Temporarily Closed for Renovations Jan 2025
The Riverside Hotel is unavailable due to renovations. We apologize for the inconvenience.
The original structure served as the G. T. Thomas Afro-American Hospital. On September 26, 1937, the Empress of the Blues, Bessie Smith, was taken to the hospital where she died after a car accident outside of Clarksdale. The room where she passed now serves as a shrine to her spirit and the blues. In 1943, Mrs. Z. L. Ratliff transformed the hospital into a hotel, extending the building to include 20 guest rooms over two floors and has remained in the hands of the Ratliff family since 1957.
The Riverside Hotel Blues Trail Marker is located here.
The Riverside Hotel is unavailable due to renovations. We apologize for the inconvenience.
The original structure served as the G. T. Thomas Afro-American Hospital. On September 26, 1937, the Empress of the Blues, Bessie Smith, was taken to the hospital where she died after a car accident outside of Clarksdale. The room where she passed now serves as a shrine to her spirit and the blues. In 1943, Mrs. Z. L. Ratliff transformed the hospital into a hotel, extending the building to include 20 guest rooms over two floors and has remained in the hands of the Ratliff family since 1957.
The Riverside Hotel Blues Trail Marker is located here.
-
Unique Lodging
-
The Blues
-
Trails
