Panama City Beach
We stayed near the beach near Panama City Beach but never made it into town. The beach was our destination! And it was a great beach for relaxing and walking. Not busy at all.
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Orange Beach
Orange Beach wasn’t really our kind of place. Too many high rises. Too much traffic. The beach and the nearby state park are beautiful though.
Bay Saint Louis
We found Bay Saint Louis a charming, low key coastal town with a surprisingly nice beach.
Old Houses in Natchez
Natchez has loads of interesting old houses and is a nice town to wander around.
Natchez
Natchez is the southern terminus of the Natchez Trace Parkway. It has lots of old houses and B&Bs and is great for walking.
Vicksburg Day Trip
I’ve always been a bit of a Civil War buff and jumped at the chance to visit Vicksburg while we were nearby. We didn’t make it to town. The military park was absorbing.
Jackson
Stops on the Natchez Trace Parkway between Tupelo and Jackson are mostly historical. Cole Creek has a nice walk through a tupelo/cypress swamp.
Oxford Day Trip
The key draw for us in Oxford was the walk through Bailey’s Woods to Rowan Oak, where William Faulkner lived. We understand the hype. It’s a bit of wilderness in the city.
Tupelo
The Natchez Trace from Florence to Tupelo includes a couple of interesting nature walks. A short detour to a state park nets you a restroom and a swinging bridge.
Franklin to Florence
The Natchez Trace Parkway from Franklin to Florence has some of the more dramatic scenery on the route, including two waterfalls.