The Hatchie River is 238 miles long in total and is the longest free-flowing tributary of the lower Mississippi. In Haywood County, the Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge stretches for 23 miles along the river. More than 100 fish species, 35 mussel species, and 250 bird species contribute to the refuge’s biodiversity.
Nature and Activities on the Hatchie River
The refuge offers canoeing and hiking, as well as an annual youth fishing event. There are also ten public TWRA boat launch sites along the Hatchie River. These offer different ways to experience nature: activities in the refuge and public facilities along the river.
The trails also have their own distinctive character. Webb Banks Passive Park has walking trails totaling 4,950 feet, along with informative signs. The Rockin’ Roll Hatchie Trails in Brownsville celebrate West Tennessee’s local music culture at every turn. While the signs at the Passive Park provide information, music becomes the theme of the route on these trails.
Music and Educational History
The Dunbar Carver Museum in Brownsville preserves the history of African American education and community life in Haywood County. It interprets the history of local schools from their beginnings in the 1880s through desegregation in 1970. The museum visit therefore covers a long period in the county’s educational history, rather than focusing on a single school building.
The College Hill Historic District includes 83 buildings, one vacant lot, and a cemetery. The district’s centerpiece is the Brownsville Baptist Female College, built in 1851. Together, the school history presented at the museum and the historic district offer two different perspectives on the past: the development of African American education and a collection of historic buildings.
Museums, Music, and Regional Themes
The West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center is located off Interstate 40 at Exit 56, between Memphis and Nashville, in historic Brownsville. Its exhibits cover more than 8,000 square feet and explore music and cotton in West Tennessee, as well as the Scenic Hatchie River. The West Tennessee Music Museum explains why the road between Nashville and Memphis is known as the “Music Highway.”
The West Tennessee Cotton Museum traces the origins of cotton in West Tennessee and its influence on life in the region. Exhibits include old plows, a roller cotton gin, and cotton baskets, sacks, and scales from the era of hand harvesting. Flagg Grove School is a one-room schoolhouse built by Tina Turner’s great-uncle in 1889; today, it houses the Tina Turner Museum. Exhibits include costumes, gold records, and Tina Turner’s high school yearbook.
The last home of “Sleepy” John Estes is also located on the grounds of the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center. The two-room shotgun house is open to the public. Estes was a blues pioneer who played a key role in shaping the country blues sound; visitors to the house learn more about his life and the conditions in which he lived. The Hatchie River Museum turns the focus back to the river: exhibits and freshwater aquariums introduce its ecosystem, including native fish such as catfish and bream.
The events also each have their own focus. Hatchie BirdFest is an annual birdwatching festival in Brownsville associated with the Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge. The Exit 56 Blues Fest takes place every Memorial Day weekend on the grounds of the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center in Brownsville and celebrates the legacy of blues musicians Sleepy John Estes, Hammie Nixon, and Yank Rachell. For local produce and food trucks, the Haywood County Farmers Market offers another taste of what the area has to offer.
Discover more destinations: Brownsville, Stanton, Cheatham County, Decatur County, Greene, Marshall County, Union County, Fayette County.
View the main travel guide: Tennessee.
