People might be surprised to learn America’s richest city in 1800 wasn’t New York, Boston or even Philadelphia. My own Charleston couldn’t claim the crown, either.
Natchez, Mississippi beat
everyone to the money.
Situated on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, Natchez is chock-full of mansions.
Some pristine. Some not. Its culture blends Cajun with Old South, uptown with frontier. On its restored riverfront, visitors can time travel while they nosh of fried pickles. They can gamble and imagine the boatmen, just over there. Dismantling their wooden barges. Stuffing their pockets with cash. Walking past ostentation with HOME on their brains.
Mansions couldn’t hold them.
Society failed to entice.
They craved open spaces, beyond porches and piazzas. At the rim of plantation lines. In swamps and forests, dirt and sky.
The boatmen looked at the riches of Natchez, and they embraced the American Dream. They didn’t know what to call it. Yet. But they knew if they worked harder, walked further, made it home……..it would one day be within their grasp.
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There’s no better time to visit Natchez than during Pilgrimage. Spring and Fall. Mark your calendars. If you’re the spontaneous sort, Spring Pilgrimage runs from 7 March to 7 April 2015. Fall 2015 Pilgrimage dates have yet to be announced, but it usually runs from late September to early October. Click HERE to learn more about Pilgrimage.
No Make a Memory visit to the Trace
is complete without my books!
Get your copies of To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis and Not Without My Father: One Woman’s 444-Mile Walk of the Natchez Trace by heading to my
18 Comments
Would if I could. Next year probably won’t work either. But after that, the game changes. 🙂
It’s definitely worth a trip before you’re through, Jim. 🙂
Gotta get there someday.
8 Hours. 37 Minutes. 🙂
I would love to visit. It’s on my bucket list. Now….if only my kids (and the IRS) would quit draining my bank account I could do the first thing on my bucket list…meet you. I had planned to surprise you on the 18th, but the IRS is currently asking for thousands of dollars (which is hard to believe because we barely make enough to live from month to month), so there went my traveling money. I’m sorry Andra. I WILL get there. It just might take me a little bit longer than I planned. :*-( Party on. I’ll definitely be there in spirit (cause that’s free, right?)
Spirit is always free. SPIRITS, on the other hand………
Dang it. I’m bummed. Maybe we can work something out when I’m in the PNW, though Portland is over 6 hours from Boise……and Seattle is over 8 hours away. I always forget how big the west is………
Thanks for another history lesson, Andra. I would have never guessed that Natchez was the richest city in 1800, perhaps because I did not know that it contained so many mansions. I would love to do the pilgrimage and walk through history…maybe one day…but I am not eating the fried pickles. Eww.
Fried pickles are scrump-tiou-licious, Mary. I could eat a whole basket and come back for seconds. 🙂
Some of the restaurants around here have fried pickles. I tried them once and didn’t care for them, but perhaps because they were so salty.
I’ve been hearing about Natchez for years now. A friend’s sister lives in that area and my friend enjoys visiting her. Now with the a Pilgrimage as a possibility, I’m even more intrigued. Should I get there, you can rest assured that you’ll be the first person who I’ll tell about my adventure!
I’d love to hear about it, Ally. And please let me know before you go. I have many other recommendations. 🙂
The original draw for me was the idea if walking it WITH you, but I’ve gotta say, you’re doing a great job of showing how lovely this area is.
It’s absolutely worth a visit, Nancy. Hope you’re safe and HIKING in Vegas.
Mmm fried pickles. 🙂 I ate a whole basket in Fayetteville Arkansas and was too full to finish my bbq sandwich. Pickles first!
Don’t know whether they have fried pickles in Seattle, but I’d be happy to share with you next month.
I don’t know why I’ve never been to Natchez, though I’ve been in other places in Mississippi. (I still have to say the Mississippi spelling litany in my head that I learned in first grade when I think of spelling Mississippi.)
Natchez isn’t easy to reach, Linda. I’m always surprised by that when I decide to visit……..I’ll be there again April 10 – 12.
It looks like an incredible place to visit. If we ever get to that part of the world, be our guide? 🙂
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