Recreation in the River Town

I spent some of last weekend playing in Vicksburg, and it made for a relaxing day or so.

I toured the Cedar Grove Mansion Inn, an antebellum home that is not only a bed and breakfast and an historic building, but which also operates a fabulous restaurant on the premises. The home is furnished with many of the same pieces that the original owners, the wealthy Klein family, purchased for their home. The front door still shows damage it sustained during the Civil War, and there is a Union cannon ball still lodged in one of the front parlor walls. The tour I took was self-guided, although the front desk did give me a written tour to guide me through the home. In addition, any guest rooms that are not currently rented are open to tour as well, so the casual visitor gets a real idea of what it might be like to stay there. It looks divine.

I spent the day shopping Washington Street, which has a lovely array of fun little stores. I particularly love The Attic Gallery, which is a funky carefree space chock-a-block full of interesting art pieces; Twigs, a positively magical garden store selling wind chimes, rain chains, fountains, and decorative pots; and a collection of antiques stores that sorely tempted the bargain hunter in me. (I came so close to buying a cool dining table, but then I thought, "Where on Earth will I put this?" But I really wanted it! And it was SO reasonable!)

In the late afternoon/early evening, I headed over to the Vicksburg National Military Park. I hadn't been in years, and I enjoyed it so much. I used my handy pamphlet to guide me through the park, and I pulled over at most of the larger monuments to walk around and take photos. I got some great shots at the park, especially as the sun was going down. There was so much to be re-learned (and in some cases, learned for the first time) about the Civil War. It was just such an interesting and nostalgic experience for me, as I could remember visiting when I was a little girl.

I ended my day back at Cedar Grove, at the restaurant that the inn operates. I started with a delicious crisp salad with the house dressing, a honey mustard creole. It was delightfully spicy. For my entree, I chose the crab stuffed chicken, accompanied by creamy German potatoes. All was served with yummy warm bread, and a lemon sorbet was brought out in between courses to cleanse the palate. Delicious! On the inn's website, you can download their menu and see for yourself what's on offer. It's a little spendy for a small town, but I can highly recommend the food. The service was also superb.

I had a great time in Vicksburg, and I can't wait to go back again! (Driving there and back wtih the top down on the convertible didn't hurt the experience, either!)

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