Taylor Swift exhibit will draw fans to Cleveland, Miss., where history, music and food await

Cleveland, Mississippi's population hovers around 11,000, but an influx of millennials, particularly females, is predicted starting next week.

These Swifties' (fans of megapopular music maker Taylor Swift) first stop likely will be the Grammy Museum Mississippi, where a special exhibition revolving around Swift will open Friday, Aug. 23.

“We couldn’t be more excited to debut 'Taylor Swift: Through The Eras' at our Mississippi museum this year,” said Emily Havens, executive director of Grammy Museum Mississippi. “Throughout her 18-year career, Swift has won an impressive 14 Grammy Awards, and the only artist to win four album of the year Grammys, released critically acclaimed albums and is currently on her record-breaking 'Eras Tour.' We can’t wait to share this story with our visitors.” 

The Visit Mississippi-sponsored exhibition will cover her 2006 self-titled debut album through 2024’s "The Tortured Poets Department," her most recent release. 

Here are some of the artifacts, instruments and memorabilia that museum visitors will see:

• The BCBG Max Azria dress worn on tour in 2007
• Swift's custom Taylor GS-6 “sparkle guitar” played throughout her "Fearless Tour" from 2009–2010
• A red sparkle-top Gibson Les Paul played by Swift during her "Speak Now World Tour"
• A custom Marina Toybina ensemble and LaDuca boots worn during her performance of “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” at the Grammy Awards in 2013
• A custom Jessica Jones bodysuit and jacket and Christian Louboutin boots worn during her 2018 "Reputation Stadium Tour"
• A Gibson J-180 played during Swift’s 2019 "City of Lover" concert in Paris, celebrating the release of her seventh studio album, "Lover"
• An Oscar de la Renta dress and Christian Louboutin shoes worn at the Grammy Awards in 2021
• A Stella McCartney coat worn by Swift on the cover of her 2020 album "evermore"
• A Free People coat worn in the music video for “Lavender Haze”
• A Maticevski gown and gloves worn in the music video for “Fortnight (featuring Post Malone)”

"The exhibit has already proven massively popular, judging from our social media response," said Sean Johnson, Cleveland's tourism director. "It's been very exciting to see folks from all over the midsouth encouraging friends and family to get together and make the trip to Cleveland to see the exhibit." 

Johnson said "Through the Eras" is a special exhibit at the museum running concurrently with the museum's longer-term displays and this year's sectional display exploring Highway 61 and the history of blues music.

"The Grammy Museum Mississippi is such an important attraction for Cleveland, the Delta and Mississippi and we're so pleased that they were able to work with the Swift organization to bring the exciting exhibition to our state," Johnson said.

The 28,000-square-foot Grammy Museum "is dedicated to exploring the past, present, and future of music, and the cultural context from which it emerges, while casting a focused spotlight on the deep musical roots of Mississippi," according to a museum news release.

In addition to the Grammy Museum, the tourist bureau Visit Cleveland promotes other attractions in and around the Delta city including:

• With multiple pottery studios, Cleveland is sometimes referred to as the "Unofficial Pottery Capital of Mississippi." Stop by Peters Pottery (301 Fortune Ave., Mound Bayou) or McCarty's Pottery, 101 St. Mary's St., Merigold. McCarty's also serves up al fresco lunches in an Asian-inspired garden on-site. If you'd like to hunt for other locally made pieces, Post Gallery, 314 Court St. in nearby Rosedale, is the spot.
• Hit the Black History and Civil Rights Trail to the Amzie Moore House and Interpretive Center. Here, civil rights leaders including Bob Moses, Stokely Carmichael and Martin Luther King Jr. met with Moore to plan activities. Also check out the close-by Mound Bayou, one of the first American communities founded by freed African slaves; and a museum dedicated to the King of the Blues, B.B. King, in nearby Indianola.
• Speaking of the blues, there's also the Highway 61 and Mississippi Blues Trail, steeped in the history of the genre out of which rock and roll was born. Note that blues legends Robert Johnson, Charley Patton, King, Son House and Muddy Waters were all born and raised within 35 miles of Cleveland. Recommended stops are Dockery Farms, Po' Monkey's Juke Joint and the "Blues Life Masks Exhibit" at Delta State University, also in Cleveland

Hungry yet? From steaks to shrimp and grits, catfish to cornbread, down-home to upscale, there's a restaurant in the city for almost any taste.

Here are a few suggestions:

• 122 Hang Suite, 122 W. North St., soul food and signature cocktails in a blues-themed eatery.
• Delta Meat Market, 215 Cotton Row, inside the Cotton House Hotel, with James Beard semifinalist Cole Ellis in the kitchen. Menu changes daily.
• 8 West Grille, 1300 Highway 8 West, “farm to table” inspired steak and seafood; dine indoors or outdoors; private dining available for up to 12 people in an intimate music-themed room with a private patio.
• Country Platter, Too, 700 Ruby St., down-home fare at a key civil rights location formerly known as Lily's Café. Martin Luther King Jr., Amzie Moore, Medgar Evers and Robert F. Kennedy ate here.

Cleveland is a 4½-hour drive from Baton Rouge, so if you're planning to spend the night, Visit Cleveland offers the following options:

• Cotton House, 215 Cotton Row, A Tribute Portfolio hotel, one of the Mississippi Delta's best-reviewed establishments where Southern hospitality and bold, modern energy mesh, the bureau describes it.
• Lyric Hotel West End, 1300 Hwy. 8 West, part of the Ascend Hotel Collection, resort hotel with two restaurants, coffee shop, pool and world-class gym.
• Also in town, Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Quality Inn, Rodeway Inn, Super 6 Inn and Suites

'Taylor Swift: Through The Eras'

Aug. 23-February 2025

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and noon to 3 p.m. Sunday; closed Monday

Grammy Museum Mississippi, 800 W. Sunflower Road, Cleveland

Adults, $16; seniors 65+, $12; youth under 18 and college students 18+ w/ID, $8; children under 5, free, at the box office or grammymuseumms.org