Traveling the Natchez Trace

We enjoyed visiting a few parts of the Natchez Trace while full-timing, so we’ve been talking about traveling up the trace (http://tandtrv.blogspot.com/2011/11/natchez-trace.html ).  The Natchez Trace Parkway is a limited access 2-lane road (NOT a highway) that follows the old trace.  No gas stations on the parkway, just limited traffic winding through the trees. 

Natchez Trace runs from Natchez Mississippi to Nashville Tennessee. The trail has over 10,000 years of history.  Parts of it started as an animal trail.  Then it was a series of trails between earlier Mississippian tribes and then Natchez, Chickasaw, and Choctaw nations. Later travelers formed it into a more clearly marked path, especially in the early 1800’s when it was the most heavily traveled route of the Southwest. Horse back mail carriers and solders have used the Trace. The parkway is the type of road my Dad would have used for ‘Sunday driving’ since the speed limit is only 50 mph. 

There are over 100 stops for historical sites or hikes along the 444 miles of the parkway making it an ideal vacation trip for young couples, families, and retired couples.  Many people motorcycle or bike the route.  Given that camping is free at three campgrounds (though drycamping) and all the stops are free, it makes for a frugal but fascinating vacation.  We talked to several friendly people biking, motorcycling, or RV’ing the trace.

We brought just our RV without towing the car behind us.  The RV is sized perfectly in that it’s large enough for 2 people but small enough we can find space in the small parking areas.  It’s even just short enough.  At one underpass to a side stop, we had to travel under an 11’6” underpass.  Our RV is 11’0”.  We noticed a lot of scrapes under that bridge!

Our first stop was Melrose Estate.  We’ve visited here before, so we didn’t spend much time but just picked up a map and enjoyed the spreading live oaks and the Spanish moss.

Our first new stop was Elizabeth Female Academy.  Opened in 1811, it was the first women’s college either in the U.S. or just chartered by Mississippi (the signs differed in their account).  Audubon was on the faculty.  Not much left!