Vicksburg National Military Park, the Natchez Trace & Historic Natchez, Mississippi
Sometimes we arrive in an area expecting to see one major attraction and discover there is far more to explore than we anticipated. That was certainly the case when our travels took us to Vicksburg, Mississippi.
We came primarily to visit Vicksburg National Military Park, but our time in this part of Mississippi soon expanded into Civil War history, Mississippi River overlooks, the Natchez Trace Parkway, an abandoned town, historic homes, and eventually a day exploring Natchez.
There was enough here to keep us busy for several days—and plenty that we didn’t have time to see.
Crossing the Mississippi
Our travel day brought us from Louisiana into Mississippi, which meant crossing the Mississippi River.
It wasn’t our first time crossing the river, but there is still something impressive about it every time you see it. The Mississippi is enormous, and crossing it really does feel like you’ve reached another part of the country.
Our destination was a free dry camping area at Rocky Springs, east of Vicksburg along the Natchez Trace Parkway.
It turned out to be a wonderfully quiet place to stay and put us in a good location for exploring both Vicksburg and the Trace.
Exploring the Natchez Trace Parkway
The modern Natchez Trace Parkway roughly follows the route of the historic Natchez Trace, an old travel corridor connecting Natchez, Mississippi, with Nashville, Tennessee.
Long before there was a scenic parkway here, people traveled this route on foot and horseback.
Today, the parkway provides a beautiful drive through the Mississippi countryside, with historic sites, trails and overlooks scattered along the route.
One of our stops was Mangum Mound, an ancient burial mound and sacred site.
Even a simple drive along the Trace can turn into a history lesson because there always seems to be another marker, trail or historic site waiting around the next bend.
An Unexpected Antique Car Show
On our first day exploring the area, we were headed toward Vicksburg when we came across an unexpected bonus.
An antique car club had stopped near the public restrooms.
Naturally, we had to take a look.
That’s one of the things we love about traveling. You can plan all you want, but some of the most interesting things you see aren’t on the itinerary at all.
Then it was on to the main reason we’d come to Vicksburg.
Vicksburg National Military Park
Vicksburg National Military Park is huge.
We knew it was an important Civil War battlefield before we arrived, but we weren’t prepared for just how much there was to see.
The park encompasses more than 2,500 acres and includes monuments and markers, preserved trenches and earthworks, historic structures, cannons, walking trails and a long tour road that takes visitors through the battlefield.
Throughout the park, monuments commemorate the soldiers and units who fought in the Vicksburg campaign.
You can drive the tour road and stop at various points along the way, making it possible to spend as much or as little time as you want exploring individual sites.
If you’re interested in Civil War history, you could easily spend hours here.
And then there’s the USS Cairo.
Seeing the USS Cairo
This may have been one of our favorite parts of the entire visit.
The USS Cairo was a Union ironclad gunboat, and seeing what remains of the vessel gives you a fascinating look at Civil War-era naval technology.
Although the ship deteriorated during the years it spent underwater, enough survives to understand how it was constructed and how the machinery and other components fit together.
Ed especially enjoyed this part of the park.
Seeing the actual vessel makes the engineering much easier to understand than simply looking at drawings or photographs in a book.
It’s an extraordinary piece of surviving history.
Vicksburg National Cemetery
Vicksburg National Military Park is also home to Vicksburg National Cemetery, where thousands of Union soldiers are buried.
After seeing battlefield monuments scattered throughout the park, the cemetery gives the story another perspective.
These weren’t simply armies and movements on a battlefield map. Thousands of individual people died during the war, and places like this make the scale of that loss difficult to ignore.
The Mississippi River and Vicksburg
Vicksburg’s location above the Mississippi River was one of the reasons the city was so strategically important during the Civil War.
From the bluffs, you can see where the Mississippi once flowed much closer to the city.
The river changed course in the 1870s, so the water seen directly below portions of Vicksburg today is no longer the main channel of the Mississippi.
We also found a Mississippi River overlook on the south side of town.
The view alone makes it worth stopping, but during the Civil War this high ground served a very different purpose, with artillery positioned to command the river below.
Standing there and looking down toward the water makes it much easier to understand why controlling Vicksburg mattered so much.
Vicksburg’s Riverfront Murals
Another stop we really enjoyed was the Vicksburg Riverfront Murals.
The murals are painted along the city’s floodwall, with individual scenes depicting important people and events from Vicksburg’s history.
They’re beautifully done, but they’re also an unusual way to learn about the town.
Instead of walking through a museum and reading display panels, you’re walking beside a massive outdoor timeline painted directly onto the floodwall.
