The Great Mikegration

Cover Photo: Hiking in Tishomingo State Park

Adventure Map Days 1-3

Day 1: 05/07/23

• It was a rainy day to start our journey and a rather late start. We had some business in Houston we had to attend to and didn’t finish until about 3:30pm. Fortunately the rain was pretty much gone by the time we were ready to start our journey. We did get to Houston a little early so we stopped by Luce Avenue Coffee Roasters on Richmond Ave for a couple of quick cups of coffee to keep us going. I got a drip coffee which was good. Evan got a Island Latte with coconut milk in it. I promptly swiped a sip and pronounced it very tasty! The taste was a little different but I really enjoyed it.
• After our meeting at 2:30pm we made a quick stop at Agora at Westheimer Rd, in Houston to grab a quick snack of some Pound Cake for our super late lunch to pull us through until dinner. Overall I liked the place. It was pretty busy but service was good and everything tasted great.
• We decided to spend the night in Lafayette, LA and drive up to Natchez, MS the next day. That allowed us to eat at one of my favorite seafood restaurants around; Drago’s. Drago’s in Lafayette has never let me down and today was no exception. Great service and food as always. My daughter had never eaten oysters before so she decided to be brave and try them for the first time. I’ll let you decide what she thought of them based on her reaction.

• By the time we finished our seafood feast it was around 8:30pm and we were ready to get to the hotel so we could research more out for the next day and get some rest. We headed over to the Fairfield Inn and Suites, Lafayette South to get checked in. Check in was smooth and the room was nice but we didn’t sleep very good. Think it was the anticipation of the next day’s adventures.

Day 2: 05/08/23

• Early morning for me but not so much for Evan. Worked out well because it gave me time to do a quick workout before we hit the road today.
• Our first priority was to get some breakfast at the Cajun Market Donut Company in Breaux Bridge. It was about 20 minutes away from the hotel but worth the drive. As always the stuffed bread didn’t disappoint! From there a quick stop/phot op at the Breaux Bridge crawfish sculpture at Crazy ‘Bout Crawfish and we were on our way again!

• Following the usual protocol we took the longer windy back road since we’d never been that way before and it just looked more windy and interesting on the map. It ended up being a great choice as it was very picturesque drive and most importantly I saw a yellow airplane which gave me three points in the yellow car/airplane/motorcycle/bicycle/boat/jet ski/ etc. game over my daughter. It was glorious!

• Past many a more field, flood control dams, and a small power plant we made it into Natchez and stopped at the Natchez Visitor Center. This is a really neat place as it has the Great River Road Interpretive Center, local offices of the Natchez National Historical Park, Mississippi Welcome Center, and a gift shop all in one building. You can also take a tour of the town from there as the tour operator is just inside the entryway. The tour takes about an hour or hour and a half he said and sounded really good however we didn’t have the time to do as we needed to be heading on up the Natchez Trace to make it to Vicksburg before the Biendenharn Coca Cola Museum closed. We didn’t stay for long at the center however I’d allot a good 30 minutes or so here.

• Even though we didn’t stay long we did take long enough to drive downtown to the Natchez Coffee Company and grab a quick cup of java for the road. We didn’t see a lot of Natchez however we did see enough that I’d like to go back there and spend a day or two taking the city tour and walking around downtown. It seemed like a pretty interesting place to visit. There were also flyers at the coffee house letting us know about the Spring Natchez Tour of Historic Homes by the Natchez Garden Club so looks like there isn’t any problems getting tours around the town.
• Sipping our hot coffee we hopped on the Natchez Trace. I’ve already covered the Natchez Trace in a previous post so I won’t be going into it on this post. I do have a few photos we took at Emerald Mound, Sunken Trace, and Grand Gulf Military State Park but that’s it on this go round. See my 04/22/22 adventure for more photos and information.

• Quick aside; if you stop at Grand Gulf Military State Park which I very highly recommend you should plan on staying for a couple hours anyway to go through the museum, look around outside, and drive it. It’s a great place that outlines the Civil War battle that took place here and general history of the area.

• Arriving in Vicksburg about 2pm we stopped at Divine Donuts to grab a couple of bear claw donuts for our visit to the Mississippi Welcome Center later and then headed on to visit the Biedenharn Coca Cola Museum.
• We had been wanting to visit the Biedenharn Coca Cola Museum for several years now so we wanted to make sure we got there with plenty of time to go through it in as much depth as we wanted. Overall it was a really nice smaller museum. It had a lot of good information in it and we had a blast going through it and reading about everything. Never knew that was how they made the carbon dioxide used to create the carbonation for Coca-Cola. When we were done with our self tour we had a seat there and got a Coke float to drink and a Coke (glass bottle of course) to take with us on the road. One thing of note was when we walked into the museum there was a couple sitting there drinking a Coke and they asked us if we were from the American ship. We were a little confused and said “No, just passing through on a road trip.” As we talked a little more I realized they were taking a steamboat tour up the Mississippi River from New Orleans which fascinated me as I’d always wondered about taking one. They both said they were having a great time and highly recommended it. I’ll have to look into this some more, however I think this is something I’ll have to do in the near future.

