The story behind this house is absolutely amazing and the tour guides do suchhh a good job telling…read moreit. 10 out of 10 recommended touring this historical home. Ok now for a history lesson: Longwood (also known as Nutt's Folly) -the largest octagonal house in the United States. This 6 story, 30,000 square foot mansion was designed by Samuel Sloan, a well-known architect from Philadelphia for cotton baron Haller Nutt and his wife, Julia. Construction began in 1860, but came to an abrupt halt when the "War Between the States" broke out in 1861 due to the workers being from the Union state, Pennsylvania. The exterior was mostly complete but the home's interior was left unfinished. Between February and July 1862, using his own slaves, Nutt finished the 8 room basement level. The interior walls were plastered and the present floor was installed. The Nutt family then moved into this completed section of the mansion. In the fall of 1863 the Union armies devastated Haller Nutt's Louisiana plantations, causing him a loss of $1,020,540.07. He died of pneumonia in 1864. Julia and his 8 children continued to live on the finished 1st floor. Because Nutt was a recognized supporter of the Union, his heirs (between 1866-1911) were eventually able to collect a total of $188,269.66 as partial compensation from the US Government for Nutt's losses. Once completed, the home would have had 32 rooms, 26 fireplaces, 115 doors and 96 columns. The rotunda was designed to have a system of mirrors inside the cupola to reflect sunlight down. Also, the shape of the cupola was designed to pull hot air upward, creating an updraft drawing fresh air through the lower floors. The property was deeded to the Pilgrimage Garden Club in 1970 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1971.

I am not sure exactly what I was expecting when I wanted to visit this house, but this way exceeded…read moremy expectations. Driving up, you leave the main road, pay at the gate house, then drive along a winding gravel road and park at the back of the house. You go into the gift shop and show your receipt that you got from the gate house. They walk you into the first floor, or what the original owners intended to be the basement. Except for the center, all rooms around intended to be various rooms for entertainment and so forth but ended up being the living area for the family. It was wonderfully decorated. Then you go upstairs, and you can see that despite the outside of the house looking as if it was all intact, it was incomplete. The war between the states was underway when it came time to work on the main portion of the house, so you can see the bones of the structure and how things should have been. It was amazing and breathtaking. Outside, if you pay attention, you can see the fingerprints of the enslaved on the bricks as all bricks were made and fired on site. The details are amazing. I would recommend for anyone in the area.

If you visit Natchez, you MUST do this! On our road trip through 7 Southern states, this carriage…read moretour was one of our highlights. I came across this tour company on a Natchez travel site and I'm so glad I did. There was four of us, including my husband who is always hesitant to take a guided tour and two teenagers. We all loved it so much and are still talking about it. This tour is so much more than your average tourist trap carriage ride. When we arrived in Natchez on a hot Friday in July, the town seemed deserted. I became worried that maybe due to covid, the tours wouldn't be available. But when we turned the corner of canal and state street, there was the horse and carriage, just waiting for us. The tour takes roughly an hour. The driver is an authentic local who has lived in Natchez all his life. He is so nice and very funny! The horse is a Haflinger, small but strong and smart enough to know the route. Also adorable and clearly well taken care of. We received a history tour of Natchez, as we crisscrossed the city and saw many of the historic mansions (there are antebellum, colonial and Victorian homes here, several hundred altogether). We also learned about the lady's garden club aka the blue haired mafia and the elephant that arrived here as a royal present and escaped to stampede through town drunk (really!) . We also received recommendations for further sight seeing and for dinner in Natchez. We were even introduced to other people that the driver knew along the way. One lady came to the carriage with free fans because it was so hot. Southern hospitality at its finest! Since we were only in Natchez for a short time, the tour helped us get a real sense of the city. The tour is limited to 6-10 people at a time at the most but frequently you will have your own private tour. Carriage is very clean and you are outdoors the whole time. The carriage has a canopy to keep you out of the sun. We felt very safe! I believe we paid 20 dollars a person, and it was worth every penny. Natchez is so beautiful, I want to come back when times are more normal and tour some of the mansions.

Paid Monmouth Inn for a carriage ride but when I tried to use the tickets at 10 a.m., I was told by…read morea man sitting and doing nothing on a park bench next to the empty carriage and horse, that he has to wait for the next Cruise line to show up in 2 hours and he can't do it at all today. I asked 'Can't you give us a half-hour ride before they turn up?' He replied 'no' and continued to sit on the bench with his friend. I had to leave the next day so my money was gobbled up by Southern Carriage and Monmouth, both pretty sizable disappointments. Enjoy my money--you won't get any business from me or my friends and family in the future.

Karla Brown indeed has her office Downtown in a pretty interesting antique mall. But her real place…read moreof business is on the roads of Natchez. It is in her large and comfortable van that she spins her tales of the history of Natchez, tells about ghosts and spirits, and visits the grave of its most beloved cat (the esteemed Tripod). She has a variety of tours to suit your interests. Ghost tours are evening affairs and visit the famous Natchez Cemetery. History tours occur during the day, and visit points of interest. Ms. Brown is very personable and you will immediately feel comfortable with her. She has a wealth of knowledge to share with the visitors, and is indeed happy to do so. The comfortable driving tour is a good way to learn about Natchez and see a variety of locations. They range from a hour and a half to about three hours. The pricing is very reasonable for this type of guided tour, and we all enjoyed our time with Ms. Brown.

