What in the Wide World of Sports is A-Goin On!

Little ole Natchez is growing up and out. There are four new hotels in town - two of them under construction - and another going up in Vidalia, LA just across the Mississippi River from us. Two more casinos are coming up besides the one we already have. Several people who are supposed to be "in the know" have speculated and sited statistics (traffic numbers crossing the bridge, stuff like that) but no one is saying what's driving these big corporations to build in a town of just 18,000people.
No matter what the reason, good things will come from it.
In October we'll have the Great Mississippi River Balloon Race. Up to this year it was hard to get a hotel room on that weekend if you didn't make a reservation a year ago. This year there'll be plenty for all and, I hope, an even bigger crowd.
In case you haven't seen our balloon race go to their website, NatchezBalloonRace.com. It's an incredible, fun weekend.
Natchez will slow down a bit after May. The hotter days of summer make everyone slow down, though there's still plenty to do here. Golf courses, nearby lakes, and shopping in air-conditioned antiques stores are just a sample.
If you're looking for a get-away that's not too far from home and won't drain your pocketbook, come to Natchez and slow down for a weekend.

Natchez Festival of Music

The Pfister Sisters are coming!
I'm really looking forward to this weekend, as the festival's "Night of Jazz" comes up May 23. This year's jazz group is The Pfister Sisters, of New Orleans, LA. They are a close harmony group along the lines of the Andrews Sisters, but with a better show. You can see more about them at PfisterSisters.com.

For those of you who don't know, the Natchez Festival of Music has events throughout the month of May. Last weekend was Broadway time, with Oklahoma! taking center stage. Our "Curly" was none other than Nat Chandler, who gained fame playing the phantom of Phantom of the Opera for 5 years on Broadway.
In case there are opera lovers out there, Mozart's Cosi fan Tutte is on deck for the last weekend of May, followed by a Gala attended by hundreds of music fans as well as many of the performers.

Things will slow down a bit here in Natchez after the festival, though there will be a few good events leading up to the Great Mississippi River Balloon Race in October.
By the way, you can see the other events slated for the Festival of Music at their site, www.natchezfestivalofmusic.com.

First Shot

I'm a website developer. There's a long list of sites in my portfolio, but the site I promote the most is one I've owned since 2000 - NatchezMS.com. The site itself has lists and links for bed and breakfasts, hotels, restaurants, attractions, and other things that visitors to Natchez, Mississippi would want to know.
In an effort to market NatchezMS.com (thus get more ads and make Google pay for the lifestyle to which I would like to become accustomed) I'm getting more into "viral marketing" which includes blogging, so here goes my first attempt.
Natchez really does have a lot to offer, especially for such a small town. No, there's no DisneyWorld here, nor Six Flags Over RedneckLand, or anything like that. In fact, we do quite well without them.
Here's a partial list of what we do have:

• A plethora of antebellum homes that have been preserved in a state very close to what they would have been like before the Civil War (hence the term "antebellum").
• An equal number of Bed & Breakfasts - I know, lots of towns have these, but if you want a real treat try one of ours.
• Shopping that's been rated as some of the best in the South - especially the antique shops.
• Dining experiences (you can't just call these places "restaurants") that run the gamut from white tablecloth to picnic table.
• Small town atmosphere - and I name this one for two reasons; it's laid back and relaxing, but it's also convenient to have the shops, restaurants, attractions, and such mostly within walking distance.

Now if you're looking for something more festive, just come around at the right time of year. The entire month of May, for instance, has the Festival of Music - jazz, Broadway shows, opera, Gospel music, with performances in locations all around town.

In October look for the Great Mississippi Balloon Race - hot air balloons compete while down at the fairgrounds there's music, food, kiddie rides, etc.

So you see, Natchez is a great place to check out for your next vacation or getaway. Maybe you're looking for a different place for your wedding (get married in a Greek-columned mansion), a girls' getaway, or a golf-buddy trip (there are 3 courses within a ten-minute drive and more an hour out of town).

I'm going to take most of these subjects and write about them separately, but for this first blog I wanted to hit the highlights.