A trip north to Natchez can be especially delightful in the spring, whether for a one-day outing, a weekend get-away, or a more extended stay. Local gardens are ablaze with beauty, stately houses are open for tour, and special entertainment and other events make for an exciting visit.

Sprawling plantations, spectacular antebellum houses, magnificent gardens, riverboats, and the Mississippi are the more obvious attractions in this gracious, hospitable city. The late-nineteenth-century architecture of the business district is evident in its numerous antique stores, specialty shops, churches and restaurants. (Trinity Episcopal Church boasts two rare art-glass windows designed and installed by the famous Louis Comfort Tiffany.) Many of the city’s exquisite bed-and-breakfasts are in or near downtown. Riverboat gambling, the rustic atmosphere of Natchez Under-the-Hill, and many historic sites add to the large variety of activities available to visitors.

Spring Pilgrimage

Probably the most popular of the Natchez tourist attractions is the Fall and Spring Pilgrimage. Natchez has more antebellum houses than any other place in the United States. The pilgrimage offers tours of thirty antebellum homes and gardens guided by ladies in hoopskirts who interpret the rooms, furnishings and history of each home. Every evening there are live performances and entertaining shows to commemorate the Old South.

There are about 600 intact antebellum homes and buildings in the city, and 100 examples of Victorian architecture, so don’t limit yourself to the thirty official homes on the tour. Put on some walking shoes, meander through the streets and absorb the atmosphere. The scheduled dates of the tour are March 13 - April 17. Visit www.natchezpilgrimage.com for more information.

Natchez Literary
& Cinema Celebration

February 25 - 29 will mark the 15th annual Natchez Literary & Cinema Celebration, whose purpose according to the NLCC is “to bring to Natchez an annual thematic humanities event that ties together the historical, literary, political, social, artistic, and natural heritage of Mississippi and the South.”

The NLCC’s 2004 theme is “Scoundrels to Statesmen–Politics in the Deep South.” The topic will be explored through lectures, films, programs, seminars, workshops, dramatic presentations, exhibits, book signings and award ceremonies at the Natchez Convention Center and other local venues. Greg Iles, a local best-selling author, will receive the Richard Wright Literacy Excellence Award, and actor Gerald McRaney will host “An Evening with the Stars” on the final night of the four-day extravaganza. Many other scholars and writers from universities around the South will present papers on everything from Faulkner to Huey Long. And a panel of regional journalists will discuss what is sure to be interesting: “Why Does the Nation Continue to Elect Presidents Who Are Southerners?”

Official evaluators have called the NLCC “Mississippi’s most significant annual conference devoted to literature, history and culture.” It has won several awards, including an Olympic Award, the Governor’s Award and the Mississippi Tourism Award. And, most recently, the NLCC was given a $100,000 challenge grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The grant must be matched 100 percent, but it will ensure the continuation of the festival in years to come.

“Literature, Lore and Lyrics on the Mighty Mississippi”

An eight-day voyage April 6 - 13 on board the RiverBarge Excursion Lines’ River Explorer will benefit the NLCC. The fun-filled trip on the vessel known as “America’s only floating hotel” will explore the Deep South’s creative legacy through fascinating programs, concerts, films and shore excursions. The trip will begin in New Orleans and head north, stopping for shore excursions in Baton Rouge, Natchez and Vicksburg, and ending in Memphis.

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