O Brother, Where Art Thou? is the Coen Brothers’ adaptation of Homer’s The Odyssey, set in rural Mississippi in the 1930s. Three convicts escape and encounter a variety of obstacles on their way home, including sirens, a Cyclops, and the Ku Klux Klan.
The movie stars George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, John Goodman, and Holly Hunter and has an incredible soundtrack of traditional Appalachian music. It was filmed throughout Mississippi as well as a few scenes in California (including the Klan meeting).
Looking for more O Brother locations? Movie Locations and The Fighting Couple have even more. This YouTube video is also helpful.
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O Brother, Where Art Thou? Locations in Mississippi
Canton
Charming Canton, located near Jackson, has been used in a number of movies, including My Dog Skip and A Time to Kill, for its small town feel. Downtown was where, in this movie, Everett reunites with his wife. The film history is honored at the Canton Movie Museums, which have artifacts from the movies filmed here.
Five miles away is Tilda Bogue, which stood in as the farm where the trio steals a chicken. In real life, it’s an 1800s cabin moved to a private farm that frequently hosts filming. See their photos from production.
D’Lo
The small town of D’Lo is actually best known for its appearance in this movie and was later the subject of a television show called Small Town Big Mayor. In the movie, the sirens scene took place at the community water park, specifically in the shallow river where the rocks surface.
Vicksburg
The baptism scene takes place at Alligator Lake outside of Vicksburg in the Mississippi Delta. It’s a hunting and fishing area on former timber land filled with cypress trees. There was previously a ferry at Kings Point that crossed the Mississippi River here, but it’s no longer operating. The roads can be unsafe after floods, so heed caution.
The Homer Stokes Hoedown took place inside the Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation auditorium, located at 1302 Adams Street. Check out the events calendar for a chance to go inside, including for craft fairs and performances.
Yazoo City
The trio meets a bank robber in the town of Itta Bena, which is actually a former bank in Yazoo City. In a later scene, Everett finds out about his wife’s new beau while at the Woolworth’s, which is actually a former hardware store, further down South Main Street.
Other Filming Locations
The train jumping scene took place in Leland, home of Jim Henson and his famous character, Kermit the Frog. The WEZY radio tower is far from towns, north of Vicksburg, but can be found using this map. The rest of the set was destroyed after filming. Cedars Plantation at 13688 River Road in Natchez was where the governor meets with his cronies.
PIN IT
Looking for a place to stay during your O Brother pilgrimage? In Canton, Hampton Inn Canton has amenities like parking and breakfast. In Vicksburg, we recommend Oak Hall, a charming bed and breakfast. And in Yazoo City, The Main Street Hotel is set above the colorful buildings in town, with access to balconies.
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