Natchez is a sleepy little town. Admittedly, we were there over Thanksgiving week, so it may have been more quiet than normal. The best thing we found to do in Natchez is to visit the photography collection of local historical photographer Henry C Norman, who was born in 1850 in Georgia and made his way to Natchez about 20 years later. A large collection of a couple of hundred of his photographs can be found in the Stratton Chapel of the First Presbyterian Church at the corner South Pearl and State Streets. A couple of hundred photos document pre- and post-Civil War Natchez. Natchez also has many historic homes in the downtown area, some of which are open to the public; and some are now B&Bs. For lunch we headed to the water from to an area known as Natchez under the Hill - a collection of restaurants and shops on a level lower than most of the town. We had burgers and the tacos sitting at the bar at The Camp - great local cuisine in a local watering no hole. We were staying at the Monmouth Historic Inn, an early 19th century antebellum mansion sitting on 26 acres of planned gardens, which has been converted to a 30 room bed and breakfast. And had dinner at the restaurant 1818 there in the Inn.
Road Trip through Mississippi - Day 2 - River Plantations
Today we drove from New Orleans to Natchez, MS. We drive via Baton Rouge up along the Mississippi River. It’s a very interesting drive. We stopped at Drestrehan Plantation about 25 miles outside of New Orleans. It was beautiful and we had an excellent tour of the building and learned a lot about plantation life. Built in 1787, it was a major producer of indigo and sugar cane. About a mile down the River Road we found large oil refineries which were an interesting juxtaposition to the antebellum homes. We continued toward Natchez and stopped at Oak Alley Plantation, perhaps the most photographed of all the Louisiana plantations. In Natchez, we stayed at the Monmouth Historic Inn and Gardens. More on that tomorrow.
