Natchez Bed and Breakfast
Natchez bed and breakfasts are set in a rich southern ambience, providing a secluded backdrop to a weekend getaway. Equidistant from Jackson, Mississippi and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Natchez makes for a great stop in a longer Southern road trip--or a vacation destination in its own right.
The town sits close to the Mississippi River, providing close access to steamboat tours and rolling nature views. It also features historic architecture and mansions that are open for touring, including Stanton Hall, and the Brandon Hall Plantation. Downtown Natchez offers educational museums, art galleries, theaters, antique shopping and more. The tree-lined sidewalks make for quaint and relaxing strolls, whether in summer or in Natchez’s mild winters. Guests can visit the Natchez National and City Cemeteries, the Natchez Bluff Trail with stellar river views, and a range of local festivals.Bed and breakfasts in Natchez, MS are equipped with a range of amenities. The innkeepers embody Southern charm, always ready with a sightseeing tip, a recipe, or a convivial story.
The city of Natchez gets its name from the Natchez tribe of Native Americans, who inhabited the region for centuries prior to French colonization in 1716. Throughout the eighteenth century, the city was an important colonial center, first for the French and then the British. After the United States acquired the territory through the Revolutionary War, Natchez served as the capital of the Mississippi Territory and later the state of Mississippi.In the history of the American Old Southwest, Natchez figures prominently as an economic center, serving as the endpoint of the Natchez Trace which connected the city to Nashville, Tennessee. The city’s economy rested on slave labor and the impact of this system is visible today in plantation mansions that surround the city.
Many of Natchez’s activities center on exploring history and nature.For outdoor adventurers, the Natchez Bluff Trail is one of the region’s popular hiking options. It follows the bluff from its base to top and runs alongside Victorian-era homes on Clifton Avenue. Interpretive panels set along the path spotlight Natchez’s history; walkers can pause to watch boat traffic on the river or the sunset over Louisiana.The Natchez National Cemetery is a historical landmark purchased at the end of the Civil War, and occupies an 11-acre site at the top of the Natchez Bluff.Natchez is famous for its historic mansions and antebellum homes. The Melrose, a 15,000 square-foot mansion, exemplifies the Greek Revival design common in antebellum America. It is open for tours and furnished to look the way it did just before the Civil War. Another popular home is the Rosalie Mansion, a historic house museum built in 1823, which acted as architectural inspiration for other homes in the town of Natchez and the South more broadly. It also served as the Union headquarters for the Natchez area for part of the Civil War.
The city of Natchez sits close to the Mississippi River, the second-longest river in North America, which is famed for its steamboat traffic and wide, still water between banks. Breezes from the river provide a refreshing contrast to the warmth of the southern region. Natchez is also close to the Louisiana border.It is surrounded by miles of Southern rural geography--farmland, rolling hills, and green grass, along with southern trees and plants. Natchez Bluff Park is a 200-foot-high area overlooking the River, which allows visitors to take in the water and watch the clouds move across the sky in a still and temperate Southern climate. The city is also home to a range of plant life, from the stately oaks that line the downtown to the climbing trees located on the fields farther out from the city.
Guests to Natchez can spend time exploring the history of the region and its restored homes. For those interested in design and history, the mansions in the town provide tours to allow visitors a glimpse at the past. The town’s architecture is distinctive--Longwood, also known as Nutt’s Folly, is a historic mansion with an octagonal shape, designated as a National Historic Landmark. It is the largest octagonal mansion in the United States and is known for the contrast between its first floor--finished and ornately decorated--and its unfinished upper floors. Stanton Hall is a Greek Revival designed home that is so large it occupies a full city block. Built in 1857, the house was briefly the home of Stanton College for young ladies; today it is maintained by the Pilgrimage Garden Club, which decorates its grounds.Natchez is also a popular spot for antique shopping and for its downtown cultural attractions, including historic museums and movie theaters. Nature lovers have a range of hiking options available to them.One can’t-miss destination in the city is the Natchez National Historical Park, which is maintained by the National Park Service. It consists of three separate sites, including the Melrose Estate and Fort Rosalie, an eighteenth-century fort that was built by the French and subsequently occupied by Great Britain, Spain, and the U.S. The Park also contains the William Johnson House, the preserved home of William Johnson, a nineteenth-century free African American barber and Natchez resident, who kept a diary that has been published.
