Winter in Mississippi
Since we both get two plus weeks off over the winter holidays, we tried something new and took a little vacation the week after Christmas. Smaller crowds and cooler weather made our trip to Mississippi extra nice. As expected, it was mostly the retiree crowd and a few families at our destinations - guess that's what happens when you go on a history-centered vacation. :) I thought it was lots of fun, it's definitely a trip everyone should take at least once.
Tuesday, December 28th
- Dropped Duncan off with Betsy, then drove from drove from DFW straight to Vicksburg (and listened to lots of NPR/history podcasts on the way - thanks Mags)
- Checked into the hotel and toured the town, visiting the city's military park and historic neighborhoods before dark
Wednesday, December 29th
- Toured the Vicksburg Battlefield and Military Park and saw the visitor center/film, Cairo exhibit, cemetery, and dozens of green fields and monuments made this a site well worth the trip
- Completed the nice drive to Natchez via the lush Highway 61
- Checked into our great hotel - the historic Natchez Eola right downtown, affordable and full of character
- Began exploring the town's historic areas and finished the evening with a great Cajun dinner at Breaux's
Thursday, December 31st
- Explored more of Natchez, including downtown, under-the-hill, and other areas in town
- Toured the Longwood Plantation, an amazing estate begun in 1851 and left unfinished upstairs
- Visited the kitsch Mammy's Cupboard (too bad they were closed!) and sampled sweet muscadine wine at Old South Winery
- Toured the William Johnson House downtown - home of a successful freedman who also owned slaves
- Grabbed coffees, visited galleries, and shopped a bit
- Rang in the new year with a lovely dinner at Pearl Street Pasta
Friday, January 1st
- In our traditional road-trip fashion, got up early and booked it back home with minimal stops