Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Convention & Visitors Bureau
(
601-960-1891;
www.visitjackson.com
; 111 E Capitol St, suite
102;
8am-5pm Mon-Fri)
Free information.
Getting There & Away
At the junction of I-20 and I-55, it's easy to get in and out of Jackson. Its international
www.greyhound.com
; 300 W Capitol St)
buses serve Birmingham, AL, Memphis, TN, and
New Orleans, LA. Amtrak's
City of New Orleans
stops at the station.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Natchez
A tiny dollop of cosmopolitan in Mississippi, adorable Natchez is home to gay log-cabin
Republicans, intellectual liberals, and down-home folks, who've never left. Perched on a
bluff overlooking the Mississippi, it's the oldest town on the river and attracts tourists in
search of antebellum history and architecture - 668 antebellum homes pepper the oldest
civilized settlement on the Mississippi River (beating New Orleans by two years). It's
also the end (or the beginning!) of the scenic 444-mile Natchez Trace Pkwy, the state's
cycling and recreational jewel.
tours adult/child $12/8; 8:30am-5pm Mon-Sat, 9am-4pm Sun)
is a large, well-organized
tourist resource. Tours of the historic downtown and antebellum mansions leave from
here. During the 'pilgrimage' seasons in spring and fall, local mansions are opened to
visitors.
Ever wish you could sleep in one of those historic homes? At the
Historic Oak Hill Inn
( 601-446-2500;
www.historicoakhill.com
;
409 S Rankin St; r incl breakfast from $125;
)
, you can sleep in an original 1835 bed and dine on pre-Civil War porcelain under 1850
Waterford crystal gasoliers - it's all about purist antebellum aristocratic living at this
classic Natchez B&B. You can skip rocks into the Mississippi from the
Mark Twain
Guesthouse
( 601-446-8023;
www.underthehillsaloon.com
;
33 Silver St; r without bathroom
$65-85; )
where three rooms (two with views) sit on top of a classic local watering
hole,
Under the Hill Saloon
(
9am-late).
(Check-in for the
601-446-8023; 25 Silver St;
guesthouse is at the saloon).
To get your fill of Southern fusion eats, follow your nose to the
Magnolia Grill
(
601-446-7670;
www.magnoliagrill.com
; 49 Silver St; mains $13-20;
11am-9pm, to 10pm Fri & Sat;
