Natchez, Miss.

Home for the next two days was Pleasant Hill, a charming Bed and Breakfast in the heart of Natchez, a beautiful antebellum home authentically restored. We experienced some true "Southern hospitality"-- our gracious hosts treated us to a warm welcome upon arrival, although our timing brought us to our destination during the middle of a cocktail party. We were dressed in our "travel attire," weary from the long drive. Yet, they ushered us into a sitting room that was lavishly decorated in antebellum-period style, introduced us to all their guests, offered us wine and an array of genuine Southern appetizers, and absorbed us into the lively conversation during which we were given much helpful advice about the town and it's many sights.

Natchez really is an historic town, dating back to the late 1700's. But it's real character is reflected in the numerous great homes throughout the town. They tell the story of wealth and privilege when "cotton was King". Each home is unique, Dunleith, Rosalie, Glen Auburn to name just three, each built, as if to display the wealth and power of those who lived within.

The town actually has over 6oo antebellum buildings, ranging from stables, warehouses, shops, workers cottages, modest homes through to the grand stately houses. Some of the buildings are in various stages of disrepair, others in the process of renovation, but many are in apparent origional condition, as if somehow there ia a timeless capture of their beauty and character. One has only to walk the gentle streets to see this was once a place of serious money. Along the top of the bluffs, a row of houses have panoramic views of the Mississippi River and the Louisianna farmlands beyond.