Photos by David and Kay Scott Emerald Mound near the southern end of the parkway is the second largest temple mound in the US . It was used by the ancestors of the Natchez Indians for burials , temples , and ceremonial structures .
Photo by David and Kay Scott Sam Willoughby ( left ), was heading north with a goal of biking the Trace in three legs . Barry Young , heading south , had nearly completed his ride along the Parkway .
Photo by David and Kay Scott Rocky Springs Methodist Church , established in 1835 , and the nearby graveyard are all that remain of a community that once had over 2,000 inhabitants . than to say you ’ ve done it . Like the Blue Ridge Parkway , the Natchez Trace Parkway is to be enjoyed , not endured .
It ’ s a road trip filled with opportunities for short hikes , picnics and exploring . We allocated four days for the 444-mile journey that included lodging reservations for Natchez , Ridgeland and Tupelo in Mississippi , Florence in Alabama , and a final night in Franklin , Tennessee , a medium-size town about a dozen miles southeast of the parkway ’ s northern terminus .
Although a trip on the parkway can begin at either the north or south terminus , we chose to start in Natchez and drive north , the direction taken by Kaintucks as they returned home to the Ohio Valley . Natchez , a town brimming with history including beautifully restored antebellum mansions is worth at least a full day . Stroll the bluff above the Mississippi
River , explore neighborhoods surrounding downtown and enjoy lunch in a restaurant located at “ Natchez Under-the-Hill .” This was once a rowdy area of saloons , brothels and gambling houses located near where the flatboats and steamboats docked .
The parkway ’ s scenery , slow pace , numerous places of interest , minimal traffic and absence of big trucks make it a pleasure to drive . Ten miles north of Natchez is Emerald Mound , a 35-foot tall ceremonial mound built and utilized between 1200 and 1730 . Five miles further north is Mount Locust , a historic inn once frequented by Kaintucks returning north . A visitor center is nearby and a short walk leads to a slave cemetery and a kiln site where slaves made bricks . Another twenty-five miles and a parkway traveler can walk in the steps of the Kaintucks in a sunken section of the old trace .
Six miles from the north terminus of the parkway is the graceful Double-Arch Bridge crossing Birdsong Hollow . The award-winning span is one of the most-noted features along the trace . The monument and gravesite of Meriwether Lewis is another major stop along the northern section of the parkway . Between these major features are stops where travelers can walk to an old town site that is home to a large abandoned church , hike through a cypress swamp , and visit the Gordon House , one of only two structures still standing from the days of the old trace .
There is more , much more , but you get the idea , there is a lot to see and do during a road trip on the Natchez Trace Parkway .
David and Kay Scott are authors of “ Complete Guide to the National Park Lodges ” ( Globe Pequot ). Visit them at mypages . valdosta . edu / dlscott / Scott . html .
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