This Mississippi Scenic Byway Is The Road Trip Of A Lifetime

Driving along the Natchez Trace Parkway offers you a chance to step back in time and experience the landscapes that have shaped the American South. Spanning 444 miles between Natchez, Mississippi, and Nashville, Tennessee, the road is generally open year-round for drivers, cyclists, and road trippers, although short sections can close temporarily during storms or maintenance work. In Mississippi, you encounter a tapestry of cypress swamps, oak forests, and waterfalls. This portion of the route is especially full of stories, with ancient Native American mounds, sunken paths worn by early travelers, and small river towns filled with antebellum homes and welcoming riverfronts. Here is a closer look at this memorable drive, with an itinerary highlighting Mississippi’s standout stops and experiences as you travel north from Natchez toward Tupelo.

Natchez To Port Gibson

Begin your journey in Natchez, perched high above the Mississippi River, where historic antebellum homes and sweeping river views immediately transport you to a bygone era. Start at the Natchez Visitors Center in the heart of downtown to pick up maps and gather tips for navigating the parkway. Then visit the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians, a 128-acre park and museum with three ancient mounds connected by a short nature trail and free admission, making this an easy first walk of the trip.

Just up the parkway at milepost 15.5, Mount Locust Historic House gives a glimpse of life along the Old Trace. Once a frontier “stand” that provided meals and beds for travelers, it is now a carefully preserved inn surrounded by fields and forest, and the grounds offer a quiet place to stretch your legs before you continue north.

Emerald Mound

A short drive farther, at Stanton, Emerald Mound rises as the largest Native American mound in Mississippi and one of the largest Mississippian mounds in the United States. The site is open during daylight hours, and a gently graded trail leads to the top for broad views of the surrounding countryside. Continue northeast toward Port Gibson, where the Sunken Trace offers a deeply worn remnant of the old trail and a rare glimpse of the landscape as travelers saw it centuries ago.

Grand Gulf Military Park

The next stop will be Grand Gulf Military Park, dedicated to preserving the memory of the area and an important Civil War battle. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this approximately 400-acre site features Fort Cobun and Fort Wade, short walking paths, picnic areas, several restored historic buildings, and a museum showcasing artifacts such as prehistoric fossils and Civil War relics, along with historical documents spanning from the late 1700s to the 1950s. The park makes an easy day trip, and if you wish to stay overnight, you can take advantage of the on-site campground.

Raymond And Clinton

Continuing northeast, you reach Raymond, site of the Battle of Raymond, where preserved earthworks and interpretive signs recount a Civil War clash set against calm rural landscapes. A short drive on the Natchez Trace Parkway also leads to Owens Creek Waterfall, where a shaded forest hike brings you to a gentle cascade framed by ferns and moss, making it a quiet spot for photos and a picnic.

Nearby Clinton provides another worthwhile break from the road. Once a Choctaw settlement and later a small cotton center, the town now serves as a hub on the western side of the region while still feeling like a college community. Olde Towne’s red brick streets border Mississippi College and are lined with shops, restaurants, and historic homes. Depending on when you visit, you may find seasonal markets or live music in the streets, adding a bit of local flavor to your drive.

Jackson, Mississippi

From Raymond and Clinton, it is an easy hop into Jackson, Mississippi’s capital, and a natural overnight stop along the parkway corridor. Give yourself time here, since the city blends government, history, and culture in a compact area.

Begin at the Mississippi State Capitol, a Beaux Arts landmark with a copper dome, marble halls, and guided tours that explain how the state’s laws are made. Nearby, the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum offers a moving look at the struggle for equality through powerful exhibits, personal stories, and multimedia displays that linger in your mind long after you leave.

Literature fans will want to visit the Eudora Welty House and Garden, the preserved home of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author. Her books and belongings still line the shelves, and the flower-filled yard hints at scenes that later appeared in her stories.

When you are ready for some outdoor time, head to LeFleur’s Bluff State Park on the edge of the city. This 305-acre green space has nature trails, shaded picnic spots, fishing lakes, camping areas, and an 18-hole disc golf course. It is named for Louis LeFleur, a French Canadian trader who set up a post on the Pearl River in the late 1700s, long before Jackson grew up around it.

Ridgeland And The Barnett Reservoir

Past Jackson, the parkway winds toward Ridgeland, where the Ross Barnett Reservoir offers a broad sweep of water and sky. With roughly 33,000 acres of surface area and more than 100 miles of shoreline, this vast lake is a favorite spot for boating, kayaking, water skiing, fishing, paddleboarding, picnicking, and birdwatching. Several public access areas make it easy to launch a boat, cast a line, or simply sit on the shore and watch the light change over the water. Anglers will be especially pleased, as the reservoir appears on the Mississippi Crappie Trail.

Tupelo

If you continue north into the hills of northeast Mississippi, you eventually reach Tupelo, a small city that serves as headquarters for the Natchez Trace Parkway. At milepost 266, the Parkway Visitor Center features exhibits, a short introductory film, and rangers who can provide information on road conditions, history, and hiking options. It is open daily during daytime hours except on major winter holidays, so it works well as a planning stop early or late in your trip, depending on which end of the route you start from.

From the visitor center, you can explore more of Tupelo. History buffs can detour to Tupelo National Battlefield, a one-acre park that commemorates an 1864 Civil War engagement that helped protect Union supply lines. Fans of music history will want to visit the Elvis Presley Birthplace, where a small museum, chapel, and preserved shotgun house trace the early years of the future rock and roll star. Together, these sites add layers of story to the landscapes you have been driving through along the parkway.

Traveling Along The Natchez Trace Parkway

The Mississippi portion of the Natchez Trace Parkway ranks among the South’s most admired drives, showing off the region’s natural beauty and deep history. The road carries you past moss-draped forests, gentle waterfalls, sunken trails, and ancient mounds, and every stop offers a connection to the people who lived, worked, and traveled here centuries ago. Pause at a roadside overlook, wander a quiet trail, or spend an evening in one of the small towns along the way. With careful attention to weather reports and park alerts, the parkway provides a year-round opportunity to experience the past while enjoying the outdoors and the distinctive character of Mississippi on the stretch between Natchez and Tupelo.