Tupelo

On Thursday, I left Hanna in the air conditioned motor home and went into Tupelo. I drove to the Tupelo National Battlefield, but could not find a parking lot nor any information other than one lone memorial monument and a cannon in the middle of a grassy square, so considered my “visit” complete and drove on to Elvis Presley’s birthplace.

The house that Elvis was born and lived in is in its original location, and a museum has been built nearby. The church building he attended as a boy was moved to the site. There are several exhibits around the outside grounds. The Presley family moved from Tupelo to Memphis when Elvis was 13, looking for a better life.

They charge three separate fees to enter the house, church and museum, but seniors get a “three for two” discount. 

Elvis at 13

Replica of the 1939 Plymouth the family left Tupelo in

From there, I made my way back to the Trace where I drove to the Parkway Visitor’s Center and Headquarters. This is a typical, nice NPS style VC with exhibits about the history of the area, the Natchez Trace, and the establishment of the Parkway.

I returned home to a happy puppy and a quiet evening. The next morning, we left the campground about 10:00, as we only had ~50 miles to our next camp at Piney Grove (ACoE) Campground. On the way north along the Trace, we stopped at a couple of points of interest.

Piney Grove is a large very nice campground, that was only about half full by Friday afternoon, and I found a nice site near the lake.

Jackson

While I was camped at Le Fleur’s Bluff campground, I did a bit of sightseeing. On Tuesday morning, I went to the Mississippi Civil Rights History Museum. Online reviews were very good, and I concurred. It’s in a beautiful building, and the exhibits are sectioned chronologically beginning with section one covering the birth of the nation to the Civil War. Section two focuses on post war Reconstruction struggles of emancipated slaves to find their way in a violent and frightening new world. The remaining five sections highlight tumultuous efforts, tragic and pivotal events and finally slow progress toward gaining the rights and privileges that the Constitution promises to citizens of all races. I spent the whole morning there and highly recommend a visit by anyone in the area.

I went back to the campground for a quick lunch, then Hanna and I drove up the Trace to check out some of the historical highlights around Jackson.

This morning, I left the campground and headed north along the Trace again toward Tupelo, the mid point of the 444 mile Parkway.

I’m now settled in a really nice forest service campground (with elec/water) at Davis Lake just south of Tupelo. I plan to be here two nights while exploring Elvis’ birthplace and a few other sights Thursday.

Natchez

I spent two nights at Joe B. Johnson State Park just outside Hattiesburg, MS. I stayed one night here last year and liked it, so thought I’d settle in for two this time. There really is no sight seeing nearby, but I took the opportunity to catch up on laundry and shopping, and I received all the network tv channels, so watched some new fall shows both evenings. The Mississippi state parks are a pretty good deal for seniors, at just $15/night for electric/water sites. The campgrounds are typically well maintained and in nice, safe areas.

On Thursday, I drove on to Natchez State Park, which is located 10 miles north of Natchez, MS and just a mile off the Trace. I paid for three nights in Campground B and found a very nice site (26).  The campground was about 75% full over the weekend, but by Sunday evening, there were just four of us in the ~30 spaces. One evening we walked over two miles up the Campground A and back, and the next evening we walked down to Natchez Lake.

 I revisited some of the sights in Natchez that I had toured last year, including Melrose, William Johnson House, and the Natchez National Historic Park and Visitor Center. On Saturday, I drove north along the Trace, stopping at several of the NTP sites, then visiting Grand Gulf Military Park, Port Gibson, and the Windsor Ruins. I had seen all these spots last year but enjoyed going through them again.

In the Grand Gulf Military Museum

Windsor Ruins

Monday morning I packed up and drove the Parkway north to Jackson, where I set up in LeFleur’s Bluff State Park Campground. I was assigned site 4, but when I got there someone else had overstayed their reservation and was still occupying the site. I called the office and asked if I could back into site 1 (which was actually a bit nicer and facing Mayes Lake) and she said I could. I’ve got my AC going and picked up 35 TV stations, so I’m set for a couple of nights.