Jackson, MS: Plus BONUS Mid-South Foodapalooza!

We're getting centered!  Besides being in the "center" of our 7-week trip, Jackson is also in the "center" of Mississippi; we stayed at LeFleur's Bluff State Park in the "center" of Jackson; and this stop really "centered" us emotionally, as we took a break from sightseeing and touristing and did some good ole fashioned camping, popping corn over an open fire, nature watching, & sunset gazing.

Speaking of centers ... the centers of OUR BODIES are expanding by the day!  We're not normally big "eater-outers" on our trips.  In fact, during last summer's 6-week trip around the Pacific Northwest, I think we only went to a restaurant three times total!

But here, at every turn, there is a place that is so unique! famous! strange! clever! and stop-worthy! ... that we just can't pass it by.  Presenting .... Foodapalooza, Mid-South Style!

MAYFLOWER CAFE - JACKSON, MS

The oldest operating cafe in Jackson, the Mayflower Cafe has been around since 1935.  The food is great, but its known worldwide for two things:  movies and salad dressing!  That's right, I said movies and salad dressing!

Ghosts of Mississippi was filmed here, and so was The Help, for which the owner was paid $5,000 to use his space.  Here's Emma Stone outside the Mayflower ...

   

And here's Philip Miller outside the Mayflower!  

He's practically a movie star by geographical association.

The Mayflower serves great "meat+three" plates and Greek-style seafood, but its "Comeback Sauce" is so renowned that it got its own New York Times feature article (with recipe at the end)!

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/08/dining/revival-for-a-sauce-that-never-left.html

The name refers either to the taste that keeps you coming back for more; 

or the more likely explanation that its garlic scent has a way of sticking around.

They put it on just about everything (crackers, meat, veggies, salad) and it was deeeeelicious!

"It's not a sauce, it's a culture."

It doesn't get more Southern than chicken and dumplings, "field peas" which didn't turn out to be peas at all, and deep-fried okra! oooooooooooooo-eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

OLD COUNTRY STORE, LORMAN, MS

Diners flock from miles around to this 100+-year-old shack,

loosely termed a "general store" (but really just a country flea market) ....

They come for THIS:  "the best fried chicken in the world!"  

Them's "fightin' words" in this part of the country, where fried chicken is a cult we really want to join.  And yet, it really WAS the best!  It's been featured on Food Network's "Best Thing I Ever Ate" and included in Yahoo's 2015 listing of "Best Fried Chicken."

The all-you-can-eat buffet features all your favorite Southern sides. 

The owner, Mr. D., is a wonderful singer and often serenades his guests as they eat

(though sadly, not during our visit).

Though the cobbler is extra, it's worth it too!  Lastly, cute street dogs to escort you to the door.

THE TOMATO PLACE, VICKSBURG, MS

The Tomato Place is an old-timey fruit stand on the outskirts of town.

They are best known for their world-famous BLT'S!

Admittedly, a BLT is not a complicated dish.  But somehow theirs is elevated, with perfectly toasted homemade bread, the richest fresh tomatoes, crispy salty smoked bacon, and lots of mayo!

Plus, freshly-sliced sweet potato chips.

For a tiny rundown roadside stand, their menu is shockingly broad.  The people next to us had detoured just to get a cup of their gumbo, something they do every year on their way to Texas.  They said "if we're anywhere near the Tomato Place and it's within 4 hours of any mealtime, we're stopping!"

They are also known for their fruit smoothies.  The fruit combos are frozen up in advance -- you pick the cleverly-named smoothie of your choice -- take it to the counter -- and they're a-whirlin-it-up, just for you!  They do sell tomatoes (and other produce) ... 

but also have a lot of local food products.  Philip came back with a bottle of 'MISSISSIPPI FEVER'.

Uh oh!  That sounds dangerous! And who wouldn't be drawn to a hand-lettered, unlabeled, unregulated-by-the-government bottle of who-knows-what?

We bought the Mississippi Fever sauce (because why not) and are A.D.D.I.C.T.E.D.

We have put it on every meal since!  It's a tangy, not-too-sweet, not-too-spicy combination of flavors that is delectable.  I immediately started rationing Philip's usage ... I love it THAT much!

CARRAIGE HOUSE AT STANTON HALL, NATCHEZ, MS

Long famous for its Southern cuisine, Carriage House has been situated behind the historical mansion called Stanton Hall since 1946.

When dining in such rarified settings, you must have a Mint Julep!  (or so says my hubby)

Carriage House is known for their Sunday brunch as well as their tiny, silver-dollar sized biscuits.

And ... you guessed it ... fried chicken!  Of course!

FAT MAMA'S TAMALES, NATCHEZ, MS

Also in Natchez, Fat Mama's is an institution, not only for their tamales (duh) ...

but also for their "knock-you-naked" margaritas!  Originally located in a little 600-square-foot log cabin, they now have an beautiful outdoor patio and a solid following of customers seeking nakedness with a side of lime and salt.  

