May 11, 2012 - Natchez

We left Memphis to head for Natchez, MS we had plans to take part of the Natchez Trace on the way but had to get through several scenic towns in Mississippi first.  My favorite were Alligator and Port Gibson (which is the town "too beautiful to burn").  

We say this contraption driving down the
highway (Highway 6 South, which we came to
know well this day) just outside of Alligator and
thought...hmmm...So of course I took a picture of it!

We learned that towns in Mississippi have 3 things in common...Subway, Dollar General and Sonic.  All but one of the towns we went through had these stores in them (it was the last town before crossing into Louisiana so we didn't see it until May 12 and they had 2 of the 3.)

Here are some pictures on the Natchez Trace:

      

When we arrived in Natchez, it was raining and we discovered as we pulled into the visitor's center that the car was now leaking INSIDE the passenger foot-well every time we turned left.  You may recall from earlier posts that the car had been leaking outside underneath and it was just condensation from the AC...well now it was like a waterfall every time we turned and it was all over the floor on my side.  So, despite this we decided to tour 2 of the mansions in Natchez and then go to the hotel.

First up was Stanton Hall:

looking up from the back porch

View from the front gate

       

The back porch and the chandeliers on said porch...I love the duck! I also like that the lantern is missing a pane of glass.

Next up, Longwood House:

It's an OCTOGON!

      
This is the back porch (complete with baby swing), the carriage house, 2nd story porch, and the back pathway.

Longwood House is not complete, only the main level was ever finished and lived in.  So we were able to take pictures on the second floor.

stairs to the third floor, there are 6 stories in the house

Main room, center of the octogon

They only have 2 main chimneys out of the house, but they have
fireplaces in all of the rooms.  All of them connect to the main ones
so they wrap inside the walls of the house.  This is the inside of the chimney
in one of the rooms on the second story.

View from the middle of the octogon (2nd floor) looking up to the other levels

These are the tools left behind, when the war broke out
the workers went home and the house was never finished

Looking out from the center of the house on the back porch

I was more impressed by Longwood than Stanton Hall, so there are more pictures.  Here are some of the exterior and grounds.

this is the top of one of the trees
at Longwood House.  I LOVE LOVE
LOVE THIS PICTURE!

creepy creepy moss in the trees~
It's all over in MS and LA

    

After the tour we decided to grab some dinner at Biscuits and Blues.  It was DELICIOUS!  The biscuits were fresh from the oven and the bbq was excellent...We ate really really well on this trip...it's as much about the food as it is seeing all the good stuff.  :)

mmm..chicken and ribs

We stayed the night at the Best Western (since there was not a Marriott) and I was promised by Jalaire that I would not be left behind if I went back out in the rain to the car and got her iPod for her...DEAL!  We decided to leave early the next day and hit Oak Alley Plantation as well as New Orleans, then depending on time we could drive to Texas on Sunday instead of Monday.