Kennett: Music, History and Nature

Kennett combines musical traditions and local history with recurring events and natural areas. If you’re looking for a hotel in Kennett, you can plan your stay around these highlights: Would you like to attend an event, explore the town’s history, or spend time in parks and conservation areas? These different themes can help guide your planning without limiting you to just one side of the city.

Events Throughout the Year

The Delta Fair is a Kennett tradition that has been going on for well over a century, attracting visitors each year from Southeast Missouri, Northeast Arkansas, and West Tennessee. Events include livestock shows, arts and crafts, live entertainment, rides, and classic fair food. The specific offerings may vary from year to year. Also held annually on the Delta Fair grounds, the Kennett Jaycees BBQ Cookoff is a family-friendly event. Dates and participation options may change, so check the details if you want to plan your visit around a specific event.

The Fall Into Arts Festival brings local art and crafts, live music, and food to downtown Kennett every September. Its focus on art complements the Delta Fair’s broader range of fairground activities. If you have a particular festival in mind for your trip, check its dates and program details in advance.

Music, Theater, and Local History

Kennett is the hometown of Grammy-winning artist Sheryl Crow, country artists David Nail and Trent Tomlinson, and opera tenor Limmie Pulliam. Their careers grew out of a long-standing local music tradition. This tradition is also reflected in the program at the Semo Little Theatre Performing Arts Center, which regularly hosts music concerts and jam sessions as well as live theater performances.

Another historic destination is the Dunklin County Museum. Founded in 1986, it is housed in Kennett’s original city hall, the city’s only building listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The history of the Palace Theater offers another perspective on Kennett’s long movie-going tradition: the theater reopened in the summer of 2014 after being closed for more than three years. These details describe historic milestones, not a current performance schedule.

City Parks and Natural Areas

The parks also offer different options to consider when planning your stay. Jones Memorial Park, Willoughby Park, and Mitchell Park have walking trails. The parks department also provides facilities and programs for sports, nature activities, and playground fun. The Sheryl Crow Aquatic Center offers swimming and party bookings. Operating and booking details may change, so check them before making specific plans.

The Little River Conservation Area is five miles east of Kennett on Highway 412 and spans Dunklin and Pemiscot counties. At Combs Lake, visitors will find fishing access, a covered floating fishing pier, a boat ramp, and picnic facilities. These offer several specific ways to enjoy a stay by the lake.

The Ben Cash Memorial Conservation Area offers a different focus: Located in Dunklin County, it is six miles west of Highway 412 on Route A. The intersection of Route A and Highway 412 is three miles south of Kennett. The area includes bottomland forest, swamp, and a diverse plant community. Unlike the fishing and picnic facilities specifically mentioned at Combs Lake, the focus here is primarily on the variety of landscapes and plant life.

For an overview of the wider area: Dunklin County.