Now, I'm all in favor of people being knocked naked, but if any of you has had Philip Miller's famous margaritas, you know that THOSE are the real margs that inspire nakedness.  Can I get an AMEN?

B.T.C. OLD-FASHIONED GROCERY, WATER VALLEY, MS

B.T.C. stands for "Be The Change", as in "be the change you want to see in the world."

Love it!  This combo grocery store + cafe is in tiny Water Valley, MS farm country.

Your order is placed at the kitchen door from the extensive menu on the wall.

This very humble eatery has been featured in the New York Times, Food and Wine Magazine and The Wall Street Journal, amongst others.  And my homemade meatball hoagie was truly divine!

NO judgment here, but this seems like some very region-specific marketing!

I have definitely not yet seen this brand of potato chips in Scottsdale, Arizona!

These were just a few of our favorite foodie stops.  Don't even get me started on the donuts around here!  Arghhhhhhhhh!  I don't even LIKE donuts, and I can't stop eating them!

~~~~~~~~~

Our one touristy stop while in Jackson was the outstanding Museum of Mississippi History, which (along with the associated Miss. Civil Rights Museum) only opened in December 2017, meaning it hasn't had time to get banged up and dingy just yet.

You can really tell that it's brand new, not by the lack of gum stuck to the floor, but by the outstanding modern electronic and multi-media exhibits that demonstrated 15,000+ years of Mississippi history.  

And lots of movies (who doesn't love movies!) in theaters so loung-ey and disco-ey that we felt underdressed and kept looking for the bar.

We've had some emotional traumas during this trip, including the death of our dog Bella on February 15th, and then the passing of Philip's mother Georgia on March 1st in South Carolina.  Here they are together a few years ago.

"We lost our family matriarch yesterday, as Philip’s darling momma left this earth in her rear-view mirror. "Sweet Georgia Brown" grew up as the 7th youngest of 8 sisters on a Baxley, Georgia tobacco plantation with her beloved pet pig, Nancy Hank, before leaving country life for a career as a secretary for the FBI. She was either 94 or 95 (nobody was ever quite sure) and though she had spent the last four years in dementia’s tight grip, her sweet spirit and deep emotional core lives on forever in her beloved three sons, and their families. Even well into her late 80’s, she loved doing yoga, getting Goobers at the movies, whipping everyone’s butts in Scrabble, her hateful cat Scarlett, a finger of bourbon with water at the end of the day, dancing around the kitchen to big band music, reading book after book after book, having “just one” cigarette, family musical jam sessions, Dr. Phil, and watching all the kids-grandkids-and-great-grandkids gather at her home on Lake Murray in South Carolina to spend time together. She will be terribly missed, but all she really wanted in the last five years was to “go home” to her beloved parents and sisters, with whom she is now reunited. Her loving spirit will forever live on in all of us!"

~~~~~~~~~~

Our dear friend April called these events "speed bumps" and we like the analogy a lot.  They have definitely slowed us down both emotionally and physically, but we are still rolling forward, knowing that all lives have expiration dates and hoping to make the most of our days before our own expirations come due!  Up next, the Lucky Charm heads to another new state as we drive part of the historic 444-mile Natchez Trace Parkway up to Memphis, Tennessee.

 Speed bumps and all, we're not slowing down yet! 

Vicksburg and Natchez, MS: On The Banks of the Mighty Mississippi!

Our next foray was along the Mighty Mississippi, the lifeblood of neighboring historical cities Vicksburg and Natchez.  The Civil War was about to come vividly to life!  Like Gettysburg, Richmond, and Bull Run, the Siege of Vicksburg is one of the most iconic Civil War battles.

Vicksburg's location high on the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River (in fact, highest point between Memphis and the Gulf of Mexico) made it "the key to the South" and necessary for the Union to take it from the Confederacy, who defended it from high locations like this.  

One of Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's chiefs put it bluntly ... "The opening of the Mississippi River will be to us of more advantage than the capture of 40 Richmonds."

Men - arms - food - supplies ... everything had to go through Vicksburg either by water or rail.  The most-excellent Vicksburg National Military Park commemorates it all at the location of the 47-day siege.

This park is 1,800 acres commemorating the siege and defense of Vicksburg, and it has an astonishing 1,340 monuments, markers and plaques, "offering mute testimony to the courage and sacrifice of blue and gray alike."   You can drive through the entirety of the park with an audio tour to bring it all to life.

Many "illustrate" where things took place ...

while hundreds more salute important figures in the campaign ....

yet the most interesting are the multiple monuments that the individual states from which soldiers arrived, erected to honor the various detachments and regiments and commanders and everything else.  They range from very simple to astonishingly grandiose; for instance, this is from Illinois .....

And so is this!!!

 Illinois' main monument is the largest and most ornate in the park, honoring over 36,000 soldiers from Illinois that fought in the Vicksburg campaign.

