Ok well let’s just skip over the Fall home tour. There isn’t one! Let’s skip over the Thanksgiving decorating because if there is any there won’t be any until, you guessed it Thanksgiving. Let’s take a breather from all the Christmas pre-preparation and take a step back in time to a place where the Mississippi River is ablaze with color and hot air balloons dot the sky.
The morning we left Rogers AK the fog was bouncing off the Boston Mountain Range and the rain was making driving a bit more interesting for the husband. You can read about why Rogers, AK here. I kept snapping pictures thru the windshield. The clouds, the rolling fog and the sky were so interesting and so different then what we see on the flat plains of NE.
We spent the next 5-6 hours driving with our sights on Natchez. At one point as we’re nearing the AK/MS border the land started to flatten out and I was noticing all this white litter in the road. I mentioned this to the husband and he just looked at me. You know that look husbands give their wives when they say something stupid and they are the superior thinker. Yeah that look! Shelley it’s cotton. OMG I felt so dumb. We had just seen our first cotton field but not our second cotton field yet. I remember traveling this way when I was 16 with my grandparents and seeing cotton fields for the first time. Miles and miles of cotton. During this stretch of the journey we also spotted a baby wild pig foraging on the side of the road. No signs of his mama. This is also something you won’t find in NE. Life is about the small things too!
Rolling into Vicksburg MS early evening, this would be home base for the next two nights. We pulled into the parking lot of our hotel and there were Model T’s parked in beautiful pristine condition.
Wow to own a car like that. They were such a treat to see and it seems that this group travels together every year. I spoke to one of the owners and asked if it was a labor of love.
He said it was until he was stuck somewhere on the side of the road. Then he said not so much!
With food on the brain we asked the gal at the desk where she would recommend we eat dinner and it turned out there was a great restaurant just up the road. After the long drive we just wanted something simple and easy. Bushman’s proved to be the right spot.
Not long on atmosphere but the crab cakes were the best I’ve ever had including my own.
The next day we traveled 45 minutes down the road to Natchez. This is a spot that has been on my radar for a very long time. I have wanted to experience this town for decades. On approaching we experienced a sense of lost time or maybe time standing still I’m not sure. Rolling hills and small little tiny shanty’s that haven’t seen a coat of paint in a hundred and fifty years. The difference between the haves and the have nots is very apparent yet I found this town to be everything I had hoped for and more. The shanty’s, well I just wanted so badly to wrap my arms around them and say I can fix you. They called to me each and every one. The Antebellum homes were so lovely and so different from one to another.
Some of the beautifully restored homes we saw driving thru town.
A stop at the visitors center took us to Rosalie where the home was furnished with period furniture a lot of which belonged to the families who occupied the home.
The husband getting ready to mount the staircase at Rosalie. We couldn’t take pictures inside.
Overlooking the Mississippi River everything about this home was lovely and authentic. The gardens, though not large were beautiful and the second floor balcony had a view of the river that I could just see myself with a cup of coffee planning the days adventures.
Ahh, if only one could. Just thinking about it slows me down. Our guide told us that Grant saved Natchez during the Civil War. He loved the town and didn’t want it burned so the northern troops occupied the city & used it as a camp. Natchez had to surrender because they had no way of defending themselves which made neighboring Vicksburg very angry. Of course Vicksburg was the site of a very bloody battle. More on that later. That evening there would be a balloon lighting from the grounds and launch the next day.
Of course I had to have some retail therapy and I found the shops to be chalked full of everything from pumpkins to ribbon, fabulous dish patterns I have never seen and a huge spider to give to our daughter when we got to Florida. I cannot remember the name of this shop.
Loved everything about these dishes. Dumb me, didn’t think to look to see who made them.
Hustling in and out of shops bending over to reach the doorknobs that felt like they were on the floor. People were much shorter back then. Stepping high from the street to the curb, Natchez is a very walkable town with the concentration of shopping located at the town center and surrounded by Antebellum homes and shanty’s on the outside. It’s trendy and historic, chic and fun.
After dropping the husband at the casino I drove the very short distance back to the historic district where I had a chance to experience some of Natchez’ design studios and antique shops galore. This is Darby’s Furniture & Interiors. Fabulous furniture, great pillows, wonderful lighting, lovely art. OK it was a really great shop and there are 3 of them. They really dominate the district.
So fun to see things I don’t see in Omaha. The whole southern vibe is just so different than our midwestern sensibility. I also stopped in at Olivina Boutique. Their business card says “Purveyor of all things whimsical and fantastical”. This was a really fun shop with fun oddments of all kinds. I unfortunately didn’t get any pictures.
The people were so warm and friendly. I spoke to one antique dealer who had moved to Natchez from Louisiana. After coming for a visit they packed up there shop and moved to Natchez about 25 years ago. There was a coffee shop next store which she asked if I had visited yet. When I said no she grabbed my hand and marched me next door and introduced me to the owner who had just opened this coffee shop that day. It was fantastic from a design aspect.
Very mens club, cigar bar with lot’s of relics and the most charming cat!
I just love walking into shops where the animals are roaming their domain. It just makes everything so much friendlier. What camp are you in? Animals or no animals. Let me know in comments will you. The coffee was good too. She didn’t lock her door and didn’t hesitate. She just left her shop because she thought I would enjoy seeing the new coffee shop. I did.
Picking up the husband at the casino we headed over to Pasta on Plaza for a quick dinner. As expected the food was excellent a tiny restaurant with maybe 25 tables.
After dinner we needed to walk so we headed back over to Rosalie for the Balloon Festival and watched while they filled the balloons creating quite a light show. Natchez has done a wonderful job with their river front creating a park like atmosphere to enjoy. Again we found the people to be fun and friendly with little kids running in and out of legs and the toddler on their dads shoulder. It was crowded but not a crush plenty of room for social distancing and people asking permission to share a bench.
Walking back to the car we happened upon this beautifully simple church ok it could be a court house I’m not sure!
And the sun set on a wonderful day in Natchez, MS. So glad we took the time to embrace this small little nugget of American History.
Thanks for stopping
Shelley
