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NASHVILLE TO NEW ORLEANS
Road Trip
MARGARET LITTMAN
CONTENTS
Discover the Nashville to New Orleans Road Trip
Nashville
The Trace: Tennessee
The Trace: Alabama
The Trace: Northern Mississippi
Memphis and the Mississippi Blues Trail
The Trace: Central Mississippi
The Trace: Southern Mississippi
New Orleans
Essentials
Index
List of Maps
Photo Credits
Copyright
Although every effort was made to make sure the information in
this book was accurate when going to press, research was
impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some things may have
changed during this crisis. Be sure to confirm specific details when
making your travel plans.
DISCOVER the Nashville to New
Orleans Road Trip
10 TOP EXPERIENCES
PLANNING YOUR TRIP
Preparing to Bike the Trace
If You’re Looking For…
HIT THE ROAD
Best Hikes
Best of Southern Cuisine
With Less Time
Connecting some of the most iconic cities in the American South,
these paths trace the very root of the American experience. Travel
from Nashville, where country music came into its own, or Memphis,
birthplace of the blues, to New Orleans, home of that Dixieland jazz,
and you’ll better understand not only the nation’s musical legacy, but
also its creation and expansion.
Your road trip starts in Nashville with the Grand Ole Opry, a radio
show that brought country music to the masses. It also boasts a rich
civil rights legacy, and a reputation as a cosmopolitan city with
world-class food and entertainment.
 You’ll end in boisterous New Orleans, where jazz is perhaps the
loudest sound in a heady mix of blues, rock, soul, zydeco, and Cajun
music. It’s also a place where gardens bloom, streetcars run, and
beignets make everything sweeter.
Connecting these cities is the Natchez Trace Parkway, a verdant
landscape rich in history and lore. Along this route your pace will
slow as the sounds of raucous music give way to the melodies of
birds and the rustling of leaves and grass. Follow in the footsteps of
Native Americans, Civil War soldiers, and thousands of others who
helped to mold this region into its current form. Continue back north
to Memphis through the Mississippi Delta and lose yourself in
barbecue and blues.
This journey is an outdoor adventure, a concert on wheels, a
history lesson, and a culinary quest. Start it with a biscuit and a
country tune and end with a beignet and a sax riff.
10 TOP EXPERIENCES

1 Listen to Live Music: Country at the world-famous Grand Ole

Opry in Nashville? Blues at Memphis’s Juke Joints? Jazz at
Preservation Hall in New Orleans? Whatever sound you like, you
can—and should—hear it on this trip.
2 Let the Good Times Roll: Mardi Gras in New Orleans is
something you shouldn’t miss. But if you can’t make it before Lent
begins, you have a year-round opportunity at Blaine Kern’s Mardi
Gras World.
3 Get Lit: From Eudora Welty to Tennessee Williams and
William Faulkner, literary legends have deep roots in the region.
4 Eat like a Local: Nashville’s hot chicken, Memphis’s barbecue,
Mississippi Delta’s tamales, and New Orleans’ Cajun and Creole
cuisine are just some of the unforgettable foodie fun.
5 Honor the Civil Rights Movement: Learn about the fight for
equality that continues to shape the South at the Civil Rights
Room at the Nashville Public Library, the Medgar Evers
Home Museum National Monument, the Mississippi Civil
Rights Museum, and the National Civil Rights Museum.
6 See Mississippi River Views: Enjoy the sky’s color show over
the water in Memphis —or anywhere along the Mississippi Delta.
7 Raise a Glass: There’s no shortage of options: wine along the
Natchez Trace, craft beer in Memphis, and legendary cocktails at
Cathead Distillery, to name a few.
8 Learn Civil War History: Stories of the traumatic conflict that
changed the Nation are told at Fort Negley, and Vicksburg and
Shiloh military parks.
9 Get Artsy: Pick up a pre-made concert poster or make one at
Hatch Show Print. Join a class taught by a Mississippi expert at
the Bill Waller Mississippi Craft Center, or admire masterpieces
in New Orleans.
10 Take a Hike: You may just want to stretch your legs or enjoy
the scenery, but you’ll discover that even the trails are full of stories.
PLANNING YOUR TRIP
Where to Go
This drive along the Natchez Trace Parkway originates in Nashville,
crosses through Tennessee, cuts across the northwest corner of
Alabama, and then traverses much of Mississippi before ending in
Natchez. From there, you’re just a short drive from New Orleans.

Nashville
Nashville is the epicenter of country music. It’s home to the
Grand Ole Opry, the Country Music Hall of Fame and
Museum, and hundreds of recording studios. It’s the place where
thousands of musicians and songwriters come to make it, and the
city’s nightlife is all the richer for it. Fine arts and a contemporary
culinary scene appeal to sophisticates, while museums,
historical sites, and the unusual Tennessee State Capitol recall
the city’s history.
The Trace: Tennessee
This is where your drive starts: at the northern terminus of the
Natchez Trace Parkway. This northernmost stretch features
rolling hills, secluded hikes, and significant historic sites,
including the somber and reverential Meriwether Lewis
Monument and Gravesite. Close to the parkway are quaint
suburbs and towns, including Franklin and Leiper’s Fork, where
you can visit Civil War sites and spot country music celebrities.

the Natchez Trace Parkway

The Trace: Alabama

The shortest section of the Natchez Trace Parkway covers just the
tiny northwest corner of Alabama but contains tons of history.
Contemplate the somber Wichahpi Commemorative Stone Wall,
an homage to the Trail of Tears. Close to the Trace, the Shoals
region is home to Muscle Shoals, an important part of music
history, and Florence, which is a charming epicenter of fashion and
design.

