Visiting Natchez

Wanted to spend our last day today here with a visit to Natchez.  There is a walking tour you can do passing all the historical buildings and happenings with well marked directions placed on the pavement, or you can walk the Blues Trail which takes you by the places that play an important part in the making of the Mississippi Blues music.  Nature trails take you along the old Natchez-Under-The-Hill where thriving illicit, immoral markets were common up to 1863 and the Emancipation of Blacks.

Beautiful! On bluff overlooking Mississippi

A walk along bluffs - private homes 

Private garden 

Private home overlooking Mississippi

Natchez has done it right.  I felt such pride and respect for history in this city.  In two years the town will be celebrating it's 300th year founding (under Spanish rule then) and you can tell how everyone is sprucing up their buildings.  The gardens of some of the homes are just as amazing.  Wrought iron fencing, gates, upper balconies.  Walked along the bluff overlooking the Mississippi, saw private homes.  Some needed TLC while two others were bed-and-breakfast places.

Love the architecture

Would love to know the history

Private home

Rosalie Mansion, 1823, open for tours

As we drove around getting acclimated, we saw many private homes, some open for tours which we did not do.  The William Johnson home who was a freed slave and was famous for being the barber of Natchez and having 5 other businesses, is under the National Park protection, and it too was being painted and buffed - we think in preparation for the 300th anniversary - so we could not visit the grounds.  At the Forks-In-The-Road area, the second largest slave auctions were held in the south, the first being New Orleans, read about the history and what happened.  Sad history.  Saw some very old dilapidated homes, and if they could speak, would love to hear their history.  Have many pictures of historical buildings, won't bore you.

Holly Hedges - 1830 - for daughter of Melrose Mansion's owner
(wedding gift)

William Johnson home (back of)

Texada, first brick building of Mississippi 1792

We leave in the morning for Livingston, Texas, staying at the Escapee's headquarters campground to talk about mail service, etc.  Natchez has been a great town to visit and I would love to come back someday.