Red Bluffs Hike
Red Bluffs is the coolest hike we completed in Mississippi. The canyon is characterized by its striking red and yellow color and breathtaking views. It almost looks like something you’d expect to find in the southwest. There are a few different trails you can hike here. One goes straight down into the canyon, and another is a moderately challenging trail you can take down to some train tracks, abandoned train cars, and a river. It’s an active train line and we saw a train go by when we were there, so keep an ear out for oncoming trains.

There aren’t any official trails, but you can see some more well-worn paths that you can follow. We used this trail on AllTrails to keep us on track. If it’s rained recently, the trail will be pretty muddy and might have mosquitoes. We took our time and spent about 90 minutes here.

This stop is a little out of the way if you just want to drive the Natchez Trace Parkway, but we think it’s worth it. It was our favorite stop of the weekend.

Town of Natchez
The town of Natchez is a beautiful town on a hill. You can drive through the town to see antebellum homes and take a walk along the waterfront. There are a few National Park Service antebellum houses in town that you can tour, as well as some restaurants to grab lunch.

Longwood (optional)
When you visit Longwood, you’ll step back in time to tour an antebellum mansion known for its distinctive shape and architecture style. You can walk through the grounds and the mansion. It’s $25/person to tour the mansion.

Start your drive on the scenic Natchez Trace Parkway
Natchez Trace Parkway is a beautiful 444 mile drive going from Natchez, Mississippi, to Nashville, Tennessee. It follows the historic Natchez Trace, a trail that was used by Native Americans, European settlers, traders, and soldiers – you can even see parts of the old road along the drive. We decided to drive a part of it and stop at some of the best sites along the way. The speed limit is 55 MPH the entire highway. We were warned that there would be lots of cops setting speed traps on this drive, but we didn’t see any.

Emerald Mound
Mile Marker 10
Along the Natchez Trace Parkway, there are a few different pullouts to see different mounds. The mounds were built by Native American peoples using a combination of soil, clay, sand, and other natural materials most likely between 1250-1600 AD. It’s thought that the mounds were used for ceremonial purposes.

Emerald Mound is the largest, most impressive and best-preserved mound. Besides looking at the mound, you can read about the history and significance of this archaeological site. Personally, I think stopping at one mound sight is perfect – they’re all pretty similar, but vary in sizing.

Sunken Trace
Mile Marker 41
The Sunken Trace is a short, wooded segment that has gradually dipped over centuries. From the parking lot, you can complete a five minute walk in the sunken part of the trail.

Owens Creek Waterfall
Mile Marker 42
This little waterfall has the most blue-green, mineral-rich water in the pool beneath it. It’s a short 2 minute walk down a hill to see the small falls.

Rocky Springs
Mile Marker 54
The name Rocky Springs is a little misleading since the natural spring has permanently dried up. Here you can take a short 15 minute walk and read informational signs to learn about the town that used to exist here. You can also see a church and cemetery.

Vicksburg
We spent the night in Vicksburg, a city full of Civil War history. It’s right off of the Natchez Trace Parkway and makes for a great stopping point. You can explore historic sites and see the Vicksburg Murals, take a walk in their cute downtown, and enjoy a good meal.

Go to Rusty’s Riverfront Grill for Dinner
We had a delicious dinner at Rusty’s. It’s a local favorite. They have southern classics (like shrimp and grits), seafood, and standard American fare (like burgers). You can also get a Mississippi Mud brownie for dessert. 

See the Vicksburg Murals
Walk along the Yazoo River (the river dividing Mississippi from Louisiana) and check out the murals that line the walls of Vicksburg. They depict important images from the city’s history.

Biedenharn Coca Cola Museum
The Biedenharn Coca Cola Museum is a private collection of Coca Cola paraphernalia and original bottling equipment. It’s housed in a restored building where Coca-Cola was first bottled in the late 1800s. Admission is under $4 per person and they also have coke floats available for purchase.

Stay in Vicksburg
We stayed at the Mulberry Vicksburg and really liked the hotel. It is a hybrid between a hotel and a resident building. There is a large pool with nice lounge chairs, lawn games, a gym, a game room with a pool table, and a cafe. It was conveniently located and had easy, free parking in a garage across the street.

When you leave Vicksburg, you have two options, you can continue driving up the Natchez Trace Parkway, or you can venture over to see some other towns, like Yazoo City. I would recommend Natchez Trace Parkway, unless you’re looking for a photo opportunity.

Yazoo City
Yazoo City is a small Southern town known for its colorful main street storefronts. It’s a cool place to take photographs, but it was pretty quiet when we drove through. If you do go through Yazoo City, you’ll join back up with the Natchez Trace later on in the drive. The first stop back on the Natchez Trace Parkway would be the Bynum Mounds. If you want to visit the Cypress Swamp, you’ll need to backtrack.

Natchez Trace Stops
Cypress Swamp
Milepost 122
At the Cypress Swamp, you can walk a short half mile loop trail to see a forest of sunken cypress trees. Part of the trail is dirt and part is a boardwalk. Keep an eye out for snakes and alligators here.

Bynum Mounds
Mile Marker 232
Bynum mounds are two smaller mounds created by Native American peoples. If you missed the Emerald Mound, this is an alternative stop to see some smaller mounds.

Witch Dance
Mile Marker 233
It’s thought that this stop used to be a gathering place for witches. The sign is the cutest part of the stop. There are picnic areas here and you can take a five minute walk in the woods. There’s also bathrooms here.

Tupelo
Tupelo isn’t on the Natchez Trace Parkway, but it can be easily accessed from it. There are a bunch of things you can do in Tupelo:
– Visit the birthplace of Elvis Presley where you can tour his childhood home and learn about his life.
– Walk the cute downtown and try to find the graffiti murals
– Grab a mead flight or mead slushies at Queen’s Reward Meadery
– Have a bite to eat at Blue Canoe (pub food) or Neon Pig (burgers)

Tishomingo State Park
Tishomingo has some of the best hiking on the Natchez Trace Parkway. We did two trails, the CCC Camp Trail and the Bear Creek Outcroppings Trail.

Bear Creek Outcroppings Trail
Distance: 1.9 miles
Level: Easy
Time: 1 hour
Elevation Gain: Minimal
This is a fun little trail that goes over a suspension bridge to a waterfall. There are a couple different worn paths and it can get a little confusing – we ended up totally losing the trail and finding a different path back to the start. We padded the time slightly to account for that.

For the CCC Camp Trail, you can either do a half mile loop trail or a 3.5 mile loop trail. On both trails, you’ll see a Pioneer Cabin, wildflowers and ferns, and some streams and springs. It’s a great trail to do in spring.

Exit the Natchez Trace Parkway – or not
We exited the Natchez Trace Parkway shortly after we visited Tishomingo State Park. We were driving to Huntsville, but you could easily drive to Nashville or Memphis from here as well. From Tishomingo it will take about two hours to get to either Memphis or Huntsville and around 3 hours to get to Nashville. If you’re going to Nashville, you can stay on the Natchez Trace Parkway the entire way. To get to Huntsville or Memphis, you’ll leave the scenic parkway shortly after Tishomingo State Park.