The Natchez Trace Bicycle Tour

Itinerary Details

1. Day 1Welcome to Mississippi!

   Meet your leaders and take a two-hour shuttle ride to Natchez where you’ll begin your adventure. Enjoy a Sunday brunch and a tour of the famous Stanton Hall Historic Home.

   Take a warm-up ride around the town of Natchez that passes many of Natchez’s classic antebellum mansions. Tonight, the group will gather for a welcome reception and dinner at the Guest House Mansion.
   

   • 15.5 miles
   • Guest House Mansion Inn
   • Lunch and Dinner

   • 

     Guest House Mansion Inn

     This historic mansion was originally built in 1840 by the grandson of Natchez’s first mayor and prides itself on its deep-rooted history and antebellum architecture

   • 

     Guest House Mansion Inn

     This historic mansion was originally built in 1840 by the grandson of Natchez’s first mayor and prides itself on its deep-rooted history and antebellum architecture

2. Day 2Up the Trace to Mt. Locust

   Enjoy lunch at the beautifully restored Cedars Plantation for lunch in the rural town of Church Hill. After lunch the route will rejoin the Trace heading back south towards Natchez, passing through Mt. Locust. Loopback to the southern terminus of the Trace and head back to the Guesthouse Manor.

   Departing from the hotel, it’s a short ride through Natchez to the southern terminus of the Natchez Trace Parkway (mile marker 0). Once on the Trace, you’ll follow the gently graded and scenic and winding route north for ten miles. Leaving the Trace takes you to Emerald Mound, the second-largest ceremonial mound in the nation built by the Natchez Indians between 1300 and 1600AD and a National Historic Landmark. Mounds were built as places of worship and the Emerald Mound was originally topped with eight ceremonial stone structures, however, none of these still stand as it was abandoned in the mid 1700s.

   The ride then continues on the first leg of a loop through a lightly travelled countryside lined with historic antebellum mansions, pausing at the beautifully restored Cedars Plantation for lunch in the rural town of Church Hill. After lunch, the route will rejoin the Trace heading south back towards Natchez, passing through Mt. Locust, the only surviving of the original fifty “stands” established in the 1800’s to host travellers transiting along the original Trace. Passing by the exit for Emerald Mound again completes this loop and the route backtracks for the final ten miles to the southern terminus of the Trace and back to the Guesthouse Manor.

   Dinner is on your own tonight in Natchez and your leaders will provide you with several recommendations within walking distance of the Guest House Mansion.

   CYCLING OPTIONS: 21 Miles (33km)/31 Miles (50km) /37 Miles (60km)
   

   • 20.5 - 37.3 miles
   • Guest House Mansion Inn
   • Breakfast and Lunch

   • 

     Guest House Mansion Inn

     This historic mansion was originally built in 1840 by the grandson of Natchez’s first mayor and prides itself on its deep-rooted history and antebellum architecture

   • 

     Guest House Mansion Inn

     This historic mansion was originally built in 1840 by the grandson of Natchez’s first mayor and prides itself on its deep-rooted history and antebellum architecture

3. Day 3Natchez to Vicksburg (Windsor Ruins)

   The day begins with a fifty-minute shuttle ride north to Windsor Ruins, a historic site featuring the remains of one of the largest antebellum mansions ever built in Mississippi. The Ruins were used as a Union hospital and observation post during the Civil War, but the mansion unfortunately burnt to the ground at a house party after the war, leaving only the iconic 23 columns standing.

   You’ll head north on a quiet back road to Port Gibson, the third oldest settlement in Mississippi. Many of Port Gibson’s historic buildings survived the Civil War because Ulysses S. Grant believed the city was “too beautiful to burn.”

   Re-joining the Trace in Port Gibson you will continue north with a brief stop at the “Sunken Trace,” a portion of the original Trace route so heavily travelled that it is eroded lower than the surrounding woods. The route then continues up the Trace to a picnic lunch hosted by your leaders at Rocky Springs, the remnants of a once-thriving community. Here you can pause and see the ruins that remain of the settlement, and read up on the unfortunate plight that ended what was once a thriving community of 2,600 people.

   For riders that would like to continue after lunch, the route will continue another five miles up the Trace and then you’ll head west back to the Mississippi River and Vicksburg via the Mississippi River Trail (MRT), a designated bicycle route network that parallels the length of the Mississippi River from the mouth of the river in Venice, Louisiana to the headwaters at Lake Itasca in Minnesota. Vicksburg will be your home for the next two nights. Tonight you’ll host a group dinner at Anchuca, one of the tour operator's favourite local restaurants.