• Something I never realized before was the different kinds of soda fountains were Siberian Arctic Designs and they were EXPENSIVE. Check it out.

• And for those of you wanting more like me.

• Leaving the museum we drove over to the Mississippi Welcome center to fulfill my destiny or eating a donut there every time I am in Vicksburg. I think the view is great and I find it pretty zen so that’s what I do. The view from U.S. Battery Benton (on the hill right next to the Welcome Center) is also pretty spectacular and they have a cannon you can look at up close or if you’re being a kid at heart have a seat on (or lean on) and look out at the river thinking of all the history that happened here. I’ll post pics from both spots so you can decide which you like better.

• This was a quick pass through Vicksburg as we needed to get to Tupelo that night so we left a lot of stones unturned. I’d like to go back and spend a couple days in Vicksburg going through the battle sites, walking the streets, and going through some of the other museums.
• Leaving Vicksburg we got back on the Natchez Trace. Well we thought we did but we didn’t as we took the wrong exit. A quick U-turn later and we were on the right path headed out on the Natchez Trace. We had looked at the stops on the way to Tupelo however we really didn’t have a lot of time so we had to choose just one main stop and we both agreed it had to be Cypress Swamp in Mississippi.
• Cypress Swamp leads through an abandoned river channel and obviously some swamp! It’s a really neat, easy twenty minute walk and they have a walkway where you can walk across the swamp and then hike around the sides so you don’t need any special footwear. We spotted lots of turtles, birds, and such but no alligators.

• About thirty minutes later we were back on the road and driving on our way. The rest of the drive was very pretty as we went up the Trace but since we were in a hurry we were trying not to stop. We were in dire straits about an hour and half outside of Tupelo for a bathroom break and couldn’t find any facilities but fortunately a kind police officer helped us slow down and told us how to get to the nearest facilities over in Mathiston, MS for which we were very grateful.
• We arrived late in Tupelo at the Fairfield Inn and Suites on Tom Watson Dr. to spend the night. It was a nice hotel and they gave us a great room. Poor Evan had to do some computer work tonight so she stayed up late while I crashed and snoozed! The benefits of retirement!

Day 3: 05/09/23

• We woke up this morning after a pretty good nights rest and drove over to Crave Cafe & Coffee Shop here in Tupelo for some coffee and a little bit of breakfast. Staff was great and friendly and the coffee was good. The scone and sausage balls were ok but mediocre. They had some skillet cookies looked really good and we thought we would come back later to get one when we passed back through however life happened (translation-we ate to much at another place and didn’t have any room left over) so we’ll have to try them next time in town.

• Leaving Crave we hopped onto the Natchez Trace for our next stop. We tried to stop at the Natchez Trace Visitor Center that we drove by as it looked really nice however they weren’t open yet so we had to drive on by.
• Arriving at Dogwood Valley about 8:30am we took a short walk and learned quite a bit about Dogwood trees. Dogwood is a pretty useful tree. It’s slow growing but is very hard and heavy wood that is extremely resistant to shock. They used to use it for things like mallets, wedges, chisel handles, and even for the heads of golf sticks. The bark is equally useful. While the bark is aromatic and tastes bitter the pioneers steeped the bark in whiskey and drank it when they had “the shakes” or “ague”. During the civil war the Confederacy used it when there was a shortage of quinine. Originally the Indians used it as a remedy for malaria and from the roots of the tree they derived a scarlet dye for coloring porcupine quills and bald eagle feathers. As I said a very useful tree!

• Having been sufficiently enlightened about Dogwood trees we felt prepared to head on to our next stop. Tishomingo State Park is about 45 minutes down the road and after a check in at the front and four dollars we were in! We drove towards the lodge to do our hike since that was the trail with the suspension bridge. After bouncing around on the suspension bridge for a while we stopped to enjoy the view which was stunning.