She is a terrific and knowledgeable narrator. We took the Greg Iles combo book tour. The provided…read morestory handouts allow you to keep up with the 70+ destinations. The tour covers all the first six books with added Natchez parallel history. She was patient with our peppering of questions to separate truth from fiction. If you are a fan of this Natchez author the trip is worth the $$ and four and half hours of your time.

Fantastic way to spend an evening in Natchez. Scott did a wonderful job at leading us through the…read morehistory and stories of some of the most haunted buildings in Natchez. We even had a little EMF activity at the historic jail. This was our first ghost tour and now we can't wait to book more! Definitely book this tour!

Really enjoyed this walking tour. It was about 90 minutes and about 1.5 mi. The people on the tour…read moreranged from families with children to slightly inebriated middle-aged people. There were about five or six stops on the tour. Scott was incredibly knowledgeable both about Natchez history and paranormal investigation.. I knew nothing about it and learned a lot, but my girlfriend, who is very interested in the subject, also enjoyed it. So something for everybody.. He also recommended a few bars and restaurants we could enjoy for afterwards. The tour starts at 7:00, and Scott's recommendation which I agree with is to eat before. For some bizarre reason, most restaurants in Natchez seem to close at 9:00 p.m., even on a saturday. Tours are $25 and he takes cash app, cash on site, or you can pre-register.. I tipped him well and you should also!

Had a great stay in Choctaw Hall this past week. The place is beautiful and the room was clean…read more Lee offered to help us with our luggage. Daved gave us a great tour of the Mansion, pointing out the antiques in his collection and their history. Choctaw is within walking distance of downtown and several other historic homes. Thanks David and Lee.

We chose Choctaw Hall for our stay in Natchez partly because of its location to the various…read morehistoric trails and to the river and partly because of the idea of staying in a "townhouse" from 1836. Our room was very comfortably appointed with a roomy en suite. The common room just outside our door provided 24-hour coffee and other drinks plus snacks. We had our morning coffee and evening drinks outside while we enjoyed the quiet neighborhood and magnificent oak trees. Lee gave us the tour of the house as David's voice is giving out. While the house is beautiful, the contents are what make it unique and fascinating. David and Lee are excellent hosts - helpful but not intrusive. The coupons for breakfast at two different nearby restaurants added to the enjoyment - both restaurants were an easy walk and both were delicious. Additionally, several restaurants (try the po-boy at Wardos) nearby were delicious. Choctaw Hall was the perfect location for walking old Natchez and "below the hill" while enjoying the ambience of an historic Natchez townhouse. We had a memorable stay.

Auburn Plantation…read more We toured this house during the "Hope Restoration Project". The tour was amazing. So much history and the house is absolutely stunning! Here's a little history lesson. In 1811, Lyman Harding, the first Attorney General of Mississippi, hired Levi Weeks to build the mansion. Levi designed the house to be, in his words, the "most magnificent building in the state." After Harding died in 1820, the building was bought by Dr. Stephen Duncan. Here's a little history on Dr. Duncan,... He was born and studied medicine in Pennsylvania, but moved to Natchez in 1808 and became the wealthiest cotton planter and the second-largest slave owner in the U.S. with over 2,200 slaves. He owned 15 cotton and sugar plantations, served as President of the Bank of Mississippi, and held major investments in railroads and lumber. He became an influential Mississippi backer of the American Colonization Society, which promoted the removal of freed American blacks to Liberia, a colonial settlement in West Africa. Under his leadership during the 1830s, the Mississippi Colonization Society removed 571 African-Americans to Liberia. He was a steadfast Unionist during the American Civil War. He tried unsuccessfully to lobby the Lincoln Administration to help him protect his slaveholdings after the Union army occupied large swaths of Mississippi. But appeals from Duncan and his family members largely went unheeded. In late 1863, he left the Confederacy by Union gunboat and relocated to New York City where he lived until his death in 1867. Auburn and 222 acres was sold by the family to the city of Natchez in 1911 and is now a historic house museum in a public park.

We were on a road trip and we're excited to stay in an antebellum home. The price was fully twice…read morewhat we had paid it any other hotel along the way. That was fine because we expect to Pay more at a bed-and-breakfast mansion. But, the room was quite dirty. The tops of the vintage baseboards were covered with dirt and dust. The corners of the bathroom were very dirty. I somehow expected a room at an antebellum mansion to be pristine. The breakfast in the morning was just so so. It was scrambled eggs, bacon and grits. Generally when we stay in fancy bed and breakfasts, the breakfast is something special. Some interesting new thing or something we've never tried before. This was just Normal --a little disappointing.

Natchez in Historical Photographs is one of the best things to see in Natchez, and it is FREE! It…read moreis a great collection of photos from the 1870's until the early 1900's. There are a lot of old photos of the citizens of Natchez which for visitors shows the dress of the period. There are photos of the buildings including some of the homes now open for tours. What I found the most interesting was the early day business photos and all the photos of the river boats.

This was a very good small museum dedicated to one of the most horrifying events in Natchez…read morehistory. The loss of so many lives in such an horrific fire was devastating. The museum is full of displays and even videotapes of the survivors. The owner does a great job on the tour. He is very passionate about and respectful of the victims and survivors.

Words fail to come to me to effectively communicate how necessary this museum is. The depth of what…read morehappened and the after affects of this disaster are horrendous. The owner is an amazing storyteller and paints a picture that is profound. He was meant for this. I would recommend everyone coming, but be aware that it is eye opening. The 85th anniversary is coming up. April 26, keep your eyes open for this.