Guide to the Natchez Trace Parkway [Turtleback]

F. Lynne Bachleda (Author)

Book Description

Series: Guide to the Natchez Trace Parkway | Publication Date: April 10, 2005

A unique journey through the heart of the Deep South, The Natchez Trace Parkway traverses 444 miles from Natchez, Mississippi, across the mighty Tennessee River in northwestern Alabama, to its northern terminus just shy of Nashville, Tennessee. For travelers planning a visit or already on the way, Guide to the Natchez Trace will help them discover all that the historic byway has to offer. From milepost to milepost, discover an ancient trail blazed hundreds of years ago by Native Americans that, in the early nineteenth century, became a trekking road for river boaters, who had sold their goods and vessels and were now headed back to central Tennessee and beyond. Visitors can drive the entire length, sampling the hundreds of scenic areas, restaurants, inns, exhibits, recreation areas, and other sites along the way. Motorcyclists will want to cruise the entire length as well, but will especially savor the hundreds of miles of meandering road between Natchez and Tupelo. For an even more intimate experience, Guide to the Natchez Trace shows where to hike on over 60 miles of National Scenic Trail, where to camp, and gives tips on bicycling the parkway's scenic length. Whether exploring a few miles or a few hundred miles, visitors will enjoy it most with the Guide to the Natchez Trace.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"invaluable" -- The Boston Globe, August 10, 2005

...a fantastic guide. -- The Advocate, May 15, 2005

...a richly detailed resource...helps ensure that the trip will be a memorable one. -- Mississippi Magazine, May/June, 2005

...a valuable resource for visitors. -- Nashville, March 2005

...includes newly completed portions of the Trace...lays out history and things to do and see along the way. -- The Birmingham News, July 3, 2005

From the Back Cover

Through the heart of the Deep South, The Natchez Trace Parkway traverses 444 miles from Natchez, Mississippi, to its northern terminus near Nashville, Tennessee. Whether you are planning a visit or are already on your way, the Guide to the Natchez Trace Parkway greatly enhances the drive and ensures that you don't miss the many discoveries that await.
With the Guide to the Natchez Trace Parkway you can drive the route's entire length amid rolling hills and historic sites while enjoying the best regional food, lodging, and attractions. For those who want to experience the terrain on foot, bicycle, or horseback, this volume offers practical advice and identifies trail locations.
Whether exploring a few miles or a few hundred miles, you'll enjoy them most with the Guide to the Natchez Trace Parkway.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Turtleback: 180 pages
• Publisher: Menasha Ridge Press; 1st edition (April 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0897325958
• ISBN-13: 978-0897325950
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #732,225 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Outstanding Guidebook, January 18, 2007

By 

J. Stephen Conn "Writer, Photographer, Author" (Loveland, Ohio) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Guide to the Natchez Trace Parkway (Turtleback)

Having just returned with my wife from a fabulous trip along the entire 444-mile-long Natchez Trace Parkway I can highly recommend this book. "Guide to the Natchez Trace Parkway" by F. Lynne Bachleda is an excellent resource both for planning and enjoying your trip. Having traveled widely in all 50 states and many countries, and having read countless guidebooks, I can say that this one is definitely better than most. It is accurate, easy to read, and chock full of information that is both practical and interesting. The descriptions of historical and natural features along the Parkway greatly enhanced our enjoyment of the trip. Even the printing and binding of the book are superior.

I would recommend that those traveling the Parkway do so from South to North if possible. Following the Trace in either direction would be fun, however most travel during the heyday of the Natchez Trace was from South to North and the guidebook also follows it in that direction.

A person could drive the entire Parkway in one day, but he/she would miss a lot. We took three days, and five would not have been too much time to fully explore all the many fascinating natural and historical points of interest along the way.

Both the Guidebook and the Parkway itself surpassed our high expectations.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Our trip on The Trace, November 12, 2007

By 

Melinda Welton - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Guide to the Natchez Trace Parkway (Turtleback)

It was like traveling with our own expert! We started in Nasvhille and stopped at virtually all of the recommended top 20, either on the way down or the way back, and each was worth the stop. We stayed at a B&B in Natchez, toured some of the awesome antebellum mansions and had a delightful time.
The book had useful lists of places to stay along the trace - we stayed in Tupelo on the way down and Jackson on the way back at places Lynne listed. We even had occasion to need the emergency phone number for the Trace when we came upon 4 horses, in the dark, also traveling towards Natchez. The number was easy to find in the index.
I am so glad that we waited until this book came out for our trip. We learned so much about the history of the region and it made the experience much more rich. This book really made the trip special for us - I HIGHLY recommend it! Thank you Lynne.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great book - With one significant drawback, May 22, 2008

By 

Bradford (Heath, Texas, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Guide to the Natchez Trace Parkway (Turtleback)

If you are a fan of the Natchez Trace, you are probably gratified (as I am) when a new book becomes available. Based on the favorable reviews I ordered it and was not disappointed.

The first physical property you notice about the book is that, though it is a soft-cover, the cover is stiffer than most paperback books and looks to be coated with a material that is water-resistant. This makes it an excellent book to take along with you as you travel, as opposed to a book that may be damaged easily by the elements.

The author quotes other works extensively thoughout, which I consider a strength for the simple reason that is allows you to sample the works of other authors, therefore appraising what other books you may wish to read. Additionally, the pictures are among the best of those that I have found of any book on the Trace. Finally, I found the organization of the book to be very user-friendly, and it accomodates the reader whether your purpose is to use it on-site as a guide or as a tool to learn more about the Trace.

The one flaw that this book has (and it is significant) IMHO, is in the choice of fonts and printing backgrounds. In some areas (Such as the chapter that outlines the chronology of the Trace) you almost have to get out a magnifying glass to read the text. In still other passages (encompassing a significant portion of the book), the text is printed in black on a maroon background; these matching shades are unfortunate as they can cause an unneccesarily difficult time in reading these otherwise interesting sections of the book.

All-told, I would buy this book again, but if it is reprinted I hope the above is corrected so that future readers will find this book even more enjoyable than it currently is.