The Trace: Northern Mississippi

This part of the state is known as “the hills” of Mississippi. And along
this winding stretch of the parkway, you’ll find scenic views and
opportunities for camping, hiking, and bicycling. This section
ends in Tupelo, birthplace of the King of Rock ’n’ Roll, Elvis Presley.
The Natchez Trace Parkway Headquarters and Visitor Center
is the essential stopping point for information about the Natchez
Trace.

Memphis and the Mississippi Blues Trail

This route starts in Memphis, Tennessee, and winds south for 170
miles into the Mississippi Delta. The blues were born in Memphis,
and they still call Memphis home in nightclubs on Beale Street
and around the city. But Memphis is more than music. It’s an urban
center with fine dining, parks, and art museums. Watch the
resident ducks at The Peabody Memphis or fuel up with a plate of
barbecue.
Drive through the Mississippi Delta to explore the roots of
American music and listen to the blues in juke joints. Visit small
towns that are home to big history, like Clarksdale, Cleveland,
and Greenwood.

The Trace: Central Mississippi

Through farmland and past Indian mounds, the Natchez Trace
Parkway is a leisurely, easy drive in this section of the Magnolia
State. Exit the parkway for two of the state’s academic and tourism
treasures: Oxford and Starkville. Plan leisurely stops to stroll
these quintessential college towns.

The Trace: Southern Mississippi

The southernmost stretch of the parkway is bookended by two of
the state’s most significant cities—the capital city of Jackson and
historic Natchez, the southern terminus of the Trace. This is an
opportunity to explore civil rights sites, Civil War battlefields,
and antebellum homes and gardens.

New Orleans
New Orleans is unlike any other city, steeped as it is in many
unique cultures. Its reputation of being a party place is accurate, but
it’s also home to beautiful architecture, museums, gardens,
and, of course, tempting Cajun and Creole food. Louisiana capital
Baton Rouge has some of NOLA’s similar charms, but also its own
traditions, institutions, and a mammoth campus.

a jazz band performing in the French Quarter, New Orleans

When to Go
The Natchez Trace Parkway is compelling year-round. Visitors are
steady throughout the year, with July and October slightly more
popular times to travel the road. Spring is the most desirable time
to visit. Colorful wildflowers will be in bloom, making overlooks and
hikes stunning, but greenery won’t yet block vistas, as happens in
summer. In spring the days will be long enough to get miles and
stops in on the Trace before sunset, but summer’s crowds won’t yet
be nabbing campground spaces. Spring weather is temperate, not
the oppressive heat of summer.
 Summer is the peak travel season for Nashville and Memphis,
when crowds and temperatures are at their highest. It’s also when
some of the biggest music festivals and events are going on. In New
Orleans, summer is the least crowded time to visit; hurricane season
is June-September.
Fall is also popular; the parkway is one of the best places in the
South to see the leaves change. Stark white cotton bolls in bloom
are a breathtaking contrast to the rich yellows and golds on the
trees. Fall is a good time to explore Nashville, Memphis, and New
Orleans, as the temperatures are cooler and the crowds have
dispersed.
Winter is generally low season for this region—except in New
Orleans, when people flock to the city for Mardi Gras and temperate
weather. The Trace is rarely troubled by inclement weather, as the
region sees little snow.

Preparing to Bike the Trace

If you’re traveling the Trace by bicycle, as many do, you should
plan ahead, as 444 miles is a significant ride. People of all
fitness levels, ages, and abilities complete this ride, which ESPN
rates as one of the 10 best bike routes in the country. The lack
of dangerous road traffic combined with beautiful scenery and
mild weather makes it particularly appealing to newbies and
experienced pedalers alike.
 cycling on the Natchez Trace Parkway

Before you begin, figure out approximately how many miles

you plan to bike a day. If you plan to do the trip in a week,
you’ll need to average at least 75 miles per day, with limited
detours. Make a training plan that gets you up to that
mileage.
Wondering what to bring? Here’s a start:
 A bike. Obviously, you’ll need to buy or rent a bicycle. The
entirety of the parkway is paved, so a road or touring bike is
your best bet (as opposed to a mountain bike).
Changes of clothes, particularly rain gear.
Thunderstorms in the South can be soakers. So, while you want
to pack light, you also want to have the clothes you need when
Mother Nature shows you who’s boss. Layering is key.
Clip-in shoes. If clip-ins and cleats are your thing, bring
’em. If not, that’s fine, too, but in either case bring shoes (and
hiking boots) to wear when not on your bike.
Locks. You’ll want your gear to be safe when you hike,
explore towns on side trips, and take breaks for food.
Maps. Some of the parkway has limited cell service. Have a
paper (better yet, laminated) map in case your GPS fails you.
Snacks. You may not need gas on a bike, but your body
needs fuel. Have protein bars or other snacks in your pack.
Padded shorts. It’s 444 miles on a bike seat. Enough said.
Reflective gear and lights. It isn’t recommended that you
bike on the Trace at night. Remember, there are limited
roadway lights. But you’ll still want to make sure you can be
seen when the sun is down. A helmet, first-aid kit, and safety
gear are also essential.
A good attitude. You never know what will happen on a
long trek. Some cyclists say the repetitive nature of the
landscape bores them silly. Others find it meditative. Traffic,
storms, construction, wild turkeys: Who knows what you will
encounter? Keep an open mind and keep pedaling.
Companions. Many tour companies offer guided or
supported bike rides on the Trace (meaning a van carries your
meals and gear while you ride). These are great options for
those who don’t want to be on two wheels alone on the road.
See the Trace by Bicycle section in Essentials for more
information on tour companies and links to websites with maps
and recommendations.