Natchez shares the humid, subtropical climate of the Deep South. Visitors can expect long, hot summers and short, mild winters. Temperatures in the state of Mississippi average eighty degrees in the summer and forty degrees in the winter. Snowfall is rare in the state, and thunderstorms are common. The region is also affected by hurricanes in the late summer and fall and more rarely by tornadoes- in 1840, for example, The Great Natchez Tornado hit the city.
Natchez features classic Deep South cuisines in its restaurants and bed and breakfasts. Guests can also expect to sample Southern brewed liquors. The Charbonneau Distillery makes rum with local sugar, and the Natchez Brewing Company offers tours and fresh beer.One of the town’s most popular restaurants is the Castle Restaurant at Dunleith Historic Inn, an elegant hotel in a nineteenth-century style manor, with an outdoor pool and rustic-chic dining--offering Southern cuisine. Restaurant 1818 at Monmouth Historic Inn provides an antebellum dining experience including a la carte dishes, and Rolling River Bistro features live music and a fresh seafood menu.For casual dining, check out the Magnolia Grill and The Camp, a restaurant overlooking the Mississippi River. Kings Tavern is the oldest standing building in Natchez and the entire Mississippi Territory; it was founded in 1789, and today its menu specializes in wood-fired flatbread, cocktails and homemade ice cream.
Natchez B&Bs offer superior Southern experiences to visitors--combining charm and hospitality with luxury. Guests to the city can expect to stay in guest houses or historic homes within walking distance of the city’s notable historic mansions and boutique shopping alike. Natchez Inns provide cozy and carefully decorated interiors along with fresh breakfasts. Check in to a Natchez bed and breakfast for a family trip, a romantic getaway or a trip with friends. Guests can experience southern hospitality firsthand at the bed and breakfasts in Natchez, such as the Riverboat Bed and Breakfast.
Visitors to Natchez bed and breakfasts can expect a full array of amenities. These include the small necessities--like free WiFi--and the unexpected luxuries: a private bath, river views, and secluded guest rooms with four-poster beds. Vacation rentals are popular, so guests can expect their innkeepers to provide recommendations for the best way to spend a weekend in Natchez. Guests can also expect charming decor, whether they’re staying in a cottage, historic home or townhouse.
Many bed and breakfasts are located close to the downtown area, the heart of Natchez, as well as historic mansions and natural sights. Car rentals are available in the city. The Natchez-Adams County Airport is located six miles northeast of the central business district of the city. Other airport options include the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport and Jackson’s Medgar Wiley Evers international airport.
Local bed and breakfasts include quaint, quiet cottage homes and richly decorated historic homes, along with Natchez’s well-known plantations bed and breakfasts. The Devereaux Shields House is listed on the National Historic Register for significant homes. It includes two properties: the 1893 Queen Anne Victorian main house, and the 1873 Victorian Aunt Clara’s Cottage. The homes are just a few blocks from Natchez Bluff and are surrounded by relaxing gardens, where breakfast can be served on warm mornings. The Shields House is one of the best bed and breakfasts in Natchez.Other equally excellent options include the Clermont Bluffs bed and breakfast, which offers luxurious rooms in a secluded Victorian home, just one mile from Natchez’s Main Street, and the Linden Antebellum bed and breakfast, a 1790 mansion that offers a formal dining room. For a culinary getaway, the Twin Oaks bed and breakfast is located in the heart of the town. Try the Gardensong B&B or the Oak Hill Inn for a historic home or a private romantic getaway.