Road Trip Edition 2024: Corinth, Mississippi | Cover Stories

One of the reasons I wanted to go back to Corinth, Mississippi this summer was for the food. The town doesn’t necessarily have a great reputation with foodies, but it should. There were so many places I wanted to visit again that I had a schedule for first and second lunches.

Corinth is famous for the Slugburger, a Depression-era invention that mixes ground beef with potato flakes or other starches to save money. The name comes from the fact that the burger originally sold for five cents (nicknamed “Slug”), not because slugs were used in the recipes.

Pat Martin, owner of Martin’s Bar-B-Que and other Nashville restaurants, has Corinth roots. He put the slugburger on the menu at his burger joint, Hugh Baby’s, “as an homage to the barbecue and burger joints and street stands that exist in the Mid-South area. I’m also proud of my heritage – both sides of my family are from Corinth – and I wanted to keep the tradition alive.”

Some places mix pork with beef in a slugburger, which limits the range of dishes I can personally eat. Other popular dishes from the area include country ham and barbecued pork, so I asked Martin for some of his Corinth food recommendations – that way visitors aren’t limited by my dietary restrictions. Martin nodded at Borroum’s Drugstore & Soda Fountain for their Slugburger; it was already at the top of my list because I believe that everything tastes better when you sit at an old-fashioned soda fountain. There is nothing better than a freshly made lemonade, adjusted to your personal acidity preference. Martin also likes the Slugburger Café, although I am biased towards the White Trolley Cafewhere you can get a beef slugburger for $1.50. (That’s not a nickel, but still not much.) Martin also loves Abe’s Grillwhere you can find some of the best hand-cut biscuits in the South (with or without bacon topping). Breakfast starts at 4 a.m.

Aside from the slugburgers, Corinth is home to another gem of the South: the Mississippi Delta Tamale (though Corinth is about two and a half hours from the Delta). The spicy Delta Tamale is smaller than a Latin American tamale, is boiled instead of steamed, and is a bit grainier due to the cornmeal. If you’ve never been to Dillworth’s Tamalesa drive-in that has been serving the classics since 1962, they give you your first dozen free – although a dozen costs $5.80, so it’s not a hardship to pay for it. Dillworth’s makes theirs with beef (I’m a fan) and is conveniently located across the street from Lauren’s Confectionery. I’m not saying I drove 180 miles (round trip) for one of these cupcakes…but I’m not saying I didn’t, either. The flavors change daily and the ratio of cake to frosting is just right.

Loyal readers will recall that while I loved my trip to Hattiesburg in last year’s Road Trip issue, it was oppressively hot and I ate an obscene number of snowballs to cool off. Northern Mississippi was refreshingly temperate, but I Tepachelandia for a lemon-lime ice cream. Because of the consistency.

I warmed up after getting caught in a rain shower with grilled cheese and tomato soup in the Generals’ Quarters Hotel. Photo by: Russell’s Beef House is the in-house steakhouse with a great salad bar.

Do

Not everyone comes to Corinth to eat. Most people come to Corinth for Shiloh National Military Park. The major battlefields stretch across the state line between Tennessee and Mississippi. My interest in anything to do with the Civil War is pretty limited. I love Smuggling camp Corintha sculpture garden and an idyllic walking trail with QR codes telling the story of nearly 2,000 liberated men who worked to rebuild their community and their lives after the war.

Corinth was once known as the “Crossroads of the South” because two railway lines intersected there. This was one of the reasons why Corinth was so important as a transport hub during the war. Crossroads MuseumHoused in the train station, it has tons of artifacts related to Corinth’s history, including an old Dillworth tamale delivery bike. There’s a working railroad where you can blow the trains’ horns, and outside there’s an elevated platform for train watching and a wagon you can climb on. Transportation fans will also enjoy: Dream Riderz Vintage Carsa private collection of vintage cars from the 1920s. Speaking of bizarre collections, the city center Corinth Coke Museum is a small, well-preserved museum that contains 110 years of Coca-Cola bottling history.

The Visit Corinth The tourist office offers a cool self-guided walking tour. Grab a brochure, follow the painted footprints on the sidewalk and see 60 websites in 60 minutesread historical markers on some of the buildings and also visit some of the places mentioned here. Many of these are located in the pedestrian-friendly downtown Corinth, which is dotted with fun boutiques, restaurants and historical sites. I like However for women’s clothing, Love & a dog boutique for plus sizes and Antiquities of the Sanctuary.

Remain

Luxurious boutique hotel Generals’ quarters was built in 1869 as a church on the foundations of another church that was destroyed during the Shiloh retreat. Since then, it has had a series of different owners and has been used as a brothel, boarding house and private home. It was named as a tribute to the generals who occupied Corinth, but did not serve as their quarters. The new owner has completely renovated and modernized the place, offering large, comfortable (air-conditioned) rooms, inviting public areas, a popular bar and restaurant, as well as a new spa and lovely garden. You can hear the church bells ringing every hour from across the street. It’s fun to browse the guest book and read about people — from as far away as New Zealand — who have stayed here, as well as people who return regularly. All of downtown Corinth’s charming restaurants, shops and attractions are within easy walking distance. The place doesn’t glorify Civil War history, but there are photos of Confederate troops that may not seem appropriate to some guests. If you prefer a more traditional hotel, there are a number of reliable, convenient chain hotels. I stayed in Hampton Inn Corinth in the past. It features a pool, free breakfast and elevators.

The only oddity about a road trip to Corinth is that the best shops have odd hours. Some are only open Monday through Thursday. Some are open Wednesday through Saturday, and some are only open on weekends. I made a Venn diagram of all the best shops’ overlapping hours and concluded that Wednesday night through Saturday night is the optimal timeline for Corinth. Like many places in the South, most attractions — including the many delicious Amish roadside markets — are closed on Sundays. But all of the national battlefields are open on Sundays, so you can easily visit them on your way home after a weekend getaway.

Corinth is a three-hour drive southwest of Nashville. If you want to take a detour or plan a second road trip, you can travel part of the way along the Natchez Trace Parkway. More on that elsewhere in this issue.