Vicksburg to Natchez: battlefields, ruins and mounds

Route description

From Jackson it is about 70 km west on I-20 to Vicksburg. The Vicksburg National Military Park lies on the east side of the city, just north of the interstate. Drive the one-way tour road around the siege lines, and stop at the USS Cairo museum, where you can walk around the remains of a Civil War ironclad raised from the Yazoo River.

Downtown Vicksburg has brick streets and a riverfront floodwall painted with murals of the city’s history. The Lower Mississippi River Museum explains the river and its levees. From Vicksburg take US-61 south for about 45 km to Port Gibson, a town that, according to legend, Ulysses S. Grant called “too beautiful to burn”; its main street is lined with churches.

From Port Gibson follow US-61 south and MS-552 west for about 20 km to the Windsor Ruins, the remains of one of the largest antebellum mansions in the state. Then join the Natchez Trace Parkway south: the parkway is closed to commercial vehicles, has a speed limit of 50 mph (80 km/h) and no fuel stations, so fill up first. Emerald Mound is a short detour at milepost 10.3.

The Natchez Trace ends in Natchez, one of the oldest towns on the Mississippi, founded as a French fort in 1716. Many antebellum houses are open for tours, and the Natchez National Historical Park includes Melrose and the William Johnson House. Watch the sunset over the river from the bluff park. All stops are fine for RVs; spring and autumn are the best seasons.