Sixty miles south of Vicksburg, the river town of NATCHEZ , the oldest permanent settlement on the Mississippi River, was home to prehistoric Indians, sun-worshipping Natchez Indians, French, British and Spanish colonists before it first flew the Stars and Stripes in 1798. Yet despite its cosmopolitan ambience, the town abounds in Greek Revival antebellum mansions with meticulously maintained gardens. Fourteen homes stay open all year round, including the elaborate octagonal Longwood , 140 Lower Woodville Rd (daily 9am-5pm; $6), with its huge dome, snow-white arches and columns, and the palatial Stanton Hall , 401 High St (daily 9am-5pm; $6). In March and October each year, most of the rest can be seen on the Natchez Pilgrimage - tours, led by women wearing massive hoopskirts, which start from 200 State St ($24 per half-day tour, $16 off-peak season; tel 601/446-6631 or 1-800/647-6742). At the Presbyterian Stratton Chapel, 405 State St, a fascinating collection of photographs gives an idea of life in Natchez spanning from the Civil War era to World War II (Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 1-5pm; suggested donation $3). There is also a hot-air balloon race the third weekend in October.

Down below the town proper, raucous Natchez Under-the-Hill , once known as the "Sodom of the Mississippi," now houses, along with some perfectly respectable bars and restaurants, the 24-hour Isle of Capri riverboat casino , a cacophony of slot machines and craps tables.

Ceremonial mounds, reconstructed dwellings, and a small museum can be seen at the Grand Village , 400 Jefferson Davis Blvd (Mon-Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 1.30-5pm; free), the main ceremonial center of the local Natchez Indians, who by the mid-sixteenth century had built a flourishing commercial empire, which they later defended in bitter running battles with the French.

Each year, on the third weekend in April, the Blues on the Bluff Festival (tel 601/442-2988, ), a "city-wide house party" held in some fifteen different venues, celebrates an eclectic mix of regional blues styles.

Natchez's rich African-American heritage - Richard Wright, the author of Native Son , was born nearby and lived in the town as a small boy - is chronicled in an excellent 26-page free booklet, available from the Visitor Center.

Natchez

• Natchez
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