Rest Your Nose Along The Mississippi Natchez Trace
There are many choices of comfortable accommodations for you to rest your nose along the Mississippi Natchez Trace that stretches from Mississippi to Nashville, TN. Horseback riding and biking are popular activities along the Trace, or take a leisurely drive. Be aware that the speed limit on the Trace is 50 mph, except where it is lower, and it is enforced. There are three campgrounds along the Trace,they are free on a first come,first served basis.
Don't forget to stop at the monument to Merriweather Lewis that has been erected on the Trace in the Tennessee portion of the Trace.
You'll want to stop at the Mississippi Natchez Trace Visitor Center in Tupelo, MS to check for special events that may be happening along the Trace.
And you can't leave Tupelo without visiting the birthplace of Elvis Presley.
It's easy to forget the outside world when you enter the Natchez Trace Parkway. Forget about the real world and just enjoy the beauty and serenity of this peaceful parkway.
The Natchez Trace bike ride in this video looks so peaceful and relaxing.
You'll enjoy reading about the Mississippi Natchez Trace in the following article.
Mississippi's Historic Natchez Trace
Author: John Kloster
Last summer the final leg of the Natchez Trace Parkway was
completed, linking Natchez and Nashville and crossing the length
of Mississippi. We'll follow the state's 276 miles of this
historic route to discover the sites along the way and stop
occasionally for a detour or two.
From Natchez through Port Gibson
Natchez was settled in 1716 and was home to many cotton
millionaires. Their homes include The Briars,Rosalie, Dunlieth
and Melrose. Longwood is an octagonal mansion that was never
finished due to the Civil War. Stanton Hall is a Greek Revival
mansion that covers an entire city block. Many mansions such as
Monmouth Plantation double as bed and breakfast inns and even
the Eola Hotel is a historic site. Attractions in the area
include Natchez-Under-the-Hill, once the gambling and red-light
district, Church Hill and the Grand Village of the Natchez
Indians. The Natchez' nearby Emerald Mound was built around 1250
and is one of the largest ceremonial mound sites in the country.
Depart Natchez and stop at Mount Locust, a restored 1780
frontier inn that provided food and lodging to early travelers.
It's just a few miles from there to the Ruins of Windsor, the
remains of the largest antebellum mansion built in Mississippi
and today a popular stop. The home was used as a Union hospital
and burned during a party in 1890. Nearby Alcorn State
University has the home's iron stairway at its chapel. Alcorn
was originally a school for planters' sons and became one of the
country's first land-grant colleges for African-Americans.
Jackson & Ridgeland
The 1842 Greek Revival-style Governor's Mansion is the
second oldest in continuous operation in the country. A block
away is the Old Capitol, now the site of the Mississippi
Historical Museum. The Agriculture & Mississippi Wilderness
exhibit. The Welty House Museum opened last month. The family
home of renowned author Eudora Welty is the only home she ever
lived in and where she wrote all her books. The house is now a
literary museum and the gardens, often featured in her writing,
are open for tours. While in town, be sure to visit the Fondren
District for shopping and dining and check out Greater Bellhaven
Market, an open-air market open Saturday mornings and selling
authentic Mississippi food products and crafts. Just five miles
north in Ridgeland is the Mississippi Crafts Center.
Tupelo
Tupelo is the birthplace of Elvis Presley and the tiny house
where he was born is part of the Elvis Presley Birthplace
Center. It also contains a park, chapel,museum and landscaped
grounds with a life-size bronze statue of "Elvis at 13," the age
at which the family moved to Memphis. A driving tour includes
the hardware store where he bought his first guitar, the school
where he performed in a talent show and the fairgrounds where he
built his reputation. Tupelo is home to the Tupelo National
Battlefield and Brices Crossroads National Battlefield
Site,where Union forces suffered a major defeat late in the war.
Near the battlefield is the Chickasaw Village, which shows
Native American life and history in an 18th century setting.