Greenwood made the list — The Mississippi List.
Seven local businesses were recently named as the top places to visit in the Delta.
The Mississippi List is a joint effort by Eat Jackson, Eat Y’all and Visit Mississippi and consists of 201 places to eat, stay and play throughout the state.
The list is divided into five regions — Hills, Delta, Pines, Capital/River and Coastal.
Fettuccine shrimp scampi is one of the pasta dishes available at Serio’s restaurant.
The Delta regions features 20 destinations in 15 counties. Greenwood has the highest number of businesses on the list, and Clarksdale comes in second with three.
“It is a tremendous honor for Greenwood to have seven spots featured in the Delta section of The Mississippi List,” said Danielle Morgan, executive director of the Greenwood Convention and Visitors Bureau. “It speaks well to all we have to offer here and is a great way to highlight some of our unique culinary destinations and attractions.”
Those making the list are Delta Bistropub, Fan & Johnny’s, Giardina’s Restaurant, Lusco’s Restaurant, Serio’s Restaurant, The Alluvian Hotel and Spa and Viking Cooking School.
A majority of the businesses are near each other in downtown Greenwood and in the Main Street Greenwood district.
“The Mississippi List proves what the locals already know to be true: Downtown Greenwood is the hub of food and culture in the Mississippi Delta,” said Brantley Snipes, executive director of Main Street Greenwood. “Our leading small businesses, leadership and local community have created this cultural hub, and we should all work to support and grow it.”
Shrimp and grits is one of the dishes served at Delta Bistropub.
The businesses also represent the Greenwood-Leflore County Chamber of Commerce well, and Beth Stevens, executive director of the chamber, shared similar sentiments as Snipes.
Stevens said, “Having seven Greenwood businesses on the list is not surprising, right? We have so many awesome restaurants here in our town and, of course, the best hotel in the state. We’re unique, we know it, and we’re happy to share our uniqueness with the world. Being on this list just confirms what we already know: Greenwood is a great place all the way around, and folks need to come check us out.”
The list was created in honor of the state’s bicentennial and serves as a guide for natives and tourists to enjoy the best of what Mississippi has to offer.
Andy Chapman, founder of EatJackson.com and EatYall.com, and his employees solicited more than 1,000 reader submissions and searched throughout the state for the 201 honorees.
Drinks served at Delta Bistropub.
“It’s basically a road map for someone who may not know the area but wants to have an authentic experience while traveling Mississippi,” said Morgan. “Andy Chapman and his team at Eat Cities, LLC have done a tremendous job of creating the list through reader submissions and their own experiences as Mississippi food lovers.”
The list will soon appear in foldout brochures available in hotel and visitor center rack stands, is available now at mississippilist.com and can be found on page 6C in today’s Commonwealth.
It features all 201 places to visit during 2017 and boxes on the side to check off.
“I have a lot of boxes already checked, but I’m eager to finish out my Mississippi List,” said Morgan.
The list also encourages growth in the tourism industry in both Greenwood and throughout the state. According to a report of the 2015 Economic Contribution of Travel and Tourism in Mississippi, travel and tourism ranked fourth in private statewide nonfarm employment, behind manufacturing, retail trade and private health care.
About $449 million was collected in travel and tourism state tax revenues and fees during fiscal year 2015.
Every 262 visitors in Mississippi helped support one direct job. The state estimated 22.33 million total visitors in fiscal year 2015, which directly supported more than 85,000 jobs and many other jobs indirectly.
Mississippi’s executive and legislative branches have also recognized travel and tourism is a driving force in the state’s economic development efforts.
“I’m confident that the places listed on the 2017 Mississippi List represent Mississippi well and will give travelers and locals alike a wealth of options to guide their discovery into our great state this year,” said Chapman in a column featured on MississippiToday.com. “If you’re a local, you’ll surely find beloved favorites on the list — and you’ll probably be offended that we left off one of your favorites. I’ll go ahead and apologize for that. Maybe next year. In the meantime, I hope you’ll forgive us and be willing to discover some new places you’ve never visited while you wait.
“Don’t get stuck in a rut in 2017. Celebrate our state by exploring it.”
Visitors to the website mississippilist.com through Feb. 13 have a chance to win a vacation to Ocean Springs.
THE MISSISSIPPI LIST in Greenwood
• Delta Bistropub, 222 Howard St., deltabistropub.com
• Fan & Johnny’s, 117 Main St., Facebook.com/fanandjohnnys
• Giardina’s Restaurant, 314 Howard St., thealluvian.com/restaurants
• Lusco’s Restaurant, 722 Carrollton Ave., luscos.net
• Serio’s Restaurant, 506 Yalobusha St., seriosrestaurant.com
• The Alluvian Hotel and Spa, 318 Howard St., thealluvian.com
• The Viking Cooking School, 325 Howard St., thealluvian.com/cooking_school
• Contact Ruthie Robison at 581-7233 or rrobison@gwcommonwealth.com.
