For 4th of July weekend we decided to do something different. Instead of going to the beach or hanging out around town in New Orleans, we decided to do a fun and educational trip to Natchez, MS and the surrounding areas. As we started on the interstate from my in-laws house on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain, and saw the traffic on I-12 heading east to the Florida coast, we realized we made the right choice.
Natchez is roughly 3 hours from New Orleans, but I hadn’t been back there since I was my daughters age. It is a town of old wealth and old poverty. The downtown is beautiful with homes dating back to the late 18th century. As you drive into the downtown area sitting nearly 200 ft above the river, it like traveling back in time 150 years. The beautiful antebellum homes, spared from the civil war battles, have been well taken care of and are spread evenly throughout the city.
The more modern buildings especially those further from downtown have not received that kind of care and many a building is boarded up, probably for a good long while. Kudzu seems to hold together every steep hill and bluff leading to the river. It is crazy. It seems like the well groomed yards of the downtown are the only deterrent from the kudzu taking over the entire city.
We checked in at the Starling’s Rest B&B, but that was just to checkin. Usually we don’t do B&Bs with the kids, but this was different. They then sent us about 2 miles away to our place, which was a two bedroom apartment connected to the Routhland Plantation home, built in 1815. Once belonging to John Routh considered to be “at one time the largest cotton planter in the world.” It was a beautiful home with a great porch where you could waste your days rocking away and drinking mojitos and mint juleps.
The two bedroom was just off to the side of the house and is connected to the first floor. It was very nice, however it was as my wife described it as “I think I’m staying in someone’s great aunt’s house. Nice but every drawer is full of stuff. Wedding dress. Got it. Jewelry. That too. Old linens. Yep. Bills. Uh huh. Hoop skirt with antibellum dresses. You know it. Even a drawer with 6 nail clippers and an old retainer. But no iron!!!!”
It’s got an amazing amount of character and we like it a lot. However, no maid service. It’s more like a VRBO.
Our first Natchez sunset over the river. More Natchez posts to follow.