If You’re Looking For…

With 444 miles through three states, the Natchez Trace Parkway
and its surrounding communities have something for everyone.
Plan your trip based on your interests.
Music: Almost every stop in this book has great music roots
and music history. Head to Nashville for country, The
Shoals for rock, New Orleans for jazz, and Memphis,
Jackson, and Clarksdale for the blues.
Civil Rights History: The fight for Civil Rights shaped—and
is still shaping—the South. Learn more in Memphis,
Nashville, and Jackson.
Native-American History: Start in The Shoals learning
about the Trail of Tears at Wichahpi Commemorative
Stone Wall. Stop at Chickasaw Village Site near Tupelo
and end at the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians
State Historic Site in Natchez. Along the way the Trace
offers context of Native-American life, including a number of
significant burial mounds.
Hiking: The north section of the Natchez Trace Parkway in
Tennessee is prime territory for lacing up your boots. Put in
some miles on the Highland Rim Trail.
Nightlife: Nashville, Memphis, and New Orleans are the
obvious choices, and Clarksdale has live music seven days a
week and friendly locals who will hang out with you all night
long.
 Tasty Food: Again, there is no shortage of great eats on this
trip. Unexpected concentrations of gems can be found in
Oxford and Greenwood.

Before You Go
Fly into Nashville International Airport and out of New Orleans’s
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.
Memphis, Jackson, and Huntsville and Birmingham, Alabama, are
other nearby cities that are good alternatives for those who want to
do just a portion of the drive.
Pack light, particularly if you want to see the Natchez Trace by
bicycle, motorcycle, or on horseback. Take hiking boots and
sunscreen for exploring the Trace’s many scenic pleasures, and
tents and sleeping bags if you plan to camp.
If you’re planning to stop over in the cities on this route, make
advance reservations. Nashville sees demand spike during the
summer music festival season. Football games in the Mississippi
college towns of Oxford and Starkville make fall a tough time to find
a hotel room. Everyone wants a New Orleans hotel during Mardi
Gras (February or March) and Jazz Fest (April or May). Natchez is
almost exclusively a B&B town, and these small inns are often
booked in advance during the town’s Spring and Fall Pilgrimage.
Most B&Bs along the Trace accommodate bicycle travelers. Call
ahead to confirm there are safe spaces to store your gear.

Investigating Our Shared History

People who take road trips down the Natchez Trace Parkway and the
Blues Highway tend to be people who like to learn about history.
Every turn in the road is an opportunity to learn about those who
came before—but much of that history is not pretty. This land has
been the ground for cruelty against Native Americans who were
forced from their ancestral homes. It was the battlefield for much of
the bloodiest combat of the U.S. Civil War. Year after year, the
atrocities of enslavement were perpetuated—and racism persists
despite the continuing fight for Civil Rights.
Travel provides us with important opportunities to learn more
about our neighbors and our nation. We encourage you to travel
with an open mind, to allow yourself to feel uncomfortable when you
encounter darkness in our shared history, and to continue to talk
about what you see and learn along the way. Great care was taken
to include sites that accurately and sensitively represent U.S. History.
Sites that focus solely on nostalgia or misrepresent experiences of
Native Americans and Black Americans have been omitted. Many
sites are re-examining the ways in which they present this material
and may update tours and museum exhibits as time goes on.
Ultimately it’s up to you to determine if particular sites are
appropriate to visit.

Driving Tips
The Natchez Trace Parkway is a scenic 444-mile paved road
managed by the National Park Service. The entire parkway is well
marked with brown mile markers on the east side of the road.
Crossroads are also marked, and there are signs at intersections
letting you know how many miles to the next major city. It is very
difficult to get lost on the Trace if you pay attention. Some of the
stops have maps posted in their parking areas as well.
There are virtually no commercial stops on the route. That means
you must exit the parkway at major crossroads to get gas. Some of
the stops on the parkway have restrooms and vending machines,
and there are three official campgrounds on the Trace, but for the
most part, you’ll need to exit for restaurants and accommodations as
well.
Many people travel the Trace on bicycle. If you are in a car, you
must allow at least three feet for cyclists when passing. You should
pass in the opposite lane (when safe) when there are bicyclists
present.
 Cell phone reception can be spotty on much of the parkway,
though generally reliable in the cities. Most hotels, even small B&Bs,
have Wi-Fi, making it possible to connect on the road.
Drought and soil conditions can cause what the Park Service calls
“severe cracking and movement of the parkway motor road surface”
in Mississippi. In a car, you may not notice these conditions, but on
motorcycle or bicycle you may encounter a high number of potholes.
It’s rare for roads to be closed for inclement weather. Pay
attention to alerts on this route for snow, tornadoes (during extreme
temperature changes), dense fog, and flash floods; check with park
rangers (662/680-4025) to get updated weather forecasts. They will
also know about any unexpected road closures due to construction.
That information is also posted on the parkway website
(www.nps.gov/natr). Note that the Trace is a two-lane road with
frequent pullouts. If a bridge or road is closed due to an accident,
patience will be required. If a road is blocked due to an accident,
you have to wait for it to clear or backtrack and find a detour.

