2022 Fall Trip: Vidalia, Louisiana and Natchez, Mississippi

 

Wednesday, 9/28: 313 miles, camped at River View Park, Vidalia, Louisiana

River View RV Park, site 99.

River View RV Park, site 99.

We got an early start today, so we decided to take the more scenic and relaxing US Route 61 instead of the Interstate.  At 313 miles, it was a long drive, but actually not tiring because of the slower speeds and lighter traffic.  The route took us south from Memphis, then crossed the state line into Mississippi.  At Greenville, we crossed the river back into Arkansas, then south on US 65 into Louisiana.  So, in summary, we traveled in four states; Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, and finally Louisiana.  We saw lots of soybean fields, and for the first time, cotton fields.  Lots and lots of cotton.

Cotton fields yet to be harvested

Cotton bales ready for shipment

River View is a gorgeous park, right on the banks of Mississippi with large sites and HUGE areas of green space.  It is probably one of the nicest parks we have ever stayed at.  Because of the levees, you can't really view the barge traffic like we did in Tom Sawyer, but a short walk takes you up to a concrete sidewalk atop the levee.  Up river is a view of the Natchez Bridge and down river is a view of the Consolidated Grain and Barge Company loading port.

Consolidated Grain and Barge Company Port

Natchez Bridge

Thursday, 9/29:

Our streak of nice weather continues to hold.  It is a sunny and pleasant 75 today.  We stopped at the Natchez Visitor Center just across the river from the campground.  It is beautiful center and full of information and helpful staff, and is also a part of the National Park System.  The Center is a great small museum showing the history of Natchez Creole and African slave cultures.  Interesting, yet depressing! Not a proud time in our history.

We opted to take an open air electric cart tour of Historic Natchez.  It was excellent and Laura was very knowledgable and chatty.  There were just 4 of us on the tour, so it was very private with lots of time for questions.  We reserved the 10:40 tour, and since we were all there, we started early.  The tour lasted an hour and 20 minutes, and the open air, street legal, electric "golf cart" made it even more up close and personal.  We would highly recommend it.

As I mentioned earlier, the homes and culture up on the high bluff were much different that the lower riverfront.  Up here, the homes were mansions funded by fortunes in cotton.  Natchez pretty much escaped the ravages of the Civil War because the population tended to sympathize with the Union.  In fact, apparently there was only one war death, and that was a young girl named Rosalie who was killed by shrapnel.  There is a mansion named after her.

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Ornate metal work fencing

View of the Mississippi River from high on the bluff at Rosalie

We had a wonderful lunch on the riverfront at Magnolia Grill.  I had a traditional Southern staple, shrimp and grits while Judy opted for a seared tuna salad.  The lower riverfront has a sorted history itself.  In the 1800's during the flatboat era, Natchez was a favorite overnight tie up stop, and as a result became a brawling area of bars and brothels.  It was referred to as  "The Under the Hill' neighborhood of Natchez, versus the hob nob upper crust society up on the bluffs.  Nowadays, cruise ships dock Under the Hill to unload monied passengers who shop and tour Historic Natchez.

Southern Shrimp and Grits

Lunch at the Magnolia Grill

Looking downriver at the Natchez Bridge and a Viking Cruise Ship

Looking upriver past the American Queen paddleboat

Friday, 9/30:

Today was chore day again.  That included laundry at an excellent facility on campground.  We made a quick trip back to the Natchez Visitor Center to exchange a T-shirt that we bought yesterday and was too small.  Then we went to the local Walmart in Vidalia to restock our grocery and other miscellaneous supplies.   Dinner was pork chops with mushrooms and grilled eggplant on the Blackstone griddle.

Like most of our stops so far on this trip, we didn't stay long enough.  Two or three days doesn't give you time to know an area.  We will be back.  Natchez history has so much more to share.

Next stop is New Orleans.