48 Hours in Natchez

As you approach Natchez from the river, your first impression is of the bluff: tree-laden and rising seemingly straight up, a sudden sentry in the bend of the river. Then, as you get nearer, you see the buildings: brick structures in a smart line, clinging stubbornly to the base of the bluff, a true port town. It is perhaps the only port where you can really believe, for a moment, that you're back in the heyday of the riverboats — and for good reason. Being that Natchez surrendered just as the Civil War reached its doorsteps, thereby sparing it from major destruction, over 1,000 antebellum structures survive to this day, making it a complete snapshot of a 19th-century city.

Today, while Natchez remains a bustling port town, it retains its quiet, genteel charm. It's the kind of place where people live in houses built by their great-grandparents and speak of those ancestors as familiarly as they might of their closest friends, where a front porch swing and a glass of lemonade are still the go-to methods for soothing an unfortunate day, where Main Street is still the main street. Like any good small town, it has its characters. You may have even seen it on TV.

Whether you're looking for a weekend escape or a bachelorette party destination, a journey into living history or a rip-roaring outdoor adventure, Natchez has a place for you. Keep reading for just some of the many ways you could spend 48 hours in the "Little Easy."

Day One

Morning comes quietly in Natchez, and you'll find that many of the downtown stores and museums don't open until 10. And so, after a leisurely breakfast, I recommend spending the morning on the outskirts — down a sunken road and through a patch of woods that open suddenly to reveal Longwood, one of the country's most famous antebellum homes.

In many ways, the owner set out to build a famous home: He wanted to build the largest and most opulent octagonal house in the United States. But he began building it in 1860, and we all know what came after that. When the Civil War broke out, the Pennsylvanian builders quite literally dropped their tools and went back to the North. No one ever picked up those tools again. Tours of the house, then, consist of two parts: the hastily finished basement, into which the family moved and which features the typical antebellum interiors, and the unfinished upstairs, a 160-year-old building site frozen in time where you'll see long-abandoned paint cans, scattered tools, and shipping parcels that hint at what might have been.

After exploring Longwood, head back into Natchez proper for lunch at what was once known as Natchez improper. During the riverboats' heyday, the immediate port — called Natchez-Under-The-Hill for its location at the base of the bluff — had something of an unfortunate reputation: brawls, brothels, and the like. Today, all that remains is that string of brick businesses alluded to before. Here, almost side by side, you'll find The Camp and Magnolia Grill, two crew haunts from my own time on riverboats. It was an unspoken rule that crewmembers would be about as loyal to their favorite restaurant as they were to their hometown team, and we were pretty evenly split between the two. While The Camp leans more in the Tex-Mex direction, Magnolia Grill specializes in Southern seafood.

By the time you've finished lunch, downtown Natchez will be bustling. If you're up for a challenge, climb the sidewalk to the top of the bluff for premier views of the Mississippi River; from there, it's an easy walk to the business district. Whether your ideal afternoon involves shopping at boutiques and antique stores or exploring museums, wandering aimlessly or sticking to an established path, Natchez is your oyster.

No matter what you do, make sure to stop by the Natchez in Historic Photographs Gallery. Over 500 photographs tell the story of Natchez, with exhibits ranging from steamboats and railroads to residences and residents (my favorite section — it's fun to see the fashions change over the years). If you don't believe me, take it from some of our cruise passengers: Once, after an excursion ended earlier (much earlier) than expected, a quick-thinking guide added the gallery as a tour stop; almost unanimously, the guests agreed that seeing the photographs was the highlight of the excursion.

By dinner time, you'll probably have seen a bumper sticker or two about Fat Mama's Tamales and their Knock-You-Naked Margaritas. Maybe surprisingly, tamales have a long history here: While some say the recipe dates back to Native American tribes in the area, most think that it is a more recent import, brought north by Mexican farmworkers in the early 1900s. Regardless of their origins, everyone agrees that tamales have been a staple in the region for over a century. Although it hasn't been around quite that long, multi-award-winning Fat Mama's Tamales is the established expert in the field, famous for its pickles and spicy tamales, and home to its very own philanthropic Krewe. As for the margaritas — well, even a genteel town has its saucy side.