HIT THE ROAD

The 12-Day Nashville to New Orleans Road Trip
With just under two weeks, you can wind your way from one epic
music and food city to the next. The total drive is 620 miles; 444 of
these curve down the National Park Service’s Natchez Trace Parkway.
You’ll hear everything from country to Creole; visit the birthplace of
the King and places where civil rights stood proud.
The trip will take longer on two wheels or horseback, and the
Natchez Trace is well-suited for such modes of transport. Check out
the Essentials chapter for more specifics on planning such a journey.
The parkway mileposts are numbered from south to north, so it’s
easy to start your trip in New Orleans and follow this guide in
reverse to end your journey in Nashville. Either way, your trip is
bookended by good food and music. If you have more time, it is
easy to add in the Mississippi Delta and Memphis and loop back to
Nashville.

Days 1-2: Nashville

Spend your first two days in Nashville (see details and suggestions.

Day 3: Tennessee
NASHVILLE TO ALABAMA BORDER
(120 MI/194 KM)
Up and at ’em! Fuel up both yourself and your car with biscuits from
Loveless Cafe and gasoline from a nearby station. Your first stop
on the Natchez Trace Parkway is a prime photo spot: the Double
Arch Bridge.

the Double Arch Bridge along the Natchez Trace Parkway in Tennessee

If you’re up for exiting the scenic parkway, you have several good
options for food, drink, and entertainment in Franklin, Leiper’s
Fork, and Columbia, which is where you’ll find the President
James K. Polk Home & Museum. Other highlights include the
Franklin Theatre. While in Franklin, you can visit Carnton and
learn some Civil War history.
Along the Trace itself you should stop at the Meriwether Lewis
Monument and Gravesite, which is a somber memorial to a man
who helped the country expand. This is also where to camp for the
night before crossing into Alabama.

Day 4: Alabama
ALABAMA BORDER TO MISSISSIPPI BORDER
(30 MI/48 KM)
You’ll be covering fewer miles on the Trace today but plenty of
territory when it comes to Native American, music, and military
history. Stop at the Wichahpi Commemorative Stone Wall and
learn about the Trail of Tears.
Take a side trip to The Shoals region, where the namesake cities
of Muscle Shoals, Florence, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia offer myriad
opportunities. Muscle Shoals is home to important music sites like
Muscle Shoals Sound Studio and FAME Studios. Shop for
unique clothing items or souvenirs in Florence, then tuck in for the
night.
 FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals

Day 5: Northern Mississippi

MISSISSIPPI BORDER TO TUPELO
(45 MI/73 KM)
Don’t forget to get gas before heading back to the Trace. Next you’ll
head south on the Trace, bound for Tupelo, stopping at Bear Creek
Mound and Pharr Mounds on the way.
Once you arrive in Tupelo, sample the blueberry doughnuts at
Connie’s Fried Chicken, and then head to the Elvis Presley
Birthplace, where you’ll honor the King’s legacy and learn how he
got to be who he was. Catch live music at the Blue Canoe, then
head back to your hotel so you can be rested and ready to go in the
morning.
 Elvis Presley Birthplace in Tupelo

Best Hikes
The Natchez Trace Parkway isn’t just a great drive. It’s also an
access road to great walks, some short, some long. Here are a
few of the best.
Garrison Creek (milepost 427.6): As the northern
terminus of the Highland Rim Trail, this is the place serious
hikers go to escape the hubbub. Make it long and strenuous,
or just do a quick section.
Wichahpi Commemorative Stone Wall (milepost 338):
Meditate and contemplate while walking along this mile-long
unmortared wall, which honors those who walked the Trail of
Tears.
Rock Spring (milepost 330.2): Take a 20-minute hike to a
bubbling brook, sheltered from the sun under a canopy of
trees.
Bailey’s Woods Trail (Oxford): Though doing this 20-
minute wooded walk means taking a side trip to Oxford,
Mississippi, it’s worth it for the chance to visit William
Faulkner’s home, which connects to the trail.
Cypress Swamp Loop Trail (milepost 122): Less than a
half mile, this boardwalk stroll spans a serene swamp of
water tupelos and bald cypress.
Chisha Foka Multi-Use Trail (milepost 95-105): A
paved path winds next to the parkway and is great for
walkers, strollers, hikers, and bikers.
 Chisha Foka Multi-Use Trail