If you’re already visiting the battlefield, the murals are well worth adding to your day.
Back on the Natchez Trace
We spent more time exploring the Natchez Trace during our stay, including an attempt to hike to Grindstone Ford.
The trail led through an old cemetery and past a marker for Daniel Burnett’s Stand, one of the places that once served travelers along the Trace.
Conditions on the trail made the hike a little more adventurous than expected.
There were fallen trees and other obstacles to work around, but that didn’t bother General.
Dogs apparently have a considerable advantage when it comes to jumping over fallen trees.
Ed had to work a little harder.
The trail wasn’t especially strenuous in terms of elevation, but the downed trees made it challenging enough to be fun.
Owens Creek
We also stopped at Owens Creek, where we were lucky enough to find the waterfall flowing.
Stops like this are part of what makes the Natchez Trace so enjoyable.
You don’t necessarily need one enormous destination at the end of the road. The drive itself is the attraction, with small natural and historic sites providing plenty of reasons to stop along the way.
The Ghost Town of Rocky Springs
One of those stops was practically next door to our campground.
Rocky Springs was once a thriving community, but little remains of the town today.
A short trail led us to the old church, and interpretive signs along the way explained some of the community’s history.
The church itself still stands and remains in use.
Inside, we found a map showing the layout of Rocky Springs during the town’s more prosperous years.
It’s fascinating to stand in a quiet wooded area and realize that you’re walking through what was once someone’s hometown.
Following the Trace South to Natchez
After exploring Vicksburg and the surrounding area, we headed farther south to Natchez, Mississippi.
Our first stop was the visitor center, followed by an overlook where we could see the bridge crossing the Mississippi between Natchez and Vidalia, Louisiana.
Before bridges connected the two sides of the river, travelers depended on ferries to make the crossing.
We also found another overlook closer to the river and spent some time enjoying the views before heading into town.
Historic Homes in Natchez
One of the things Natchez is best known for is its collection of historic homes.
There are beautiful old houses throughout the city, with many open for tours.
At the time of our visit, touring several of them wasn’t in our travel budget, so instead we drove around town and admired the architecture from the outside.
And honestly, there was still plenty to see.
Street after street offered another beautiful historic building.
For anyone interested in architecture or Southern history, you could spend a great deal of time simply exploring Natchez.
Melrose Estate
We did get a closer look at one historic property when we visited Melrose Estate.
The house was closed for tours during our visit because of COVID restrictions, but we were still able to walk around the grounds with General.
Even without going inside, it was worth visiting.
The house and grounds provide another glimpse into the history of Natchez and the very different world that existed here in the 19th century.
We would have loved to see the interior, but sometimes traveling means enjoying whatever is available at the time.
There Is a Lot to See in This Part of Mississippi
What started as a trip to see Vicksburg National Military Park became several days of exploring.
We saw a major Civil War battlefield.
We toured the remains of an ironclad gunboat.
We stood above the Mississippi River.
We walked along one of America’s historic travel corridors.
We visited an abandoned town, found a waterfall, admired riverfront murals and drove past beautiful historic homes in Natchez.
And we still didn’t see everything.
That’s one of the things we came to appreciate about this area. The attractions aren’t isolated from one another. They fit together.
The Mississippi River explains much of Vicksburg’s history. The battlefield explains why control of the river mattered. The Natchez Trace tells the story of how people traveled through this region long before modern highways, while Natchez preserves another part of Mississippi’s complicated past.
Together, they make this much more than a quick stop on the way somewhere else.
Planning a Vicksburg and Natchez Road Trip
If you’re traveling through western Mississippi, we’d allow at least a couple of days for the area.
You could devote one day primarily to Vicksburg, including Vicksburg National Military Park, the USS Cairo, the National Cemetery, the riverfront murals and the Mississippi River overlooks.
Then spend another day exploring sections of the Natchez Trace Parkway, stopping at historic sites and trails as you make your way toward Natchez.
If historic homes are a priority, you may want even more time in Natchez itself.
And don’t overlook the smaller stops.
Rocky Springs, Owens Creek, the old Trace trails and the unexpected things you find along the road were all part of what made this trip memorable for us.
Would We Visit Again?
Absolutely.
Vicksburg turned out to have far more to see than we’d expected, and the Natchez Trace gave us an entirely different kind of experience just outside the city.
Add historic Natchez to the trip, and this little corner of Mississippi can easily fill several days.
If you enjoy American history, Civil War sites, scenic drives, historic architecture or simply discovering interesting places along the road, Vicksburg, the Natchez Trace and Natchez are well worth exploring.
We’ll see you down the road…and Over the Hills!
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