Tag: Natchez

In November 2023, I traveled back to the hometown I’d left when I was 19 years old. Fall in Natchez, Mississippi, is a welcome relief after the annual assault of a long, hot summer. I remembered the heat and the way the first cool breeze took its time arriving.

Named for the Natchez tribe of Indigenous Americans, Natchez is a perfect destination for foodies, history buffs, and nature lovers alike.

Driving along the banks of the Mississippi River in downtown Natchez, I pass a small, weathered-wood casino. With its signs for slot machines and table games, the Magnolia Bluffs Casino hints at the fact that chance plays at least a small part in shaping some of the fortunes of this town.

I arrive at the inn after midnight. Monmouth, perched atop a hill and surrounded by giant oaks, glows white in the moonlight. As I pull into the drive, deer scamper in front of my...