Day 6: Central Mississippi

TUPELO TO RIDGELAND
(275 MI/443 KM WITH OXFORD)
Before you leave Tupelo, stop by the Natchez Trace Parkway
Headquarters and Visitor Center on the Trace itself. This is the
best place on the 444-mile route to meet with rangers, ask
questions, watch a film, and buy some souvenirs.
Gas up the car for the 45-minute drive to Oxford, home of Ole
Miss. Wander the University of Mississippi campus, where you
can tour the University Museum and several of the campus’s
historic civil rights sights. Visit Rowan Oak, William Faulkner’s
home, then get lunch in The Square, the center of all things
Oxford.
You have about an hour on the road to hook back up with the
parkway (remember to fuel up). Then continue south. Two of five
Native American ceremonial mounds are visible at the Owl Creek
Mounds Archaeological Site, just off the parkway. Stop here to
see sites that were likely temples and then head south to the six
burial mounds at Bynum Mounds.
Take a quick hike at Cypress Swamp, then make for
Ridgeland, another 150 miles down the Trace, to spend the night.

Days 7-8
RIDGELAND TO NATCHEZ
(110 MI/177 KM)
Ridgeland is just east of Jackson, Mississippi’s capital city. You have
many museums from which to choose on your days in Jackson. The
perfectly preserved Eudora Welty House and Garden feels like
the author has just run out to lunch and she’ll be back in a few. The
civil rights collection at the Margaret Walker Center on the
Jackson State campus, and the Smith Robertson Museum show
different perspectives on the state’s complicated civil rights history.

Best of Southern Cuisine

Honey-baked hams, biscuits, and pecan pies: A trip through the
Deep South is tasty. Of course you can find hummus and
kombucha, but when in the South. . . . Here’s where to eat
some regional specialties.
Loveless Cafe, Nashville: They may not be the best
biscuits in Nashville, but they are the most iconic, and they’re
at the northern terminus of the parkway.
Odette, Florence: Locally grown and raised ingredients are
incorporated in modern interpretations of classic dishes at
this Alabama staple.
Connie’s Fried Chicken, Tupelo: This is the place to stop
for fried chicken, biscuits, and blueberry doughnuts.
 blueberry doughnuts at Connie’s Fried Chicken

City Grocery, Oxford: Oxford’s food scene was transformed

by this restaurant, which serves Coca-Cola ribs, barbecue
oysters, and other Southern specialties in a renovated stable.
The Biscuit Shop, Starkville: A good biscuit isn’t hard to
find in the South, but these are some of the best, with
varieties you never imagined.
 Carriage House Restaurant, Natchez: Fried chicken and
blue plate specials are served in Stanton Hall.
Jacques-Imo’s Café, New Orleans: Stop by this popular
spot for innovative Creole and Cajun, huge portions, and
sassy service.

From Jackson you’ll head back on the Trace for the last piece of
your parkway drive. Appreciate the leisurely pace as you drive,
stopping to read historical signs. Allocate enough time at Mount
Locust Historic House, an 1800s building and grounds with
cemeteries, walking trails, and more. Drive on to Emerald Mound,
because while you may have seen a lot of Indian mounds on this
trip, this is one on which you can climb. Like Mount Locust,
Elizabeth Female Academy is one of the few remaining buildings
(or portions thereof) on the parkway.
You’ve made it to the southern terminus! Natchez is known for its
antebellum architecture. You can admire the historic architecture at
Garden Song B&B. Sit by the fire or stroll the gardens and then
head to King’s Tavern for flatbread and beer for dinner. The
restaurant, which may be haunted, is in the oldest building in the
state.

Day 9
NATCHEZ TO BATON ROUGE
(100 MI/161 KM)
From Natchez, take US 61 south and continue to Baton Rouge,
capital of Louisiana. Tour both Louisiana’s Old State Capitol and
the current Louisiana State Capitol, an art deco limestone
stunner. Drive through Spanish Town, the city’s oldest
neighborhood, dating to 1805. Visit the Old Louisiana Governor’s
Mansion, which first resident Huey Long wanted to look like the
White House.
 Order savory and sweet pies at Elsie’s Plate & Pie for dinner.
Continue the history vibe by spending the night at the Watermark
hotel, housed in an old bank.

Days 10-12
BATON ROUGE TO NEW ORLEANS
(110 MI/177 KM)
Yes, you could get from the state capitol to the Big Easy by taking I-
10, but it is worth the extra miles (about 30 more) and the extra
time to take the Great River Road. Admire the local architecture
with lovely trees dripping with Spanish moss, plus a restaurant,
museum, and even places to stay overnight. Continue on along the
south edge of Lake Pontchartrain as you roll into New Orleans (see
details and suggestions).

beignets at Café Du Monde in New Orleans

If You Have More Time Days 13-15: Memphis
NEW ORLEANS TO MEMPHIS
(400 MI/645 KM)
If you are not ready to stop exploring, add on to your trip by
heading from New Orleans to Memphis through the Mississippi Delta.
On your way north stop in Greenwood to eat at Fan and Johnny’s.
Visit the nearby Robert Johnson Grave. Stop and pay your
respects to Emmett Till, whose murder at the site of Bryant’s
Grocery & Meat Market sparked the civil rights movement. Spend
the night at Travelers Hotel in Clarksdale and listen to live music
at Red’s Blues Club. Swing by the Gateway to the Blues
Museum in Tunica before you ease into Memphis (see details and
suggestions).

