Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Cabins, The Other Accommodation

I'm finding that one of the best sources of topics for my blog comes from emails sent to my travel guide, NatchezMS.com. These emails contain the many questions from folks who are planning trips to Natchez.

Recently, Keith asked about cabins in the area. He wants to do some fishing, but he wants to be close enough to tour Natchez' attractions as well.

The Natchez State Park was the first place I mentioned. The lake is a great place to fish. Mississippi's record largemouth bass was caught here several years ago - more than 18 pounds! The MS Wildlife & Fisheries site is being worked on apparently - not very informative and with some misleading photos on the Natchez page. I sent him to the ReserveAmerica page instead.

Giles Island is the premier spot to hunt and fish in the Miss-Lou. The advantages to this sportsman's paradise are too numerous to mention in this blog. Go see the website!

Sportsman's Lodge is located on Lake Concordia, about 12 miles northwest of Natchez in Louisiana. Concordia is chock full of largemouth, crappie, bream, catfish, and even some stripers or striper hybrid. The Lodge has numerous cabins, a great pier with boat slots, outdoor grills, and a store with gas, bait and snacks.

Lakeview Lodge, on the southern tip of Lake Concordia, is one I don't know a lot about yet, but looks good from the site, and appears to be a good place for groups of fishermen.

If you're looking for something more upscale, try Cypress Shore. It's a two-story house on Lake St. John, just one lake up from Concordia, with a multi-faceted private pier, full kitchen and nice living area. Great for family vacations in the Great Outdoors!

Keith had one caveat; he wants to bring his dog. This isn't always a problem, but it's a good idea to check with the proprietor before bringing a pet to any accommodations.

I hope this proves helpful to those planning vacations in our area. Hotels here can be convenient, comfortable places to stay, but sometimes you want something just a little different.
If I've missed anybody I apologize and I welcome your reply to tell me about your place or your favorite place to stay and fish!

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Spring in Natchez

Spring is such a beautiful time of year here on the Mississippi River, and not necessarily for the reasons you're thinking!
Yes, we have gardens exploding in a fantastic display of color. Dogwoods and Redbud Trees, Tulips, Daffodils, Irises, and that grand Southern favorite, the Azalea bushes. All the antebellum homes in town have detailed their gardens and interiors, and are welcoming tourists with open arms. If you'd like to see more, go see www.natchezpilgrimage.com, the official website of Natchez Pilgrimage Tours.

It is a gorgeous time of year because of those things, but some folks here find other things catch their eye in Spring.

It's Turkey season, and the turkey hunters "flock" in from everywhere. That big bearded gobbler, spreading his fan of multicolored feathers to attract a mate is an irresistible sight to a hunter. Nature lovers of all kinds enjoy that kind of treat.

Spawning season is also upon us, and with that some great fishing. Natchez is surrounded by a multitude of lakes and ponds as well as having the Mighty Mississippi in her back yard. As the weather warms, "slabs" of crappie - we call 'em white perch - bream, striped bass, catfish, and lunker largemouth bass come into the shallows to lay their eggs. Those bass especially become an aggressive bunch that will bite at just about anything that disturbs this process.

I mentioned a multitude of lakes and ponds, well two of those are record bass lakes. Just north of Natchez is the Natchez State Park, the lake of which scored the biggest bass recorded in Mississippi. Just across the river in Louisiana lies Lake Concordia, a record-breaking bass lake in it's own right.

Back to turkey hunting just a moment; Giles Island (www.gilesisland.com) is just a few moments' drive and a short boat ride away from Natchez. If you're a hunter, it's an incredible opportunity to get that trophy - or come back for deer season and see what good deer hunting is all about.

I guarantee a beautiful sight.

Friday, March 6, 2009

From Social Media to Fart Molecules in One Easy Step

Like so many others, I've started working with Social Media to promote my business (website development) as well as Natchez. At first thinking I was wasting my time, I stuck to it. After all, lots of other people are having success. My patience is now being rewarded.
After putting up profiles on TripAdvisor, Facebook, LinkedIn, and others, I worked my way to Twitter. This one seemed like a gigantic waste of time, but so many people were touting the benefits I had to give it a try.
It works.
Suddenly, all these people were "following" me. Reading any and every little item I wrote (and you can't write much at a time like you can on a blog). It's amazing.
Plus, I'm learning things and seeing great articles written by or referred to by people in the know.
"francophile" let me know that Google is making changes to the way it grades your site and turned me on to an article called "15 Applications No Online Business Can Live Without.
"rhys_isterix" links an article about Social Media for Businesses.
Of course, you still have to watch out for what "problogger" calls a Social Media Sleestack - people who use social media for scamming, cheap self-promotion, and even bullying. (see the article on Twitip.com)
Hey, I'm not above showing off NatchezMS.com every chance I get, but at the same time I'm meeting people who are experts at marketing, media, travel, and lots more.
Plus, it's fun. How else would I have found out that a Fart Molecule Could Be The Next Viagra?