Natchez is the oldest settlement on the Mississippi River, perched on a bluff high above the water. It is one of the great antebellum towns of the American South — a place where the wealth of the cotton economy produced an extraordinary concentration of grand houses, many of which survive intact. Few Southern towns have preserved such a rich architectural heritage.
The town has two distinct characters. On top of the bluff, the historic district is full of columned mansions, brick-paved streets, and live oaks draped in Spanish moss. Below the bluff, Natchez Under-the-Hill — once a rowdy riverboat landing — is now a quiet strip along the Mississippi with a few restaurants and bars. The Natchez Trace Parkway, the scenic road that follows the old overland route to Nashville, begins here.
Natchez is a small place — fewer than 15,000 people — and you can see the main sights in a day or two. But the pace is slow, the food is good, and the river views from the bluff at sunset are hard to beat.