Travelin' the Trace to Tishomingo

The Natchez Trace Parkway is a designated National Park and rightfully so.   Spanning 444 miles through 3 states and encompassing 10,000 years of history, the Natchez Trace Parkway is a treasure trove for those who love nature, history and have a hunger for exploration!  Along our journey to the beautiful Tishomingo State Park (located in the northeastern quadrant of Mississippi), our Frugal Family Travelers stopped at several locations on the northern end of the Mississippi section of the Natchez Trace Parkway. The pictures and discriptions below will provide you with options for places to visit in this area, should you choose to add any of these areas to your bucket list.

As mentioned earlier, Tishomingo State Park was the main travel target on our journey and it did not disappoint.    Being that it was only 5 hours from New Orleans, this park was the perfect "get-away" for our Frugal Family Travelers.   With canoeing, hiking and history wrapped up in a mountain setting, Tishomingo gave us the feeling we were nestled in the mountains when we were actually in the foothills of the Great Smokies.   We enjoyed our stay in one of the rustic cabins built by the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) and spent our evening there grilling and making smores! By day we explored a trail leading over a swinging bridge (also built by the CCC) and hiked yet another to a pioneer cabin.   The highlight of our experience here was a  6.25 mile canoeing trip on Bear Creek.  With cypress tree littering nearly every inch of its banks, Bear Creek literally looks like something out of a movie. The patches of white water kept the trip exciting but were not overwhelming for our younger paddlers!  We loved our entire visit here and highly reccommend this park!

Outside of rustic cabin.  Approximate price is $60 per night.  

Swinging Bridge

A view of Bear Creek!

Indian Trail Tree encountered while hiking.

Trail to pioneer cabin.

Scenes while canoeing on Bear Creek. There is a $30 canoe rental fee.  Make a reservation with the park office (662-438-6914).   Younger paddlers 7 and under may ride in the center of the canoe.   Lifejackets and paddles are provided along with transportation to the beginning of the float trip.

The following are scenes from the Northern Mississippi portion of the Natchez Trace Parkway and the towns surrounding the parkway.

Elvis' birthplace in Tupelo, MS:  We stopped a viewed everything from the outside however there is a museum and tour of the home offered for a fee. 

Cave Spring is a stop right off the Natchez Trace Parkway very close to Tishomingo State Park.

Indian Mounds off Natchez Trace Parkway

(Click here for Google Map)

We viewed a great movie regarding the history of the trace and also saw an exhibit at the Parkway Visitor's Center, milepost 266, Tupelo, MS

Disclaimer:

All content provided on Frugal Family Travelers blog is for informational purposes only. The owners of this blog make no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site.  The owners of Frugal Family Travelers blog do not share personal information with third-parties and are not responsible for the republishing of the content found on this blog on other Web sites or media without permission.  As with all travel, operating days, times, costs, etc., should be verified prior to departure.