Margaret Littman - Moon Nashville to New Orleans Road Trip: Natchez Trace Parkway--Memphis--Tupelo--Mississippi Blues Trail

MARGARET LITTMAN

Connecting some of the most iconic cities in the American South, these paths trace the very root of the American experience. Travel from Nashville, where country music came into its own, and Memphis, birthplace of the blues, to New Orleans, home of that Dixieland jazz, and youll better understand not only the nations musical legacy, but also its creation and expansion.

Your road trip starts in Nashville, home to the Grand Ole Opry, a radio show that brought country music to the masses. It also boasts a rich civil rights legacy, and a reputation as a cosmopolitan city with world-class food and entertainment. Continue on to Memphis to lose yourself in barbecue and blues.

Youll end in boisterous New Orleans, where jazz is perhaps the loudest sound in a heady mix of blues, rock, soul, zydeco, and Cajun music. Its also a place where gardens bloom, streetcars run, and beignets make everything sweeter.

Connecting these cities is the Natchez Trace Parkway, a verdant landscape rich in history and lore. Along this route your pace will slow as the sounds of raucous music give way to the melodies of birds and the rustling of leaves and grass. Follow in the footsteps of Native Americans, Confederate soliders, and thousands of others who helped to mold this region into its current form.

This journey is an outdoor adventure, a concert on wheels, a history lesson, and a culinary quest. Start it with a biscuit and a country tune and end with a beignet and a sax riff.

This drive along the Natchez Trace Parkway originates in Nashville, crosses through Tennessee, cuts across a corner of Alabama, and then traverses much of Mississippi before ending in Natchez. From there, youre just a short drive from New Orleans.

Nashville is the epicenter of country music. Its home to the Grand Ole Opry, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and hundreds of recording studios. Its the place where thousands of musicians and songwriters come to make it, and the citys nightlife is all the richer for it. Fine arts and a contemporary culinary scene appeal to sophisticates, while museums, historical sites, and the grand Tennessee State Capitol recall the citys history.

This is where your drive starts: at the northern terminus of the Natchez Trace Parkway. This northernmost stretch features rolling hills, secluded hikes, and significant historic sites, including the somber and reverential Meriwether Lewis Monument and Gravesite. Close to the parkway are quaint suburbs and towns, including Franklin and Leipers Fork, where you can visit Civil War sites and spot country music celebrities.

The shortest section of the Natchez Trace Parkway covers just a tiny corner of Alabama but contains tons of history. Contemplate the somber Wichahpi Commemorative Stone Wall, an homage to the Trail of Tears. Close to the Trace, the Quad Cities region is home to Muscle Shoals, an important part of music history, and Florence, which is a surprising epicenter of fashion and design.

This part of the state is known as the hills of Mississippi. And along this winding stretch of the parkway, youll find scenic views and opportunities for camping, hiking, and bicycling. This section ends in Tupelo, birthplace of the King of Rock n Roll, Elvis Presley. The Natchez Trace Parkway Headquarters and Visitor Center is ground zero for information about the Natchez Trace.

This route starts in Memphis, Tennessee, and winds south for 140 miles into the Mississippi Delta. The blues were born in Memphis, and they still call Memphis home in nightclubs on Beale Street and juke joints around the city. But Memphis is more than music. Its an urban center with fine dining, parks, and art museums. Watch the resident ducks at The Peabody Memphis or fuel up with a plate of barbecue.

Drive the Mississippi Blues Trail to explore the roots of American music. Visit small towns that are home to big history, like Tunica, Cleveland, and Indianola.

Through farmland and past Indian mounds, the Natchez Trace Parkway is a leisurely, easy drive in this section of the Magnolia State. Exit the parkway for two of the states academic and tourism treasures: Oxford and Starkville. Plan leisurely stops to stroll these quintessential college towns.

The southernmost stretch of the parkway is bookended by two of the states most significant citiesthe capital city of Jackson and historic Natchez, the southern terminus of the Trace. This is an opportunity to explore civil rights sites, Civil War battlefields, and antebellum homes and gardens.

New Orleans