Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
painter), Meriwether Lewis (famous explorer who died on the Trace in 1809), Ulysses S
Grant (18th president of the US) and - wait for it - a young Elvis Presley. The drive me-
anders by various cultural and historic sites that let you learn more about each man.
The Route
Nashville is the easiest place to access the parkway, and for country-music fans and wan-
nabe songwriters all over the world, a trip to the city is the ultimate pilgrimage, with
boot-stomping honky-tonks, the Country Music Hall of Fame and a sweet historic district
to explore. There's also good eatin' at local cafeterias, the ultimate way to indulge in
everything from barbecue chicken and pig's feet to turnip greens and baked apples.
About 10 miles beyond Nashville, the road swings by one of the Civil War's bloodiest
battlefields at Franklin, where 20,000 Confederates and 17,000 Union soldiers fought on
November 30, 1864. Further along are confederate gravesites for unknown soldiers.
Several centuries-old indigenous burial mounds likewise rise up along the way. Emerald
Mound, near Natchez, is one of the nation's largest, and the massive grassy pyramid still
buzzes with ancient energy.
Other highlights en route include the town of Tupelo - where you can visit the humble
house where Elvis grew up, learned to play the guitar and dreamed big - and tree-shaded,
milky-green Cypress Swamp, filled with alligators. Natchez itself is a living antebellum
museum, all sweeping spiral staircases, chandeliers and thick column houses.
When to Go
April to June and September to November are best. Summer can be hotter than hot.
Resources
Natchez Trace Parkway
(
www.nps.gov/natr
) Park-service website that provides road
construction updates, plus information on local activities and historic sites.
Natchez Trace Compact
(
www.scenictrace.com
)
State tourism bureaus of Tennessee,
Alabama and Mississippi band together to offer route itineraries, maps and event info.
Time & Mileage
»
Time: Three days, though you could do it in two. Travel times aren't exactly speedy on
the two-lane road.
»
Mileage: 444 miles.
»
Start/End: Nashville, TN/Natchez, MS.
