Mississippi borders the Mississippis River, Tennessee, Alabama and Louisiana.

Missippi Trip

April 2014

HOLLY SPRINGS….General Grant’s wife and son stayed here at Walter Place, in the Colonel’s home, while Colonel Walter (who served in the Confederate Army) fled to Alabama during the Civil War.

VICKSBURG (POPULATION: 23,856)…These riverfront murals are at the entrance to Vicksburg’s downtown riverfront. They depict periods of Vicksburg history. The 1863 surrender of Vicksburg, along with the defeat of General Robert E. Lee’s army of Northern VA at Gettysburg, marked a Civil War turning point for control of the Mississippi River. This helped ensure Union survival for now Vicksburg was an occupied city.

DIAMOND JACK’S CASINO/HOTEL…. A very inexpensive and great place to stay in Vicksburg.

CEDAR GROVE MANSION INN… A magnificent 1840 Greek revival mansion overlooking the Mississippi River. A union cannonball is still lodged in the parlor wall.

NATCHEZ (POPULATION: 15,792)…We arrived here April 8, the last day of the Spring Pilgrimage (a tribute to the antebellum age)…where homeowners of historic homes open their doors to the public. We were able to get tickets to see 3 Southern plantations. Few cities offer an in-depth look at the past and present Southern lifestyle like Natchez. Natchez also holds claim to the 1960 Miss America, Linda Lee Meade. We traveled the scenic Natchez Trace Parkway from to Natchez. This byway winds all the way to Nashville TN.

UNDER-THE-HILL RESTAURANT….where thieves/robbers/smugglers stored their loot in the past. Their fried green tomatoes are great!

Some of the plantations are pictured here:

STANTON HALL….a national historic landmark with a great restaurant….best fried chicken…The Carriage House Restaurant.

LONGWOOD… the largest octagonal house in America. It was never completed because when the Civil War began, the workmen dropped their tools, fleeing North. The family lived in the finished basement for years. It remains in its unfinished state and is maintained by the Pilgrimage Garden Club. We toured it….and it really is huge and incredibly beautiful, even in its unfinished state.

BILOXI (POPULATION: 44,000)…, a city almost completely destroyed by hurricanes Camile in ’69 and Katrina in ’05….newly rebuilt and casinos galore. In 1969, it was a category 5 hurricane w/winds of 219 mph and a 20 ft. high wall of water that destroyed everything in its path, including the oean front mansions. Biloxi now has the whitest and most beautiful gulf coast beaches. In the 1990’s, the casinos restored the wealth before Katrina hit in ’05. This storm surge destroyed again, but today the rebuilt casinos, resorts, and beaches offer the visitors a good deal. We arrived at noon and took a ride thru Biloxi, Gulfport and Pass Christian….all very heavily damaged by Katrina. We had lunch at Mary Mahoney’s Restaurant, checked into the Sheraton and later took a walk to the casino across the street….Beau Rivage.

Mississippi Photo Gallery

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