Henning, TN

Henning is a quiet West Tennessee town in Lauderdale County, located about an hour north of Memphis. It started out in the late 1800s as a busy railroad depot and farming center, but it is best known today as the boyhood home of Alex Haley. The porch of his family's home here is where he first listened to the stories that inspired his landmark book, Roots. Today, visitors and residents can tour the restored house and the nearby museum and interpretive center.

The area is also home to a close-knit Choctaw community, which took root when Choctaw families moved up from Mississippi in the 1950s. Decades later, a dedicated Choctaw settlement was established just outside town, complete with tribal housing and a community center. With its small-town pace, deep literary legacy, and distinct local culture, Henning has a character all its own in the heart of West Tennessee.