Natchez Trace National Parkway: A Drive into the Deep South

This is my favorite drive into the deep south.  A road that has been used before America was a nation. It will take you to what the south is all about.  Cotton fields, the smell of fresh pine trees, plantations, and most importantly, the roots of all American Music.   It takes you to the bad things to the slavery, Jim Crow, and the Tenant Farming system that was a product of those things.  It peels back the dichotomy that is America like sudden summer rain. 

This drive takes you through Tornado Alley.  In some areas, you can see the effects where it looks like the Hand of God that has struck down the trees in some areas.  The Natchez Trace National Parkway is a lonely road; it's no traffic, and a 50 MPH speed limit makes it a relaxing drive.  There still is a lot of things to see a short drive off the Parkway.  On a recent trip, we visited BB King's birthplace and Museum.  

Although it originally started as a Bison migration trail.  The Natchez Trace became an important part of commerce before the start of Railroad travel.  Farmers in the Mississippi and Ohio River Valley would build flat bottom float boats to bring their cash crops downriver to Natchez.   They would then abandon their boats and walk back home. Once in Nashville, they would find their way home by different means.

There are 3 campgrounds on the Parkway that can be used for free.  The parkway runs from Nashville, Tennessee, to Natchez, Mississippi; like a dagger, it cuts deep into the heart of the south.  It is a spiritual journey that will soothe your soul.