Day 16
BACK TO NASHVILLE
(275 MI/443 KM)
Make it a loop by ending up where you started, by heading east
from Memphis to Nashville. From Memphis, learn about Tina Turner
and her childhood at the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center
before continuing on to Hurricane Mills to visit Loretta Lynn’s
Ranch. Connect back to the northern terminus of the Natchez Trace
Parkway and then drive back to Nashville.

Music of the Trace

To travel along the Natchez Trace Parkway and through the
Mississippi Delta is to be immersed in music that reflects the
experiences of the people that have shaped this region. You don’t
even need to seek it out; you’ll hear it in casinos and laundromats,
on front porches and street corners, from Nashville country to New
Orleans jazz.
Whether you prefer an intimate space or a place where you can
kick up your heels and twirl, you’ll find your musical fit on this road
Another Random Scribd Document
with Unrelated Content
The Project Gutenberg eBook of Poems
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United
States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with
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or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License
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are not located in the United States, you will have to check the
laws of the country where you are located before using this
eBook.

Title: Poems

Author: Nora May French

Release date: August 13, 2016 [eBook #52796]

Most recently updated: October 23, 2024

Language: English

Credits: Produced by Mary Kay, Chuck Greif and the Online

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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK POEMS ***

POEMS
 Copyright 1910,
By the Strange Company

Printed by
The Stanley-Taylor Company
San Francisco
NORA MAY FRENCH WAS BORN
AT AURORA, NEW YORK, APRIL
THE TWENTY-SIXTH, 1881, AND
DIED AT CARMEL, CALIFORNIA,
NOVEMBER THE FOURTEENTH,
1907, AGED TWENTY-SIX YEARS
 CONTENTS
The Outer Gate 1
Rain 2
Best-Loved 3
The Rose 4
Between Two Rains 5
The Message 6
By the Hospital 7
Oh, Dryad Thoughts 8
Music in the Pavilion 9
Rebuke 10
In Camp 11
The Nymph 12
Vivisection 16
The Stranger 17
The Constant Ones 18
Instinct 19
San Francisco, New Year’s, 1907 20
The Poppy Field 22
You 23
Just a Dog 24
Mirage 25
Dusk 26
The Spanish Girl—Part I 29
The Spanish Girl—Part II 39
The Spanish Girl—Part III 49
The Garden of Dolores 59
Indifference 60
After-Knowledge 61
Two Spendthrift Kings 62
Growth 63
Change 64
Wistaria 65
My Nook 66
When Plaintively and Near the Cricket Sings 68
The Little Memories 69
Pass By 70
In Empty Courts 71
Down the Trail 72
“Bells from Over the Hills Sound Sweet” 74
In Town 75
Moods 76
A Misty Morning 77
Two Songs 78
Noon 79
Your Beautiful Passing 80
By Moonlight 81
One Day 82
The Mission Graves 83
Along the Track 84
A Place of Dreams 85
Think Not, O Lilias 86
To Rosy Buds 87
Yesterday 88
The Mourner 89
Ave atque Vale 90
Notes 91
 THE OUTER GATE[1]

LBehold,
IFE said: “My house is thine with all its store;
I open shining ways to thee—
Of every inner portal make thee free:
O child, I may not bar the outer door.
Go from me if thou wilt, to come no more;
But all thy pain is mine, thy flesh of me;
And must I hear thee, faint and woefully,
Call on me from the darkness and implore?”

Nay, mother, for I follow at thy will.

But oftentimes thy voice is sharp to hear,
Thy trailing fragrance heavy on the breath;
Always the outer hall is very still,
And on my face a pleasant wind and clear
Blows straitly from the narrow gate of Death.
 RAIN

TAnd
HE rain was grey before it fell,
through a world where light had died
There ran a mournful little wind
That shook the trees and cried.

The rain was brown upon the earth,

In turbid stream and tiny seas—
In swift and slender shafts that beat
The flowers to their knees.

The rain is mirror to the sky,

To leaning grass in image clear,
And drifting in the shining pools
The clouds are white and near.
 BEST-LOVED

ITAwas a joy whose stem I did not break—

little thing I passed with crowded hands,
And gave a backward look for beauty’s sake.

Of all I pulled and wove and flung aside,

Was any hue preferred above the rest?
I only know they pleased me well, and died.

But this—it lives distinct in Memory’s sight,

A little thing, incurving like a pearl.
I think its heart had never seen the light.
 THE ROSE[2]

AOrY,please
pluck a jonquil when the May’s a-wing!
you with a rose upon the breast,
A sweeter violet chosen from the rest,
To match your mood with blue caprice of spring—
Leave windy vines a tendril less to swing.
Why, what’s a flower? A day’s delight at best,
A perfume loved, a faded petal pressed,
A whimsey for an hour’s remembering.

But wondrous careful must he draw the rose

From jealous earth, who seeks to set anew
Deep root, young leafage, with a gardener’s art—
To plant her queen of all his garden close,
And make his varying fancy wind and dew,
Cloud, rain, and sunshine for one woman’s heart.
 BETWEEN TWO RAINS

ITTheis alulling
silver space between two rains;
storm has given to the day
An hour of windless air and riven grey;
The world is drained of color; light remains.
Beyond the curving shore a gull complains;
Unceasing, on the bastions of the bay,
With gleam of shields and veer of vaporing spray
The long seas fall, the grey tide wars and wanes.

