Call me biased, but I adore my hometown.
Not only does it have all the charm of any southern town you can put next to it, but Natchez holds the spot for the most plantation homes. Thanks mainly to the fact that they were handed over to the Union and not burned down during the Civil War. Why does this matter? Well it makes for a great visit during the city’s annual pilgrimage.
Recently we had the chance to get away for one night for our anniversary and decided to stay at our favorite Bed & Breakfast – Twin Oaks.
Twin Oaks is one of the more fairly priced B&B’s in town at around $90 a night (shoot for room 1 or 6 for a Jacuzzi tub). With your room is a voucher for breakfast across the road at The Castle.
Anyway, let me tell you what we did for our one night away in Natchez, and at the end I’ll give you some of my other favorite things to do in town.
We started our morning off at Natchez Coffee Co.
We each got one of their delicious specialty coffees, split a big ole’ muffin, and sat around chatting for probably an hour. It’s amazing what coffee is life without children.
Afterwards we strolled around downtown (I would have loved to tour a home or two but that wasn’t my hubby’s thing) and darted into of the staple shops, Darbys. There you can find everything from amazing furniture, to jewelry, unique gift items, and their famous fudge. We wandered around St. Mary Basilica, headed to the bluff, and checked out the “under the hill” area.
For lunch, we wanted something light since we were attending a cooking class that evening, so we drove to the outskirts of town and ate at Mammy’s Cupboard.
The turkey sandwich with avocado and blueberry compote on homemade sourdough has been a favorite of mine since I was a child. You can’t pass up their blueberry lemonade and a slice of pie while you’re there either.
After lunch, we swung by the soon to be open Rollin ‘N’ The Dough and grabbed a few cups of edible cookie dough. At the moment their store isn’t officially open, but you can order by placing an order through Facebook Messenger. Since her usual delivery time was before we got into town, I scheduled a time to meet her in the shop for pickup. (So far my favorite flavors have been Ebony & Ivory and Purple Rain)
At 5:30, we headed back downtown to start our 2 hour cooking class with Regina Charboneau.
Regina recently opened Regina’s Kitchen, a cooking school and piano bar in the heart of downtown Natchez. During the day you can stop by and grab a sandwich or charcuterie plate and even take a biscuit making class (the THING Regina is best known for). Tuesday and Saturday night she offers a 3 course cooking class, there is also a wine and cheese class as well as a cocktail part and brunch class. We opted for her Saturday night 3 course class to celebrate our anniversary and had a wonderful time.
Saturday evening is when things get quietly busy downtown; the Natchez natives are out and while we were cooking a version of Shrimp and Grits I will dream about daily, the piano bar area was full of chatter and amazing music. Regina also taught us to make her signature biscuits (there’s a special technique) and showed us many uses for the dough. We left full to the brim and didn’t even touch the cookie dough I had planned on eating for ages!
After the class, we headed back to Twin Oaks and slept child free before heading home the next day.
If you have more time …
Another place to check out if you have more time would be King’s Tavern, once of the oldest places along the river. It’s also said to be haunted if you’re into that sort of thing. For a great plate of pasta and the best house dressing in all of Mississippi, check out Pearl Street Pasta. The Camp under the hill has become popular and I hear an ice cream shop is opening very soon by a local minister’s wife. If you have time to wander, check out the Natchez Trace for hiking or Emerald Mound. There are tons of creek beds to be explored in the area. I almost forgot, but Biscuit’s and Blues is another great restaurant in the evening!
