Sunken Lands Cultural Roadway

Bordered by two national scenic byways – Crowley’s Ridge Parkway and the Great River Road – this route is used for the annual Tour duh Sunken Lands Cultural Bike Ride in November, but it is also a great ride or drive any time. What makes this ride special are the stopovers. Take your time through these small towns, stopping often to see the sights. Starting in Tyronza, home of the Southern Tenant Farmers Museum, head north to Marked Tree and then onto Lepanto, where you’ll pass by “A Painted House,” featured in the TV movie based on the best-selling novel by John Grisham. Continue on to Dyess, the site of the Johnny Cash Boyhood Home. Tours run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and begin in the Dyess Colony Administration Building. You can view these exhibits at your own pace. The guided tour of the home, fully restored and furnished as it would have appeared when the Cash family lived there, takes about 30 minutes to complete. Then it’s on to Wilson, where Hampson Archeological Museum State Park preserves the excavated ruins of the Nodena Native American Village (1400-1650 AD). The ride finishes back in Tyronza.