It is a silver space between two rains:

A mood too sweet for tears, for joy too pale—
What stress has swept or nears us, thou and I?
This hour a mist of light is on the plains,
And seaward fares again with litten sail
Our laden ship of dreams adown the sky.
 THE MESSAGE[3]

SSoO might it brush my cheek with errant wings,

might it speak with thrilling touch and light
Of answering eyes, of dim, unuttered things—
A moth from hidden gardens of the night.

So, in a land of hills, where twilight lay,

Might come a sudden bird-call to the ear,
Across the canyons, faint and far away....
O Heart, how sweet ... half heard and wholly dear.
 BY THE HOSPITAL

WWithHOunseen
goes to meet the windy night
comrades shouting by,
Who grips a bough in swift delight
To let it dip and loose and fly;

Who runs for rest that running gives,

Runs till his throbbing muscles speak;
Who bends to feel how keenly lives
The joyous grass beneath his cheek—

With sudden tears his eyes shall fill,

With quick-drawn breath he sees them plain—
Those bodies that must lie so still,
So tired—in the House of Pain.
 “OH, DRYAD THOUGHTS”

OYou
H, Dryad thoughts of lovely yesterday!—
melted through a sunny wood like mist,
With here a wind of laughter, there a stray
Pleased flower, tipped and kissed.

To-day among the noises of the street,

The press of faces, sullen, gay, and wise,
I hear you calling, calling me; I meet
Your clear, untroubled eyes.
 MUSIC IN THE PAVILION

FThe
ACES that throng and stare and come and go—
air a-quiver as the voices meet;
And loud Humanity in mingled flow
Passes with jarring tread of many feet.

But over all the chatter of the crowd

(The background for its delicate relief)
Now trembling in a thread, now wild and loud,
The violin laughs and sings, and cries its grief.

Then, through it all, and round it all, the sea;

A solemn heart with never-ceasing beat,
Bearing an undertone of mystery
The harsh and lovely notes, the shrill and sweet.

Surely it is my life—of plodding days,

With one Ideal holding clear and good;
And sounding over, under, through my ways,
Something apart—and never understood.
 REBUKE

TIHE tortured river-banks, the toiling piers—

walked thereby as older grew the day,
And sick with sorry clamor in mine ears,
Heart-weary turned my steps and went my way.

“O place full-voiced of wretchedness!” I cried.

(The sun had set, the dusk was closing in)
“O place where laboring Life goes heavy-eyed,
Compound of grime and discord, strife and sin!”

I turned me back, and lo, a miracle!

For misty violet lay along the land.
The shining river in mysterious spell
(Divinely touched by some transmuting hand).

A path of wonder was, and on it stirred,

(Black-shaped, and jeweled with a crimson spark)
A ship that slowly moved; and, faintly heard,
A cheery song rose blithely to the dark.
 IN CAMP

AAbove
S down I bent with eager lips
the stones and cresses cool—
The yellow tent, the little moon,
I found within my twilight pool.

The fringing trees, the floating moon,

The bubble tent—I passed them by,
And sipped a tiny, shattered star,
Deep drinking from that mirrored sky.

II

MWith
Y tent is shadowed day and night
leaves that shift in moon and sun;
Across its walls of lucent white
The lovely varied tracings run;

And black and slender, quickly sped,

I watch the little feet at dawn—
A sudden oriole overhead,
A darting linnet come and gone.
THE NYMPH
FAnd,
ROM forest paths we turned us, nymphs, new-made,
lifting eyes abashed with great desire
Before high Jove, the gift of souls we prayed.

Whereat he said: “O perfect as new leaves

New glossed and veined with blood of perfect days
And stirred to murmured speech in fragrant eves,

“Still ask ye souls? Behold, I give instead

Into each breast a bird with fettered wings,
A bird fast holden with a silken thread:

“To fall from trial of flight with strength swift spent,

To sing of mating and the brooding grass,
To turn thy being earthward to content.”

Within me sudden wrath and terror strove,

And, casting forth his gift I cried aloud:
“I pray thee for a soul in truth, great Jove!”

Then smiled he slowly, lifting to my look

A fabric where the rippled lustre played
And shifted like the humor of a brook—

All prism-hued, as upward eyes may see

The sun through dazzled lashes. Straight I cried:
“I know not this!” “Thy soul,” he answered me.

But when my joy had seized it, “Nay,” he said,

And cast it gleaming to the scattering wind—
Hues green and golden, blue and fervent red.

Within his hand the brightest shred of all—

The very heart and secret of the web—
That held he fast and loosed he not at all;

But to me said: “O thou who scorned the dole

Th t th fd dl t t
 That gave thee peace of days and long content,
Do now my will. Go forth and find thy soul.”

To earth we went, nor knew I from that hour

My sister’s joy or pain; but on great morns
When low light slept above a world in flower,

Through drowsing noons where heat and color lie

In ever wavering tides of airy seas,
Winged by the darting ships of dragon-flies—

Through these and twilight peace I went, and rid

My steps of comrades. Lonely must I find
The silent places where my soul was hid.

In sheltered ways with summer showers sweet

I wandered on a day, and singing found
The very green I sought beneath my feet.

