As the final of five articles about the economic growth taking place in Natchez, I am finally writing about our city’s number one industry, Tourism. For many years, millions of people have flocked to Natchez from all over the world to tour our beautiful mansions, bask in our amazing sunsets, eat in our exceptional restaurants, shop at our numerous specialty stores and antique shops, become immersed in our history, tours, and museums… well, I think you get the picture. And the news for Natchez Tourism is fantastic.
A study released last October by Visit Mississippi showed record tourism numbers for Natchez with hundreds of thousands visiting each year, spending over $125 million and representing an overall economic impact of over $187 million and over 1300 jobs. Visit Natchez has “elevated tourism” (their new brand) to a whole new level. From our annual 40-year-running Balloon Festival to our historic Spring and Fall Pilgrimages, Angels on the Bluff Cemetery tours, Natchez Food & Wine Festival, daily carriage tours and open-air tours, and countless events happening almost every weekend, people flock to Natchez. The smallest city in the world to have a Hop-On-Hop-Off Bus franchise, we are hosting more events than ever before. A $3 million renovation of our Natchez Convention Center now has us breaking records in hosting conferences from all over our region, and we have enjoyed major concerts on our Bluff, from Hank Williams, Jr. to Patti Labelle. To meet the increased demand, a team is working to bring back the historic Eola Hotel downtown, and renovations of many other area hotels such as The Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Express and Natchez Grand Hotel are now almost complete. A new luxury boutique hotel, The Bridges has recently opened, and its sister property, The Vue Hotel, is in the final stages of a multi-million renovation. In addition, we are making great strides to restore commercial air service to our airport for the first time in over 30 years.
In June, WIONEWS.Com rated Natchez as # 2 on their list of “Best Southern Cities to Visit in America”, second only to Charleston. Our ratings dominate many major publications: “10 Best Historic Small Towns”, USA Today; “The 15 Best Small Towns to Visit”, Smithsonian Magazine; “The South’s Best Small Towns”, Southern Living; “10 Best Christmas Towns in America”, Fox News; and “25 Best Weekend Getaways in the South”, Travel-Leisure.
As a southern city with a complicated past, Natchez is also telling “our whole story”. We are now on the US Civil Rights Trail and Mississippi’s Freedom Trail, with the inclusion of the Dr. John Banks House, home to Mississippi’s first black physician. We have also recently erected 30 Historic Markers for our new, self-guided African American History Tour. We continue to work with the Natchez National Historic Park on plans for the development of the Forks of the Road Historic Site, once the second largest slave market in the deep south, now gifted by the city to the National Parks Service.
We recently renovated our Historic Bluff Depot as a Downtown Visitors Center. The National Parks Service is currently spending millions on the renovation of its large facility comprising the Mississippi Welcome Center and Visitors Center at the majestic Mississippi River Bridges. And we have recently purchased lights to illuminate the bridges.
Natchez is also a port of call to two of the world’s largest cruise providers, American Cruise Lines and Viking. ACL, the largest country’s largest cruise company, brings over 30,000 visitors to Natchez each year aboard its numerous river vessels. They have recently christened two new ships here with plans to make Natchez a port of embarkation for cruises to New Orleans and Memphis, and ACL will soon construct a $4 million docking facility on our historic Silver Street waterfront. In addition, Viking Mississippi brings another 15,000 visitors each year on its voyages to Natchez. As the number one city for both cruise lines, we anticipate even more cruises in the year to come.
Natchez also offers great Outdoor Recreation opportunities. Called a “Sportsman’s Paradise”, the Natchez area is famous for his lush forests, lakes, streams and hiking trails. A number of family-friendly adventure experiences are to be found by a simple search online, from kayaking, guided outdoor tours to horse and atv riding, and even axe throwing! And because of our natural beauty, Magnolia Trace RV Resort, a luxury $30 million recreational development, has recently broken ground on high-end RV lots, a clubhouse, cabins, a lazy river, lake, and other amenities on 275 beautiful acres one mile from our city limits.
In addition, the city has recently completed a multi-million renovation of all Natchez parks. We have added new playgrounds and facilities for tennis, pickleball, and disc golf. Our ballfields have been restored, park bathrooms have been renovated, new lighting has been added, and we have brought new life to the Natchez Youth Center at North Natchez Park. Soon, we will cut the ribbon on our newly renovated historic golf clubhouse at the city’s 18-hole Duncan Park Golf Course.
I hope this series of articles, “Natchez is Booming”, helps to underscore the great things happening in our community. The Natchez Renewal Is Real. With historic growth taking place in our historic corner of America, we have been dubbed “the fastest growing city in Southwest Mississippi” – and the facts prove this to be the case. We look forward to many more great things to come. Come make history with us. The welcome mat is out and waiting! Because Natchez Deserves More.
For More Information on Opportunities in Natchez, visit our city’s website, https://www.natchez.ms.us/. For Tourism in Natchez, visit https://visitnatchez.org/. To download a Natchez Travel Guide, visit https://www.htmags.com/natchez-guide-2025.html.
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