My journey up the Natchez Trace Parkway started in Natchez, MS & ended well over 350 miles away in Tishomingo, MS over the course of four days. I made right at one hundred stops in those days on the first half of the Trace. This is the "best of" of those stops. In total, I drove a bit over 1,000 miles round trip. And I don't regret one bit of it.
The first half of my journey is actually the first 2/3rds of the Natchez Trace Parkway. I ended the journey around the 305 mile mark out of the total 444 miles. This was mainly due to time and road condition restrictions. I'll continue the rest of the journey this fall after the Parkway opens up in August of 2023 after the repairs are made. I'll start back at Tishomingo State Park and end up in Nashville, Tennessee. Then continue home from there, stopping along the way at any interesting things I come across.
I've been wanting to do this journey for a few years. I'd start in Natchez and stop at every nook & cranny along the way that I could that was relevant to the Trace. I would camp at the free campgrounds along the way as well as a State Park or two. I originally didn't plan on video documenting the trip, but later thought it'd be a good idea to share to you.
Once I completed my solo trip, I'd take my family on the same journey, except now I know which stops were worth seeing and which were not.
The Natchez Trace Trail was created and used by Native Americans for centuries. Later it was used by early European & American explorers, traders, & emigrants in the late 18th into the early 19th century. European Americans founded inns, also known as "stands", along the Trace to serve food and lodging to travelers. As travel shifted to steamboats on the Mississippi and other rivers, most of these stands closed.
Today, the path is commemorated by the 444-mile Natchez Trace Parkway, which follows the approximate path of the Trace as well as the related Natchez Trace Trail. Parts of the original trail are still accessible, and some segments are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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