   CYCLING OPTIONS: 16 Miles (25km), 35 Miles (56km), 58 Mile (93km)
   

   • 15.5 - 57.8 miles
   • Corners Mansion Inn
   • Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

   • 

     Windsor Ruins

     Visit these historic ruins on day 3 of the tour

   • 

     The Corners Mansion Inn

     Located in Vicksburg’s Historic Garden District, The Corners is a true Southern Mansion with original parterre gardens and views of the Mississippi River

   • 

     The Corners Mansion Inn

     Located in Vicksburg’s Historic Garden District, The Corners is a true Southern Mansion with original parterre gardens and views of the Mississippi River

4. Day 4Vicksburg National Military Park

   After breakfast, the owner of the Corners Mansion will give a tour of her property and then you’re off to enjoy a guided tour of the historic Vicksburg National Military Park provided by a local historian. Vicksburg was one of the decisive turning points in the Civil War, and the expert historian tour guide will re-tell the incredible story of the events in 1862 and 1863 that lead up to the confederacy surrendering Vicksburg to General Grant, a pivotal moment leading up to the end of the Civil War.

   The route will take you back through town on the MRT to the Park and then your first stop is the Visitors Center, where you’ll see a video that will orient you for the rest of the day. You’ll meet the tour guide here and then embark on the route through the park, with stops along the way to see the sights and hear the story from the guide. This is the hilliest ride of the trip; however, there will be many stopping points to catch your breath! The guided tour will last around three hours, and then you’ll arrive at the USS Cairo Museum that features the salvaged remains of a sunken ironclad warship and its artefacts, where your leaders will host a picnic lunch.

   After lunch, the route continues through the park, completing the “north loop” of the park. Here you have the option to also ride the “south loop”, or head back to the Corners Mansion. For those who are interested, there is a spa within walking distance of the Inn. If you are so inclined, please inquire and reserve this in advance, as they are often booked. This evening your leaders will host a wine and beer reception at the Corners Mansion and then you are free to explore Vicksburg on your own. Your leaders will provide you with several dining recommendations within walking distance.

   CYCLING OPTIONS: 11 Miles (17km), 19 Miles (30km), 22 Miles (35km)
   

   • 10.6 - 21.7 miles
   • Corners Mansion Inn
   • Breakfast and Lunch

   • 

     The Corners Mansion Inn

     Located in Vicksburg’s Historic Garden District, The Corners is a true Southern Mansion with original parterre gardens and views of the Mississippi River

   • 

     The Corners Mansion Inn

     Located in Vicksburg’s Historic Garden District, The Corners is a true Southern Mansion with original parterre gardens and views of the Mississippi River

5. Day 5Vicksburg to Jackson

   Leaving the hills of Vicksburg behind, your ride goes from urban to suburban to very rural farmland, passing through some old growth and heavily forested areas as well as open farmland. This is truly rural Mississippi! At 30 miles you’ll rejoin the Trace Parkway one last time for 10 miles and exit at the historic town of Clinton, a suburb of Jackson and home of Mississippi State College. Lunch will be at the 303 Jefferson restaurant in the centre of the historic red-bricked downtown.

   After lunch, the route will transit a series of low traffic suburban roads before the landscape turns urban as you pass Jackson State University. For the final encore, you’ll ride down Capitol Street through the heart of downtown Jackson, past the Governor’s Mansion and Old Capitol building before arriving at your final overnight stop the Old Capitol Inn. After freshening up, join your fellow travellers for a drink on the hotel's rooftop lounge before you head out for a final farewell hosted group dinner.

   CYCLING OPTIONS:12 Miles (19km), 28 Miles (45km), 48 Miles (77km), 58 Miles (93km)
   

   • 11.8 - 57.8 miles
   • Old Capitol Inn
   • Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

   • 

     Old Capitol Inn

     The inn features a rooftop garden with stunning views of the city and evening wine-and-cheese receptions

   • 

     Old Capitol Inn

     The inn features a rooftop garden with stunning views of the city and evening wine-and-cheese receptions

6. Day 6Jackson & Depart for the Airport

   Your hotel is conveniently located one block away from the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and the Old Capitol Museum, and also a short walk from the new Mississippi state capital. The morning if free and open for you to explore, but these all come highly recommended. Breakfast will be available starting at 7AM and the tour operator will leave for the airport after checkout at noon.
   

   • Breakfast