Spend even one hour driving down the Natchez Trace Parkway and you’ll instantly realize why it is called probably one of the most scenic drives in the nation.

Spend even one hour driving down the Natchez Trace Parkway and you’ll instantly realize why it is called probably one of the most scenic drives in the nation.

Managed by the National Park provider, this two-lane road winds through almost 450 kilometers of protected land, from Nashville, Tennessee, through Alabama as well as on to Natchez, Mississippi. Some dating back thousands of years along the way, you’ll find a rich array of wildlife, gorgeous waterfalls, memorable hikes and historic sites. The Trace is particularly gorgeous in fall, when the hardwoods lining the roadway explode in color.

The Natchez Trace Parkway follows the path for the Natchez that is original Trace, first cleared by prehistoric pets making their method between prairie lands plus the Mississippi River. Indigenous Americans eventually followed within their footsteps, and also by the 1500s, explorers like Hernando de Soto and their males had been traveling the Old Trace searching for brand new discoveries. By 1809, The Trace was indeed widened to allow for wagons, rendering it a crucial trade path between Nashville and also the Mississippi River. It continued to grow before the rise for the steamboat, then gradually dropped into disuse until the nationwide Park Service took over in 1938. The Parkway was finally finished in 2005.

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You definitely won’t want to miss whether you drive the entire stretch and stop at cottages and B&Bs along the way, or just take a day to explore what a portion of the parkway has to offer, here are 15 stops on and off the Natchez Trace Parkway. ...