The nation's leading artists and architects designed the memorials, erected mostly between 1903-1917.  Vicksburg National Military Park has aptly been called "the art park of the world."

The Vicksburg National Cemetery holds the remains of 17,000 Union soldiers, a number unmatched by any other national cemetery.  

The rolling hills in VNMP are dotted with these simple markers to those who fought for the Union; Confederate soldiers were buried elsewhere in Vicksburg.

Many are marked with simply a number.

Others, if they were able to be identified, identify the name and state from which they came.

Vicksburg National Military Park is also home to the USS Cairo, a restored Union ironclad gunboat.

The Cairo, on a mine-clearing expedition in 1862, was sunk by the Confederates in less than 13 minutes, but with no loss of life.  She was the first armed vessel in the history of warfare to be sunk by a torpedo. 

It laid on the floor of the Yazoo River for 102 years until an ordinary guy with a hunch went looking for it.  It was subsequently raised over many years and restored for this display.

Back in town, this may look like a riverboat, but it's actually a casino disguised as a riverboat!

Fooled me!

As mentioned previously, everything in this area revolves around the Mississippi River,

most often "how to control the flooding."  This is still extremely relevant today; in fact,

during our visit it has been raining A LOT and we've already had an RV Park in Memphis call us 

and say "don't come" because the Miss. River has flooded their park.

This museum also features a walk-thru exhibit of the Army Corps of Engineers' motor vessel, in

which they go up and down the river soliciting input and comments from cities and officials along 

the river, kind of a floating town hall, without the shouting and probably no refreshments.

This boat's captain would have to pass a Pilot's Test, which starts with drawing the entire Mississippi River from memory, including bridges, ports and landmarks.  He would also have to master piloting, compass usage, weather, seamanship, celestial navigation, communications, shipboard training, and management ... PLUS serve an apprenticeship.  Something tells me this clown didn't pass!

The Biedenharn Coca-Cola Museum is on the site where a simple candy-store operator first bottled Coke in 1894.  

Previously, Coke was only sold at a fountain in a corner drugstore, where it was made from syrup concentrate.  This was Biedenharn's 1892 fountain, made entirely of onyx.

Bottling Coke for home deliveries seems straightforward enough,

but back in those times it was quite complicated to figure out how to bottle and stopper it, such

that the carbonation would remain and the taste would be consistent.

Biedenharn used this equipment in his Vicksburg store, including a mesh mask and heavy 

gloves because the poor-quality glass bottles frequently exploded.

The bottles were delivered to rural Vicksburg customers via horse and wagon, or boat up and down the Mississippi. And of course, the rest is history, but this museum salutes Biedenharn as the patriarch of the franchise bottling system. 

A series of 32 beautiful historical Riverfront Murals are painted on a Miss. River levee wall, 

including many things you've just learned about!  Pop quiz!  Were you paying attention?

The sinking of the USS Cairo

Biedenharn's bottling of Coca-Cola

The dedication of the Illinois Monument at Vicksburg National Memorial Park

And beautiful Ole Miss.

Vicksburg has a plethora (I love that word) of historic homes, ranging from the opulent ...

(Rosalie House, with hourly tours and a gift shop)

to the eccentric and eclectic. 

(Personally, I'd rather tour this house than any ole mansion!)

60 miles from Vicksburg, beautiful Natchez shares the same love of the river and historic lure.

 "Longwood" in Natchez is a hauntingly gorgeous six-story mansion who construction was frozen in time as a result of the Civil War.

Note the spire on top.  The mold for this spire remains inside the house.

The to-this-day unfinished dream home of Haller and Julia Nutt began in 1860, but was halted as a result of Civil War tensions, and the fact that all the artisans left to serve as soldiers.  The home's interior was left unfinished except for the basement, where the family lived.  Gazing upward, you can imagine the opulence that was planned!

Longwood is one of the largest octagonal houses in the world.

Still unfinished today (and forbidden by the donor that it ever be finished),

even Nutt's old trunks and the workers' paint cans remain in dusty isolation for evermore.

Longwood was gorgeous and spooky at the same time! 

Also in Natchez, the gorgeous City Cemetery is known for its wide variety of iron and marble work.

People from all walks of life are buried here.

Like Vicksburg, Natchez is "rolling on the river" (Creedence Clearwater reference)

and we spent literally hours strolling the riverbanks and watching the barges go by.

Even barges are into the "selfie stick" movement!

Of course, the Mississippi River isn't the only water game in town.  There are rivers and streams and lakes and bayous and swamps everywhere, meaning we are driving over lots of really cool bridges like these!   Something Arizonians don't get to experience regularly.

We have been amazed at the beauty, the weather, the history and the people we've experienced in Mississippi.  Also ... THE FOOD!  So much great food that it's going to get its very own post soon.

We're a long way from home, but right were we want to be!

Up next, "we're going to Jackson" (another musical reference: Johnny Cash), 

our final stop in Mississippi!