Natchez Pilgrimage

One of the strangest accommodations I've had in Natchez was a stay at this bed and breakfast. I don't believe that the owners were really prepared to give their guests a pleasant stay. The bathrooms were shared by everyone, including the family. The Victorian home was very nice and everything was clean, but very cluttered. No preparation was made for breakfast. Don't know if things have changed in the past 10 years, but I certainly hope so.

Since 1985 I have stayed at this bed and breakfast at least six times. Though owned by various families over the past 18 years, the quality of the stay has always been great. There are four bedrooms with private baths on the lower level of the home, each decorated in separate themes. This home is not one of the "great" Natchez antebellum mansions. It is representative of what the prosperous Southern planter might have enjoyed. Pleasant Hill boasts a beautiful curved staircase and detailed millwork on the upstairs level.

If you're looking for a taste of the South, head for the Carriage House Restaurant. This restaurant, located behind Stanton Hall, was created during the 1930s to fill a void in providing excellent food to visitors in Natchez during the Spring Pilgrimage. It has grown into one of Mississippi's best restaurants.

I always enjoy the fried chicken, rice and gravy, and green beans. You'll get two pieces of chicken--one white meat and another dark--that's been the case since the lady who opened the restaurant in the 1930s decreed that it would be no other way! I always order the tomato aspic, which is the best made in the South. The lemon tart is an excellent dessert to end a perfect meal. Did I forget to tell you they serve a real mint julep? "It sure ain't no sissy drink."

Cock of the Walk Restaurant focuses on several truly Southern delicacies. The restaurant has the best fried catfish and hushpuppies available in Natchez. In fact, the food was so tasty that the same company that owns Red Lobster and Olive Garden bought the original restaurants (though I think it’s privately owned now). Another specialty is fried dill pickles. If you've never tried them, their crunchy texture and sour taste gives your taste buds a break from their usual fare.

The Natchez Spring Pilgrimage is held in the month of March each year. During this time the old South comes alive again for visitors to this sleepy Mississippi town. The antebellum mansions are situated throughout town and their proud owners throw open the doors of these amazing homes for tours by the curious or history buffs like me.

One home on tour, Rosalie, is owned by the DAR (Daughter of the American Revolution) and features hoop-skirted volunteers that tell the story of the mansion, its occupants, and Natchez. Other mansions with romantic names like Stanton Hall, Dunleigh, Monmouth, Melrose and Elms Court are open to visitors.

The gardens of the town are spectacular during this time of year and should not be missed. The town hosts several shows including the historic Natchez Pageant, a musical production that depicts scenes of the Old South. The garden clubs of the town host Pilgrimage Balls that are by invitation only.

If you should be fortunate enough to know someone in Natchez with an invitation, its worth the rental on a tuxedo or gown to witness one of these extravagant events. The National Park Service owns Monmouth and often hosts Civil War reenactments on the mansion grounds.

The Natchez Trace Parkway is considered the largest national [ark east of the Mississippi River. It starts in Natchez, Mississippi, and crosses the whole state of Mississippi, the corner of Alabama, and ends in Nashville, Tennessee.

This leisurely drive takes several days to traverse due to its low speed limit (45 mph to 50 mph). There is very little traffic along most stretches of the trace. Some of the most scenic landscapes in the Southeast are located on this route. Visit several Native American burial/ceremonial mounds along the way and learn more about how the earliest inhabitants of our country lived. Visit Mount Locust Plantation, the restored home of the Chamberlain family who lived there from the 1780s until the 1930s. It's worth stopping at most of the markers along the way.