Trip Overview

Civil War History, Mint Juleps, & Southern Hospitality

Our Natchez Trace tour offers the best of the ante-bellum South - traditional hospitality, early American history and distinctive architecture. Magnolia trees and moss-draped oaks add a charming flavor to quiet country roads. Classic Adventures enjoys the distinction of the first bicycle touring company to offer the Natchez Trace tour. In its twenty-fourth consecutive season, this tour offers incredible, unmatched value, in terms of lodging, dining, itinerary, experienced guides and customer services.

We invite you to call for a detailed price comparison and description of our lodging and restaurants. If experience counts, then our guide’s 25+ years of expertise and historical knowledge cannot be excelled.

Lodging accents Southern splendors at The Fairview Inn (Jackson), Anchuca Mansion (Vicksburg), and the Dunleith Mansion (Natchez), truly a showpiece of the South.

Gourmet specialties such as sweet potato pie, Cajun catfish, and mint juleps offer sweet rewards at day’s end. A tour of Longwood Mansion and poignant accounts of the Civil War give pause to appreciate our nation’s heritage.

Much of our cycling winds along the Natchez Trace Parkway, a gentle, park-like route which abounds in cultural and scenic delights. Enjoy a short walk on the old sunken trace, the footpath where travelers journeyed north toward home. Visit Mount Locust, an old tavern/inn that provided simple lodging for weary Trace travelers in the 1800’s. Off the Parkway, gentle country roads include stops at Windsor Ruins, Rocky Springs and the mysterious Emerald Mound (Indian burial ground).

What's Included

• Use of a Classic Adventures bicycle (Trek hybrid or road bike)
• A non-regimented, “cycle at your own pace itinerary” with an average of 35-45 miles per day with the option of additional or fewer miles. (Coast to Coast averages 75 mi. per day)
• Lodging in select country inns & hotels/motels.
• Daily breakfast & most dinners
• Full van support.
• Detailed maps, route descriptions, and cultural information on a daily basis.
• Most commercial transportation within the country of most tours. (See daily itineraries for specific transfer information).
• Friendly and experienced multi-lingual guides.
• Expert bicycle mechanics.
• Guided tours of selected historical destinations visited.
• Pre-departure information packet includes: tour specific info., reading list, packing list, training suggestions, riding tips, etc.
• All bicycles come equipped with trunk bag; rear rack; water bottles; lock; pump; spare tube; odometer/computer.

Daily Itinerary

Mississippi: Natchez Trace & The Ante-Bellum South

Day 1. Afternoon transfer from Pearson Int’l Airport (Jackson, MS) airport to our hotel in Jackson. Bike fitting, orientation, wine reception, followed by an exquisite “Welcome” dinner. Lodging: Fairview Inn

Day 2. Along the Trace, visit Rocky Springs, a once thriving but now abandoned village, and hear its intriguing story. In Port Gibson, the town General Grant said was “too beautiful to burn,” visit the historic city hall, churches and an old synagogue. Enjoy the stark beauty of Windsor Ruins, one of the state’s largest antebellum Greek mansion.
Lodging: Anchuca in Vicksburg. (18, 36 or 47 miles)

Day 3. Cycle Vicksburg National Military Park, after your guide reviews the siege of Vicksburg, perhaps one of the most important battles to take place during the Civil War. Picnic at U.S.S. Cairo Museum and see the old iron-clad battleship. Visit the Old Court House Museum to relive history close-up. (14 or 22 miles + 2 hours sight-seeing)

Day 4. In route to Natchez, stop at Mount Locust, a restored historic inn/hotel. Stop at Coles Creek, which adds a scenic backdrop for a leisurely picnic lunch on the Trace. In Natchez, lodge at Dunleith, a beautiful (and newly renovated) ante-bellum mansion, built in Greek Revival style with 26 Tuscan columns. (31 or 44 miles) Take an evening horse-drawn carriage ride or saunter down to Natchez Under The Hill. Dinner on your own tonight.

Day 5. Morning visit to both Longwood and Dunleith Mansions, followed by a ride around town or take a ride through Spanish moss-draped magnolia and dogwood trees, and past plantation homes. Investigate Emerald Mound, built by ancestors of the Natchez Indians. (AD 1400) Dinner at the renowned Castle Restaurant.
(18, 28, or 42 miles)

Day 6. Morning transfer to Jackson airport or first inn for your return home.

Dates & Prices 2012

Mississippi: Natchez Trace & The Ante-Bellum South

6 days / 5 nights

(Includes breakfasts, 2 picnic lunches, 4 dinners; airport transfers, full van support, fully equipped bicycle)

Tour Map

Mississippi: Natchez Trace & The Ante-Bellum South