto the property like it was a tourist site or something.

We had barely put the car in park when the canine greeting party showed up. It consisted of two dogs: a pit bull and a Doberman, albeit a small Doberman. They came at us at full speed, barking the whole time, and nearly scared us to death. We discussed just staying in the car and taking pictures from there, but then it occurred to us that a monastery wouldn't have vicious guard dogs...they just wouldn't, it would go against every principle they hold dear. So, we (very slowly) got out of the car, whereupon we were nearly licked to death.

Despite driveways leading to parking areas, we opted for the pedestrian entrance. Steps lead up from the road, so we ventured onto the property there, although we didn't follow the sidewalk to the nearest building. We weren't really sure where we should/could go, or even if it was okay that we were there. We are usually pretty outgoing on our little treks and have no fears about striking up conversations with strangers or snooping around anything that interests us. But this place seemed different and the idea of running around taking pictures and looking in windows seemed irreverent somehow. It was really reassuring to see the sign on the tree that let us know we were in the right place.

The Magnolia Grove Monastery is a huge place – 120 acres. If that seems like overdoing it a bit for a monastery, it's also home to Magnolia Village, a Mindfulness Meditation Practice Center founded by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. There is a meditation hall, a kitchen, and a guesthouse that sleeps 120, and all the buildings are attractive in a simple, purposeful way.

Being Presbyterians, neither of us was familiar with Thich Nhat Hanh who, it turns out, is a Vietnamese monk who practices Zen Buddhism. The monastery itself is the residence of thirty of his monastics. 

But, there is more to the campus than just functional buildings. There is a lovely area that features a pond with a charming footbridge, and a huge statue – a goddess maybe? There is also what we assume is a temple, a small, open structure with a pagoda roof. This area is beautiful, really beautiful, even given that we visited in winter. It's probably very lush once spring arrives and has even more of a zen (no pun intended) feel...despite the basketball hoop in the distant background.

Batesville II

A while back, we happened upon an article in Mississippi Magazine...or maybe it was Southern Living...about “the bathtubs of Batesville,” and it really piqued our curiosity. Seriously...a collection of bathtubs just sitting beside Highway 6, watching traffic go by? How interesting!

Well, not really. We set off with high hopes, only to find that somehow we had managed to miss the fact that there was also a bathtub restoration business on Highway 6 and, well, you can guess the rest. While there are few things we love more than investigating our state's quirky offerings, we don't go in for making up our own. So, let us start over.

There is a place on Highway 6 near Batesville that refurbishes sinks and bathtubs. Antique lovers that we are, we found it interesting that there are so many cast iron tubs without owners, and we learned that, no matter how bad they look, they can be beautifully restored. And beautiful is the operative word here. They can actually look new.

Upon first glance, old cast iron sinks and tubs are a nasty business...they tend to see pretty hard lives before they get dumped...and then the drain gets stopped up and they collect rainwater...then they rust and their legs fall off...and, generally speaking, they just get uglier with each passing day. But that is at first glance. Look a little closer and it's easy to see that these things have soul. It's no wonder they have made a comeback.

As long as we were so near Batesville, we decided to drop in and check things out. We visited a couple years ago and remembered that the town has a railroad running right through it – and by “right through,” we mean that it actually bisects downtown Batesville.

The first thing we happened upon was a really great gift-shop – what a stroke of luck. We loved the store and we loved Diane, the delightful owner. We had a great time looking at all the cute things though, and – while we know this is hard to believe – the Dos Equis man actually lives there. In the store. Really. We have proof.

But alas, it appears that the Dos Equis man lived there, past tense. For all we know, he may be homeless now, because we recently heard that the store has closed. That is sad news indeed.

Shopping (and pretty much everything else) makes us hungry, so our new friend (Dos Equis's significant other, Diane) suggested we have lunch at Court Street Catering. It's only about a block and a half from downtown, and it's locally owned and operated; that's all we needed to hear. When we got there, we saw that the special was barbequed chicken, potato salad, beans, and slaw. We weren't in the mood for that, but it seems that everything we were in the mood for wasn't available due to it being a holiday (MLK Day). So, we thought it over and became in the mood for barbequed chicken. And were we ever glad! It was great – really great! The restaurant itself (a converted house) was charming, and it has a killer bathroom.

Batesville has many downtown buildings that have been beautifully redone, including an old theater, The Eureka. And they outdid themselves with their murals – there's a great one on the side of the theater and a beautiful series on the side of a block of offices. They really add a lot to the town's vibe.

On our way out of town, we happened upon Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, which was hosting a large MLK Day celebration. We pulled up in front to read this sign and were pleased we had timed our visit so well.

So, while we still feel, deep in our hearts, that one of our beloved and trusted magazines lured us to Batesville under false pretenses (or that we should read these articles more carefully...whatever), we are awfully glad we went because we had such a good time.

Want to see our first visit to this Mississippi city?Yes

Water Valley Revisited

We love Mississippi's small towns. We've visited communities that are flourishing, communities that seem unable to make a go of it, and everything in between. But some places just seem to draw us back time and again to ogle their progress and enjoy their hospitality. Water Valley is that kind of place.

Quite a number of local residents work in nearby Oxford - or used to - but prefer elegant Water Valley's quiet charm. There is a plethora of beautiful old homes, many of which have been recently renovated by the growing number of artsy folk who call W.V. home. You just never know what you'll see next in this quirky little town.

As lovely as the neighborhoods are, it's the downtown area we like to check out periodically, and we were happy to see that one of our favorites, BTC Grocery, has expanded. They've moved their primary dining into a delightful area that used to belong to their next-door neighbor (note the "Cafe" sign).

We can personally recommend the Hammy Wayne, the Lola Burger, and the Harvest Moon with Sweet Potato Mayo, but we are fairly confident that you can't go wrong, whatever you choose. 

The food was great, but our hearts fairly fluttered in our chests when we saw the sign pictured below. The former dining area will feature antiques and the like for sale!

Food+Antiques=Happiness for Tiny Travelers!

Want to know more about Water Valley?  Check out our original article here.