Day Two

To understand Mississippi, it's important to understand the cotton industry — both past and present. One of the best places to do that is at Frogmore, a Rand McNally "must-see site" where cotton has been ginned from the antebellum era through the sharecropping years and into the present day. After a 20-minute drive through Concordia Parish — which is, incidentally, the old stomping grounds of Jerry Lee Lewis and Consuelo Montagu, Duchess of Manchester — you'll find the two sides of Frogmore: the modern ginning complex and its antebellum predecessor. Nineteen restored buildings make up the historic section, including a rare cotton gin, slave cabins, and a commissary. As part of the guided tour, you will literally walk through history, learning about the early French influence on the region, daily lives and narratives of slaves, and the post-war rise of sharecropping, before ending at the modern gin.

Travel Tip:

At the modern site, ginning reaches its peak in late fall, usually around October and November. Visiting during those months gives you the best opportunity to see the gin in action. Not to worry if you're visiting out of season, though — videos on life-size screens threaded through the gin equipment will still give you a great idea of what the real thing looks like.

On your way back to Natchez, make a stop at the Delta Music Museum, which tells the story of how blues, gospel, and country came together to create rock 'n' roll. Hall of Fame inductees include Fats Domino, Percy Sledge, Conway Twitty, and the aforementioned Jerry Lee Lewis. After touring the museum, head back downtown for a late lunch and a little down time before embarking on one final outdoor exploration.

Long before the French settled in Natchez, the area was home to indigenous, mound-building tribes, one of which inspired the city's name. Just a few miles from downtown, you'll find what was once their political and ceremonial hub at the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians. Today, all that remains of the original site are three earthen mounds. The surrounding, 128-acre park features a museum, nature trail, and reconstructed Native American house in a peaceful and reflective atmosphere. Whether you stay for an hour or the whole afternoon, the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians is the perfect place to reconnect with nature and learn about the area's earliest history while reflecting on your time in Natchez.

For your last dinner here, consider ending where we began: at one of the city's historic homes. Housed in what were once the men's and ladies' parlors at Monmouth Historic Inn and Gardens, Restaurant 1818 provides the unique opportunity for fine dining with a side of time travel. When you're surrounded by period-authentic furnishings and reproductions, and experiencing Southern hospitality that's been passed down through the generations, it's easy to imagine you're right back in the 1800s. Or, if the past two days have left you feeling lucky, head back under the hill to Magnolia Bluffs Casino. Located on the site where a sawmill operated for over 100 years, even the casino has a historic story or two to tell. Perhaps more importantly, it also apparently serves the best chicken one of my cruise directors ever had. Do with that information what you will.

Bonus

Looking to extend your time in Natchez or create your own itinerary? Consider these sites:

• House on Ellicott's Hill - The oldest territorial structure still standing in Natchez, this home is located on the site where the first American flag was raised over Mississippi Territory in 1797.

• Mount Locust - One of the oldest buildings in Mississippi, Mount Locust is also the only surviving inn along the Natchez Trace, one of the most historic transportation routes in North America.

• Natchez City Cemetery - Whether you explore on your own or purchase an audio tour guide, you'll find this 200-year-old cemetery is filled with stories and monuments ranging from the sentimental to the macabre to the bizarre.

• Natchez Museum of African American History - Exhibits in this downtown museum cover 300 years of Natchez history, from slavery and Reconstruction to the Civil Rights Movement and present day.

• Stanton Hall - This opulent Greek Revival home, known for its European furnishings, occupies an entire city block and was featured in Show Boat and the North and South miniseries.

• St. Mary Basilica - Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this Gothic Revival church is considered one of the most beautiful in the South, particularly for its stained glass windows and Italian marble altars.