Natchez

Natchez is a city near the southwest corner of the U.S. state of Mississippi. This historic town is perched on a high bluff above the Mississippi River 100 miles upriver from New Orleans. It was an important, wealthy city before the Civil War. That history gave it the South's grandest collection of antebellum homes.



Get in

 * From I-55/Brookhaven, MS - take U.S. Highway 84 approximately 60 miles west to Natchez.
 * From I-20/Vicksburg, MS - take U.S. Highway 61 approximately 70 miles south to Natchez.
 * From I-10/Baton Rouge, LA - take U.S. Highway 61 approximately 90 miles north to Natchez.
 * From I-49/Alexandria, LA - take LA Highway 28 approximately 35 miles east to U.S. Highway 84. Take U.S. Highway 84 approximately 40 miles east to Natchez.
 * Natchez Trace Parkway - Natchez is the southern terminus of the Natchez Trace Parkway, a parkway administered by the National Park Service. The Parkway follows the old Natchez trace from Natchez to Nashville.  The trace began as a footpath used by Native Americans and early explorers to travel across the region. It was later improved by the U.S. government in the early part of the 19th century.  A combination of low speed limits and no commercial traffic make for a very relaxing and enjoyable drive.

See

 * Visitor's Center is on the Natchez side of the bridge over the Mississippi River a couple minutes by car from the center of the old part of town. Free maps and visitor information, in addition to historical exhibitions and souvenirs for sale.
 *  Natchez Under-the-Hill is, as the name suggests, under the bluff by the Mississippi River at the end of State St. It used to be a rootin' tootin', wild-wild-west kind of place complete with saloons and gunslinging. Floods washed much of it away, but there is still a restaurant, an old-timey saloon, and a casino left.

Do

 * Walking tours and driving tours. The Natchez Visitors' Center gives free maps and pamphlets for doing driving or walking tours of the sights of the historic old section of town.
 * Southern Carriage Tours - Enjoy the luxury and charm of a horse-drawn carriage tour through the streets of Natchez' historic district to see some of the finest and most significant landmarks in antebellum Natchez. Tours depart from the Canal Street Depot.  Tickets are also available at the Natchez Visitors Center. $15 for adults, $5 for children. The tour guides also point out restaurants and hotels.

Eat




Go next

 * Oxford
 * Biloxi
 * New Orleans
 * Baton Rouge
 * Port Gibson
 * Vicksburg
 * Natchitoches