From the seashore to Natchez and up the Trace to the Alabama/Tennessee border, you’ll want to explore these Mississippi national park sites and byways.

Gulf Islands National Seashore

Think you have to fly or cruise to a far away island to find crystal white beaches? Think again. Just visit Gulf Islands National Seashore, with its quartz sand that the National Park Service says was eroded from granite in the Appalachian Mountains and carried by rivers and creeks to the gorgeous seashore and islands off the coast of Mississippi and Florida. While you’re there you can enjoy hiking the dunes and marshes and visit the historic forts.

Natchez National Historic Park

Natchez, Mississippi, often called the City on the Bluff, established in 1714, is the oldest settlement on the Mississippi River. At this national historic park, you can visit the Melrose Mansion and the William Johnson House, while learning about living in this ultimate example of the pre-civil war South. While you’re in the area, you might also want to visit St. Catherine Creek National Wildlife Refuge and the Homochitto National Forest.

Natchez Trace Parkway

If you’re driving in Mississippi, you must drive at least some part of the Natchez Trace Parkway. It’s 444 miles long and runs from Natchez up through Alabama and into Tennessee. This ancient trail is now a Scenic Byway and an All-American Road and enjoyed by thousands of visitors who drive, hike or bike along its historic scenery. If camping is one of your passions, you’ll find some great campgrounds along the way, though the three run by the park service are primitive with no modern facilities, Just off the road are lots of little communities with organized events throughout the year.

Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail

For those who want to experience the original Natchez Trace up close and personal, there are 65 miles of trails, some sections of which offer the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of those who frequented the trail many years ago. If you want to see swamps and wetlands, dripping with strands of Spanish moss, these are the hiking (or horseback riding) trails for you. Though these can not in any way be considered back country trails since they are very close to the Parkway, they do provide a special look at the unique environment of this historic area.

Mississippi Battlefields

Civil War buffs will say we saved the best for last. The three battlefield sites, Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield, Tupelo National Battlefield and Vicksburg National Military Park complete the national protected places of Mississippi. Visits to these battlefields require only slight detours off the Natchez Trace Parkway, so all in all these national park sites makes for a very easy, yet extremely interesting tour.