Natchez Trace (Page 2): If you wife or other half enjoy crafts you might enjoy a short stop at this location almost near the southern end of the Trace. http://craftsmensguildofms.org/...

Bill Houghton Loc: New York area

If you wife or other half enjoy crafts you might enjoy a short stop at this location almost near the southern end of the Trace.

http://craftsmensguildofms.org/

ecblackiii Loc: Maryland

The Trace is a beautiful drive, but be sure to obey the 50 MPH speed limit. Once you get to Natchez there are many beautiful ante-bellum homes to tour. One of my favorites is Longwood, which is unusual for its Octagon shape. I also encourage a short side trip to Port Gibson, where the ruins of one of the largest and most magnificent ante bellum homes quietly stand in a forest near the Mississippi River. It survived the Civil War only to fall victim to a discarded cigar in 1890.

Longwood

(Download)

Windsor

(Download)

bkellyusa Loc: Nashville, TN

Getting the travel guide online is very the most important thing I think. Then plan out your stops and especially where to get gasoline and eat. My favorite spots are the bridge at highway 96 on the Nashville end of the Trace and the Tennessee River but there are tons of nice places. There should be a photo book done of the Trace but I have never seen one.

bkellyusa Loc: Nashville, TN

Getting the travel guide online is very the most important thing I think. Then plan out your stops and especially where to get gasoline and eat. My favorite place to stay is the lovely B&B The Maple Leaf or Maple Tree Inn (I forget which) in Kosciusko, MS. My favorite spots for photos are the bridge at highway 96 on the Nashville end of the Trace, an over look near Hoewenwald, TN and the Tennessee River but there are tons of nice places. There should be a photo book done of the Trace but I have never seen one.

I've never had a problem and I live here (and ride my motorcycle fast) but the speed laws are supposedly pretty heavily enforced. Whoever recommended eating at the Loveless Motel is steering you right. It's wonderful. Especially for breakfast. Natchez itself is really nice. Lots of interesting places to visit and eat and the town itself is just lovely.

Floyd Loc: Misplaced Texan in Florence, Alabama

bkellyusa wrote:

Getting the travel guide online is very the most i... (show quote)

Just West of Hoewenwald is an elephant sanctuary where the owners allow old elephants to retire and live graciously -unfortunately, it is extremely costly to visit. More importantly, a short distance off the Trace in the upper Northwest corner of Alabama, is the Muscle Shoals area with the "jewel" of the four cities being Florence with much Civil War history, great places to shop and several good eating places.

juicesqueezer Loc: Okeechobee, Florida

bparr1 wrote:

At the start of Natchez Trace is the Loveless Café. What better way to start down the Trace than a full tummy and a camera, unless it's on a Harley. Have a great trip!

Great place to have breakfast!

romanticf16 Loc: Commerce Twp, MI

THISTLE wrote:

We are going to be traveling the Natchez Trace from Nashville to Natchez in three weeks. Are there any particularly photogenic spots that it would be a shame to miss?
We will also be visiting Vicksburg and Clarksdale, the home of Delta Blues.
Thanks in advance

In Clarksdale there is the Point Zero Blues Club- Morgan Freeman is a part owner. Good bar food and usually good entertainment. Nearby is the Blues Museum, well worth a stop and walk thru. The Plantation Homes in Natchez are something to see- some fully restored, some partially(showing the original wallpaper, etc). The town puts on seasonal Pagents too, which reenact historic events.

Caysnowman Loc: MN & SC

Dup, sorry

Caysnowman Loc: MN & SC

Caysnowman wrote:

Found this on the Web - http://www.natcheztracetravel.com/natchez-trace-parkway-maps.html - might help your research if you haven't seen this page yet.

Bill

Gypsy41 Loc: Texas

We just came off 300 miles on the Trace today headed home from Alabama. Beautiful drive. We were in a motorhome so had to be careful of low hanging tree limbs. 50 mile speed limit is enforced and be sure to watch for people on bikes.there are a lot of them. French Camp is my favorite place. Be sure and stop there. DO NOT travel the Trace at night, per them.

SonoraDick Loc: Tucson

I just returned earlier this week from a trip that included about 100 miles of The Trace, and I enjoyed all of it. You've already got great suggestions and I can't add anything to those.

Also spent two nights in Vicksburg. Here I'll definitely suggest you plan to visit one of the "detached units" of Vicksburg National Military Park just before sunset for great views of the Mississippi and hopefully a beautiful sunset. (I was just a couple of minutes delayed after dinner one night and missed out.) I think "Navy Circle" might give the better view but "Louisiana Circle" will be good as well. Also, from "Navy Circle", it's just a couple of minutes to walk to the Mississippi Welcome Center, where you can get some excellent shots of the two bridges (one now closed to all but railroad traffic; the other is I-20) that cross the Mississippi at Vicksburg. Have fun and get some great photos!

THISTLE Loc: Reidsville NC

romanticf16 wrote:

In Clarksdale there is the Point Zero Blues Club- Morgan Freeman is a part owner. Good bar food and usually good entertainment. Nearby is the Blues Museum, well worth a stop and walk thru. The Plantation Homes in Natchez are something to see- some fully restored, some partially(showing the original wallpaper, etc). The town puts on seasonal Pagents too, which reenact historic events.

We were in Clarksdale several years ago. One of the places we found was the SHACK UP INN, just outside of town. If you are going to be there
for a while I suggest that you google it and find out a little bit about it.

JaiGieEse Loc: Foxworth, MS

You've gotten a lot of great suggestions so far, but one thing needs to be repeated and emphasized. The speed limit on the Natchez Trace is FIFTY mph. Not 55. And those NPS lawmen will ticket you in a heartbeat.

Otherwise, in addition to the spots you've already been told abouty, always look for "Historical Site" markers all along rhe trace. These designate pull-offs at significant places, and some several of these include portions of the original Trace - deeply worn-in and very narrow roads through wooded areas that will tell you what the whole Trace once looked like.

Lastly, when you get to Port Gibson, you might want to check out Jefferson Military Academy, now a historical site. Jefferson Military Academy was featured in John Wayne's "The Horse Soldiers," and it also served as West Point in the "North and South I and II" mini-series. Very near Jefferson Academy is Grand Gulf State Park, which includes significant earthen fortifications which figured in the pre-siege portion of the 1863 Vicksburg Campaign. Also see Rocky Springs. Nothing much left of the town, but some interesting sights, none the less, including a CW-era church. U.S. Grant's troops camped at Rocky Springs after crossing the Mississippi River from Hard Times Landing, Louisiana to Bruinsburg, Mississippi.You may wish to see the Shaefer House just south of Port Gibson - home of a Confederate artilleryman and a place caught in the center of the Battle of Port Gibson, and of course, the nearby Windsor ruins.

dnbjb1 Loc: Madison, Ms.

There are many photographic opportunities along the Trace. I am making the same trip November the 3rd and 4th from Jackson to Nashville. Obtain a map of the Trace at any of their post and they will guide you along the way. Spend some time in and around Port Gibson and Natchez. Fantastic Historical sites in both places.

Mount Locust

Longwood Natchez, Ms.

Ruins of Windsor

Sypress Swamp