In the News: GRAMMY Museum MISSISSIPPI / Cotton House

The GRAMMY Museum Mississippi, which opened in March 2016, has been a game changer not just for Cleveland, but the entire Delta music tourism scene. Asked if this has been as big a deal as anticipated, Cleveland Mayor Billy Novell answers unequivocally, “Absolutely! It has been better than anticipated. The Grammy Museum Mississippi is the most technologically advanced museum in the South.”

Nowell said the museum has provided educational programming and experiences to school children, not only in Cleveland and Bolivar County, but throughout the state. Since opening, more than 15,000 children have visited the museum, which has held more than 50 educational workshops for students. 

“Part of the mission of the museum is to use music as gateway to learning and to provide enrichment opportunities for students, which it is doing,” Nowell said. “The museum has also hosted many public events with artists such as Mary Wilson of the Supremes, Peter Frampton, Mac McAnally, Bobby Rush, William Bell, Travis Green, Jimmie Vaughan, Marty Stuart and Connie Smith, Maren Morris, Liz Rose and many others.”

Nowell said there have been six traveling exhibits (The Beatles, The Supremes, Taylor Swift, Stevie Ray Vaughan, John Lee Hooker and Michael Jackson) so far that provide a unique and indepth insight into artists.

The museum has firmly placed Cleveland on the music tourism map. There have been 80,000 visitors from every state and 37 foreign countries. And it has spurred more economic development.

“There are two new hotels being built in Cleveland, The Cotton House Hotel downtown and [the Scion West] on Highway 8 West,” Nowell said. “It is my understanding that both are scheduled to open in 2019. There are three new restaurants that I am aware of that are being built/renovated and will be opening soon in Cleveland.”

Read the rest of the article by the Mississippi Business Journal here.