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15-night Grand Heartland Cruise

Price: Please call for rates - # of Days: 15 days

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11-night Mississippi Explorer Cruise

Price: Please call for rates - # of Days: 11 days

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7-night Historic Mississippi River Cruise

Price: Please call for rates - # of Days: 7 days

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8-night Lower Mississippi River Cruise

Price: Please call for rates - # of Days: 8 days

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Overview

Introduction

Set on a high bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, 90 mi/145 km southwest of Jackson, Natchez was born in the cotton-boom days. Riverboats still dock there, although now they're more likely to carry vacationers than bales of cotton.

Established in 1716 as Fort Rosalie by Jean Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville, the city is the oldest European settlement on the Mississippi River.

Nearly 500 historic buildings and homes are located in Natchez. At the Natchez National Historical Park, visitors can peruse the renovated William Johnson House, a mid-1800s home owned by one of the few free Blacks in the Deep South prior to the Civil War, and the Melrose Estate, which provides a glimpse at antebellum elegance. Fort Rosalie is the French fort that was the original city site.

Other antebellum homes in Natchez (dating from the late 1700s to the mid-1800s) were built in a variety of architectural styles (Greek Revival being especially popular). Although some of the homes are open year-round, others can only be seen during special tours known as the spring, fall and Christmas pilgrimages. The Parsonage and Choctaw House are two standouts that can be seen during these special events.

Of those that are open year-round, consider visiting the Briars, the Burn, Dunleith, Longwood, Monmouth, Rosalie and Stanton Hall. Longwood may be the most interesting—the exterior of this huge octagonal house was finished in elaborate detail, but construction on the interior stopped in 1861 with the coming of the Civil War. Today, the house is carefully preserved in the same state—the exterior is grand and impressive, and much of the interior is exposed beam and brick.

If you want to spend more time in one of these grand old homes, seek out a house that has been converted into a bed-and-breakfast: There are several to choose from.

The Grand Village of the Natchez contains interpretive exhibits, reconstructed ceremonial mounds and a museum with artifacts. And the old red-light district, Natchez-Under-the-Hill, has shopping, dining and gambling.

Natchez is a good place to begin a scenic drive north on the Natchez Trace Parkway.

Location

Overview

Introduction

Native Americans forged the route of the Natchez Trace through the forests and marshes of the South, largely following the well-worn paths that buffalo and other animals began making more than 8,000 years ago.

Toward the end of the 1700s, the Natchez Trace became a prime route for pioneers and, especially, for traders: After delivering lumber or other goods to Natchez or New Orleans by floating down the Mississippi and other rivers, they would return overland to Nashville and other more northerly cities. (Strong currents made it impossible to row back up the rivers.) With the introduction of steamboats in the early 1810s, however, the trace became less traveled.

Today, the route of the original trace is roughly followed by the parkway, a 424-mi/677-km route that begins in Natchez, Mississippi, and runs northeast all the way to Nashville, Tennessee. This scenic highway was developed by the National Park Service (headquartered in Tupelo, Mississippi).

Along the way, the Natchez Trace Parkway passes parks full of moss-draped oaks, Native American ceremonial mounds (including Emerald Mound, one of the largest in the U.S.), interpretive displays about the history of the trace and the surrounding area, historic buildings and actual sections of the original trail.

At Tishomingo State Park, on the parkway near the border with Alabama, you can take float trips down Bear Creek (April through mid-October) and enjoy an extensive network of hiking trails. Horseback riding, camping and fishing are also available in the park.

Perhaps the most enjoyable aspects of the Natchez Trace Parkway are its scenic countryside and peaceful atmosphere: There are no billboards, no trucks (commercial vehicles are banned) and few exits teeming with fast-food restaurants (the road skirts most towns, though there are opportunities to gas up and find other services along the way). This isn't a good route for high-speed travel—it's a two-lane road, and the speed limit is 50 mph (unless posted otherwise)—but we highly recommend driving or bicycling at least part of the trace: The chance to venture through such pristine countryside is rare indeed.

Overview

Introduction

Native Americans forged the route of the Natchez Trace Parkway through the forests and marshes of the South, largely following the well-worn paths that buffalo and other animals began making more than 8,000 years ago.

Toward the end of the 1700s, the Natchez Trace became a prime route for pioneers and especially for traders: After delivering lumber or other goods to Natchez or New Orleans via the Mississippi and other rivers, the traders would return overland to Nashville and other more northerly cities. (Strong currents made it impossible to row back up the rivers.) With the introduction of steamboats in the early 1810s, however, the trace became less traveled.

Today, the route of the original trace is roughly followed by the parkway, a 424-mi/677-km route that begins in Natchez, Mississippi, and runs northeast all the way to Nashville, Tennessee. This scenic highway was developed by the National Park Service (headquartered in Tupelo, Mississippi).

Along the way, the Natchez Trace Parkway passes parks full of moss-draped oaks, Native American ceremonial mounds, interpretive displays about the history of the trace and the surrounding area, historic buildings and actual sections of the original trail.

At Tishomingo State Park, on the parkway near the border with Alabama, you can take float trips down Bear Creek (April through mid-October) and enjoy an extensive network of hiking trails.

Perhaps the most enjoyable aspects of the parkway are its scenic countryside and peaceful atmosphere: There are no billboards, no trucks (commercial vehicles are banned) and few exits teeming with fast-food restaurants (the road skirts most towns, though there are opportunities to gas up and find other services along the way).

The Natchez Trace Parkway isn't a good route for high-speed travel (it's a two-lane road, and the speed limit is well below that of the interstates), but we highly recommend driving or bicycling at least part of the trace. The chance to venture through such pristine countryside is rare indeed.