Experience Historic Dyess Colony
Out in the middle of the Arkansas Delta, you’ll find the charming Historic Dyess Colony. What makes this place so special, you might ask? Here resides the one and only Johnny Cash Boyhood Home! Gain insight into the life and legacy of the legendary “Man in Black” as you tour the Historic Dyess Colony and walk through the Cash home.
Begin your tour at the Dyess Colony Visitors Center, the former site of the theatre and pop shop that now houses a gift shop, orientation video and exhibits. Next to the Visitors Center, the Dyess Colony Administration Building houses exhibits related to the history of the colony and the impact that Dyess had on Johnny Cash and his music. From here, hop in a shuttle with your energetic and informative tour guide to the Johnny Cash Boyhood Home. Enjoy walking through the home and grounds that have been furnished as it appeared when the Cash family lived there, based on the memories of Johnny's two youngest siblings who assisted in the restoration.
While at the boyhood home and visitor center, you’ll see the restoration efforts that have preserved the Cash home and story of the nation's largest farming resettlement community. It is a truly unique museum experience in the Arkansas Delta.
Purchase your tickets from the Visitors Center or online to experience this musical and cultural tour through Dyess.
A night of music and storytelling with Rosanne Cash
On August 24, 2024 head to Fowler Center in Jonesboro for the Sunken Lands Songwriting Circle hosted by the talented Rosanne Cash. The Songwriting Circle is the highlight of a series of cultural events including exhibitions, performances, lectures, workshops and special events presented by the A-State Heritage Sites program.
World-class songwriters, John Hiatt, John Leventhal and 2024 Grammy winner Brandy Clark, will share the stage for an electrifying evening of music and storytelling that you won’t want to miss. The concert starts at 7 PM but the event begins at 5:30 PM in the Grand Hall with heavy hors d'oeuvres inspired by Carrie Cash’s cookbook, custom cocktails from Delta Dirt Distillery, beer and wine.
Following the concert, celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Johnny Cash Boyhood Home with an after-party at the Embassy Suites featuring desserts, champagne toast by Rosanne Cash and a bespoke gift.
Proceeds from the event benefit the Historic Dyess Colony: Johnny Cash Boyhood Home. Tickets for both events can be purchased here.
Arkansas Roots Festival and Roots Ride!
Groove on down to the Johnny Cash Boyhood Home on April 12, 2025, for an afternoon of musical performances at the Arkansas Roots Music Festival! Kick back as you enjoy a range of music from Delta blues and rock to Americana, bluegrass and R&B. There will also be food and drink vendors, live demonstrations and activities set up for kids.
In conjunction with the Arkansas Roots Festival, there is also the Arkansas Roots Ride, a new cycling event linking Arkansas State University’s Heritage Sites. On this epic 30-mile bike tour, riders will travel from the Johnny Cash Boyhood Home, across the wide-open Delta plains, to the Southern Tenant Farmers Museum in Tyronza and back.
Explore more Arkansas State Heritage Sites
Plan a true Arkansas Delta trip by traversing the region’s two National Scenic Byways, Crowley’s Ridge Parkway and the Great River Road All-American Road, and visit Arkansas State University’s all four heritage sites that provide educational resources for formal and informal learning. Learn what all you can discover below and start exploring the Arkansas Delta.
Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center – See where Ernest Hemingway wrote parts of his most famous novel, A Farewell to Arms. On the grounds, you can tour the barn where Hemingway worked as well as the family home of his second wife, Pauline Pfeiffer.
Lakeport Plantation Museum – Built in 1859, Lakeport is the last remaining plantation home on the Mississippi River in Arkansas and is considered one of the state’s premiere historic structures. On the tour, you’ll find an architecturally impressive house with award-winning exhibits that tell the stories of the people who lived and worked on the plantation.
Southern Tenant Farmers Museum – View photographs, oral histories and artifacts that tells the story of how 18 farmers made history by forming the first fully integrated agricultural union in the country, which is regarded as a forerunner to the 1960s Civil Rights Movement.