Yesterday we had a beautiful day as we drove the 240 miles from Livingston, TX to Vidalia, LA - right across from Natchez, MS. Well - it was supposed to be 240 miles but we found a way to make it closer to 300 miles. Sometimes ... when you are traveling the backroads of the good ol' USA in unfamiliar territory "issues" can arise. In our case, the "issue" was a 12 foot 3 inch bridge and a couple of RVs that were a bit taller than that. To make a long story short - we had to make a couple of detours through some very picturesque Texas countryside. Not a bad thing at all!
After arriving here at River View RV Resort and getting all set up - we ventured out for dinner at Nikki's - a local spot which came highly recommended. And for good reason! After we all started with a trip to the salad bar - we were treated to extremely large plates of "stuff" we foolishly ordered back a few minutes earlier when we thought we were hungry. Fried Extra Large Gulf Shrimp, Stuffed Shrimp, Gumbo, Crawfish E'touffee, Sweet Potato, Sweet Potato Tots, Fried Popcorn Shrimp, Onion Rings ... yeah -- we had it all.
After eating way too much we loaded our overloaded bodies into the Patterson Truck and made it back to the RV Park. Since the Park is right on the Mississippi River and has a very nice walking trail along the river, we decided to take a short walk to settle our dinner. Well I decided to take a SHORT walk - the others decided a 2 plus mile hike was in order! We walked down to the bridge across the river to Natchez and got a few pictures of the Riverboat Casino and a barge making its way down to New Orleans before heading back. We certainly got our "steps" in on Thursday.
Today we played tourist in Natchez and started, where else, at the visitor's center. We learned a bit about what the city has to offer, picked up a few brochures, purchased our carriage ride tickets, and were off for a day of sightseeing.
We drove through a bit of the historic district and then found our way to the Carriage Stand on Canal Street. We loaded up in our Carriage pulled by Norma Jean and narrated by James. James did a great job telling us all about the history of Natchez and all about all the beautifully restored buildings throughout the downtown area. Once again - we highly recommend the carriage ride as a great way to learn about a city like this - whether it be Charleston, Savannah ... or Natchez.
After our carriage tour we made it over to the "Pig Out Inn" for some pretty darn good Bar-B-Que. After Thursday's lunch we all ate a bit more sensibly ... keeping it to a simple Pulled Pork or Brisket sandwich with potato salad and beans on the side.
Even though lunch was a bit more reasonable than the previous day - we figured we needed a bit of a walk so we took a stroll through some of the historic district. A very nice stroll on a beautiful day.
We completed our visit to Natchez with visit to the Melrose Mansion, a part of the Natchez National Historical Park. The main mansion building is presently undergoing restoration so we didn't get to go inside but we enjoyed a nice walk around the grounds.
A Couple of Hard Working Tourists
We only spent a few hours touring Natchez today but my overall impression is pretty good. Natchez is a relatively small city with a population of around 18,000 folks. But it has a very rich history and is a wonderful place to visit.
But as ya'll know - all good things must come to an end. Well ... not a real "end" but a "time out." So tomorrow the Pattersons make their way South to near New Orleans and we start our trip up the Natchez Trace Parkway. We have had a great trip with the Pattersons and look forward to doing it again someday. We'll be seeing them again soon - in late May in Maine.
I betcha we find someplace to eat with great food. Whaddaya think?
Safe Travels Pattersons!
Safe travels to you!
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