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Tracing Our Roots
Flying and Touring the Natchez Trace, Part 2
by Matthew McDaniel
All photos are credited to the author unless otherwise noted.
Author’s Note: In Part 1, we explored many sites along the northern three-quarters of the Natchez Trace full of rich history. In this final installment, we’ll wrap up the tour, covering the southernmost 100 miles of the rIoute, some nearby attractions and the city for which the Trace is named.
f you recall from Part 1 of this series, we left off in Mississippi by either departing Tupelo Regional Airport (TUP) or Houston Municipal Airport (M44) for one of the three airports available in the capital
city of Jackson – the Class C, Jackson-Medgar Evers International (KJAN), the downtown Class D Hawkins Field (KHKS) or the pilot-controlled Bruce Campbell Field (KMBO). All are within a short drive of the Natchez Trace Parkway (NTP). Then, we drove north to tour some of the Natchez Trace inns (stands), trading posts and the Cypress Swamp. We now drive the short distance back toward Jackson and resume our tour.
The Capital City
As in most U.S. capital cities, there is too much to do and see in Jackson to detail here. In relation to the NTP, those things are limited to some stands, scenic viewpoints and visitor/information centers. Within Jackson, the most popular sites are mainly unrelated to the trace. For civically minded tourists, however, Jackson is steeped in eye-opening history.
Of course, when in a capital city, a visit to the capitol building is always popular. If traveling with children, Jackson presents a perfect opportunity to teach your kids/grandkids about the struggle for racial equality. The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum’s stated mission is to
The entryway into the Vicksburg National Military Park is a pre- view of the grand scale of the Park and the Siege of Vicksburg that it commemorates.
12 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
AUGUST 2024