Natchez, MS...welcome to the South!

Well after being home almost a week, I'm finally having a chance to get some photos posted from our ladies trip. My mother-in-law loves history & had put together a quick little trip for us to Natchez, MS to tour antebellum homes. For those of you who care, antebellem simply means before the war. Most all of the gorgeous mansions we toured were constructed before the war & managed to survive.

The trip included myself, my mom(Gayle), my mother-in-law (Susan), her sister (Cherye), & my 2 sisters-in-law (Lauren & Stacy). We all traveled in from Missouri, Michigan, & Minnesota to meet up in Mississippi...ok well we actually met up in Baton Rouge, LA at the airport but the M states made it more fun! We were let into our beautiful home (more on that in a bit) & grabbed some dinner at a local BBQ place. Some of those in our group just couldn't resist the first photo op.

Stacy, myself, & Lauren

While I helped out with some flight arrangements & travel insurance, for the most part my mil took care of all the travel plans. And let me say...she did a fabulous job. Instead of a hotel or even a bed & breakfast, she opted to rent us a beautiful home for the 3 1/2 days & 4 nights we were there.

Our home for the trip...

All the bedrooms & rooms were beautiful & Stacy made the executive decision of assigning rooms since none of us really cared. My mom & I shared this beautiful red room...

and this lovely lavender bathroom. Seriously, how long has it been since you've seen purple tile & countertops?

My mil was sold on the place when she saw the kitchen...

It was such a beautiful home & perfect for the 6 of us. We were able to have breakfast each morning & have a great place to relax in the evenings. There was also a pool in the backyard that some of us took advantage of!

My two mom's with our very own knight in shinig armor...he stood in the entryway of our home.

Thursday was all about the homes, since this was the point of our trip. We made our way to the visitor's center, picked up our tickets, & headed out.

First stop...Rosalie.

Where Lauren got to play the piano...or she may have been forced to once she admitted she knew how!

On the 2nd story porch of the Rosalie with my momma...

After the Rosalie we headed to Stanton Hall where they have an excellent restaurant called The Carriage House. Their specialty was fried chicken and I couldn't pass up the special. They also served baby butter biscuits...YUM!!! Mint juleps were their specialty as well & we ordered one to share amongst the table since it was only noon. I think that will probably be the first and last drink of a mint julep I have in my lifetime....a little strong for this lightweight.

Stanton Hall

Next up...the Auburn. Where we had our first of 2 long-winded tour guides. I think we were there for almost an hour & a half touring this house...it should have been about 30 minutes. This house was beautiful as well but the most interesting feature was this free-standing circular staircase. Notice there isn't anything holding it up but the bottom step.

Our last house of the day was Longwood. Which was probably the most interesting of all & to think it wasn't even finished. The story was so sad & so interesting. Basically, a man started to build a 6-story, 32,000 sq ft home but only managed to finish the basement because the war began and all of his labor was from the North. They all fled and took their tools with them. During the war he lost everything & was unable to finish the home. It was almost heartbreaking to think about what could have been.

Looking up from the 1st floor rotunda.

Funny thing about the exterior...the original plans had him covering all the brick in stucco. Why on earth would you do that?

After the tours we grabbed some dinner at a local place downtown & then headed out for a carriage ride. Tim, our driver...& Hal, the horse gave us a wonderful tour full of history & fabulous stories. First full day in Natchez...definitely a success.