In leafing forests when the year was new,

And heaven ribboned in the crossing boughs,
I gathered marvelous strip on strip of blue.

When on a lonely stream the moon was bright,

A Naiad from her treasure plucked me forth
Such gold as bound my web with threads of light.

And red. Ah, love! thou knowest how I came

Unto thy fluting in the breathless eve,
And burned my heart’s pale flower to scarlet flame!...

One morn I found within a drop of dew

My very soul: a crystal world it was
Wherein the varied earth and heaven’s blue

And myself gazing glassed in perfect sphere—

But long above it was my wonder bent,
And lo! it dried more swiftly than a tear.
Now is this truth, O Jove, that I have won
And woven all the shreds thou gav’st the wind?
But how, I pray thee, can my task be done

Unless thou ope thine hand, unless thou loose

The very heart and secret of the web
Where every thread may end and know its use?

Joy hast thou not withheld, nor love denied,

Nor any beauty dimmed on earth or sky,
Yet by thy will I roam unsatisfied.

But couldst thou hear again that earliest plea,

Again my choice would flout the lesser gift,
And willing take this task thou grantest me—

To search the heart and secret of the whole,

To twine the eager hues of varied days,
And to its bright perfection weave a soul.
 VIVISECTION

W E saw unpitying skill

In curious hands put living flesh apart,
Till, bare and terrible, the tiny heart
Pulsed, and was still.

We saw Grief’s sudden knife

Strip through the pleasant flesh of soul-disguise—
Lay for a second’s space before our eyes
A naked life.
 THE STRANGER

SThe
HE sat so quiet day by day,
sweet withdrawal of a nun,
With busy hands and downward eyes—
The shyest thing beneath the sun.

Nor knew we, tossing each to each

Our rapid speech, our careless words,
That through them, always, half-afraid,
Her thoughts had gone like seeking birds,

Plucking a twig, a shining straw,

A happy thread with silken gleams,
To carry homeward to her heart,
And weave a hidden nest of dreams.
 THE CONSTANT ONES

TToHEhailtossing trees had every flag unfurled

their chief, but now the sun is set,
And in the sweet new quiet on the world
The king is dead, the fickle leaves forget.

A placid earth, an air serene and still;

In misty blue the gradual smoke is thinned—
Only the grasses, leaning to his will,
The grasses hold a memory of wind.
 INSTINCT

TToO fall
Reason with the praise of one I go
back, silent, at her whispered “No.”

And always of the other says she, “Trust—

He doeth thus and thus, O thou unjust!”

Yet meet one eye to eye and queries end—

An eager hand goes out to greet a friend,

And let the other please me, soon or late

Wakes with a hiss the little snake of hate.
 SAN FRANCISCO NEW YEAR’S, 1907

SAsAIDtheythesang
Old Year to the New: “They will never welcome you
me in and rang me in upon my birthday night—
All above the surging crowd, bells and voices calling loud—
A throng attuned to laughter and a city all alight.

“Kind had been the years of old, drowsy-lidded, zoned with gold;
They swept their purples down the bay and sped the homeward keel;
The years of fruits and peace, smiling days and rich increase—
Too indolent with wine and sun to grasp the slaying steel.

“As my brothers so I came, panther-treading, silken, tame;

The sword was light within my hand, I kept it sheathed and still—
The jeweled city prayed me and the laughing voices stayed me—
A little while I pleased them well and gave them all their will.

“As a panther strikes to slay, so I wrenched my shuddering prey.

I lit above the panic throng my torches’ crimson flare;
For they made my coming bright and I gave them light for light—
I filled the night with flaming wings and Terror’s streaming hair.

“They were stately walls and high—as I felled them so they lie—
Lie like bodies torn and broken, lie like faces seamed with scars;
Here where Beauty dwelt and Pride, ere my torches flamed and died,
The empty arches break the night to frame the tranquil stars.

“Though of all my brothers scorned, I, betrayer, go unmourned,

It is I who tower shoulder-high above the level years;
You who come to build anew, joy will live again with you,
But mightiest I who walked with Death and taught the sting of tears!”
 THE POPPY FIELD

BAnd
EYOND the tangled poppies lies a lake;
ever sings to him who muses here
The murmur of the hidden streams and clear
That flow thereto by arching fern and brake.
But never, slumber-heavy, does he wake
To heed the music calling in his ear,
Nor ever knows the water, deep and near,
Ashine with silver lilies for his sake.

And never he will heed, that love of thine;

The poppies of thy beauty drug his sleep;
Nor heedest thou that I must hear the streams,
And follow all thy crystal thought and fine,
And love at last the lilies folded deep
Within thy soul’s unknown beyond his dreams.
 YOU

AThe
LL elfish woodland things that Fancy broods—
comrades of my solitary moods—
Would crouch when heavy footsteps passed them by,
And peer from shelter—freakish folk and shy.

At you they pricked their furry ears in doubt;

Then, “This one sees—he knows!” they cried.
“Come out!”
They thought to hush their piping till you passed.
“Come out!” they cried. “We dare be brave at last!”

So forth the gay procession sways and weaves;

And some are crowned with roses, some with leaves,
And all are mine, but some I never knew.
I could not wake them, but they come for you.