• Once we crossed the bridge we hopped on the trail and did a quick couple mile hike. There were several spots where you could practice cliff climbing (permit and helmet required) however we didn’t see anyone on the hike. It was really peaceful! The park itself looked really nice and we were surprised not more people were there. They had some great looking campsites and cabins both around the lake and scattered deeper in the park. We even stopped on the way out and did another quick walk and found a lily pond. (I swear I took a picture of the lily pond, but I can’t find. IDK?) Fun fact the name of some of the towns around Tishomingo are Mingo, Dennis, and Bloody Spring.

• Leaving Tishomingo State Park we drove about 30 minutes over to Iuka, MS to Mineral Springs Park. Sadly there were no mineral springs at Mineral Springs Park that we saw. They had been used extensively in the past by the Union and the Confederacy but in modern times the pipes had filled up with minerals and they were no longer working. Very disappointing as this spot had won the World’s Fair for best mineral water in 1904. NOTE: Actually three of the six springs here are still flowing. Somehow we just missed them! Have to make a trip back to sample them .
• From Mineral Springs Park we drove just a few minutes over to the Apron Museum in Iuka. They were closed when we got there so we called the owner to gain admittance but they were a couple hours away visiting so weren’t able to come over to unlock the store. It was exciting though as the owner said they were expanding and to please check in next time in town as they would have even more aprons. I thought this was a pretty cool place when we peeked in through the window. Some of the aprons are for display only while some are for sale.

• Leaving there we did drive around the Historic Town Square and it was pretty neat. I’d feel very comfortable stopping by there next time in town and spending a day exploring it in more depth.
• From there we drove 30 minutes over to Corinth. Evan had quite the surprise for me there. It was about 1pm by now and we were pretty hungry. She took me to Borroum’s Drug Store. Borroum’s Drug Store was established in 1865 and was the oldest drug store in the state of Mississippi. The same family has owned it since conception. Only in 2021 did they finally close the pharmacy part of it down but they had a wonderful fountain with old fashioned drinks, malts, shakes, hamburgers and more. We split a hamburger, spiced fries, black walnut shake from an energetic Amber. Amber was so busy during the lunch crowd and was the one making all the ice creams. She was a gem! She found the time to mix us a couple of cherry coca cola’s and give us some brief history while doing. She’s a much better multi-tasker than I ever was! Everything here was really good and I’d recommend eating here next time in town just maybe not a the lunch rush. Make sure and take a few extra minutes to look at the old pharmacy bottles and such that are on the walls. It’s a pretty amazing feat to keep something open and in the family for that long a time.

• We drove down the road a few hundred feet (since we were so full we were unable to walk it!!) to the Historic Corinth Depot and Crossroads Museum. This is a neat little hidden gem. It had information on the town, the Civil War battle fought there, famous people from there, and a really cool model train exhibit. You could push the button and have them running on the tracks. It was well worth the five dollar admission price. I would have liked to see the trains running but Evan caused a train wreck when she pushed the button, the train derailed, and chaos ensued. I told Even that I thought she was better at pushing buttons than that to which she asked me what I thought happened when you pushed buttons. I think she won that one!!! We told the lady at the front what had happened and she told us it happened all the time so not to worry about it. Also, pay attention to the wood carving you see here. It was all carved by hand with the pocket knife you see in the picture. I thought that was pretty artistic!

• Stepping out of the museum I looked across the street and saw the Old Time Soda Company so naturally had to go in and take a look. Wow!! Don’t take your adult kids like me in there as they had every old timey type of soda and candy I was ever aware of! We bought so much yummy yummy candy!!!! So, yes.. Go there and rejoice. It’s a great spot that will bring back a few memories! Besides, what could be better than this after looking at model trains and rediscovering so many different brands of root beer, cola and such!

• While we were at the Crossroads Museum saw a brochure local telling us there was a Corinth Coca-Cola Museum. We were super excited as we had seen one in Vicksburg just the day before. We drove back to downtown and over to the museum. We didn’t realize it at the time but they also bottled Coca-Cola and Dr. Pepper just across the street. The Corinth Coca-Cola Museum was outstanding!!! I went a little crazy with the pictures but wow! See for yourself.

• Finishing up at the museum it was time to head out from Corinth back over to Tupelo. I really want to stress how nice of a town Corinth is to visit. I think I’ll plan to come back and spend a couple days there to go through it more thoroughly. We genuinely didn’t want to leave.
• Driving the hour back to Tupelo went by pretty quickly as we needed to get back there to go through the museum at the Elvis Presley Birthplace before it closed. It’s quite the place and if you’re a fan of the King you’ll love it. They have the house he was born in, the church he went to, a small museum, and several outside exhibits to name a few. It was nice however I felt it was overhyped. It really bothered me they were charging a separate fee to go inside the church he went to as a kid. Got to wonder about the profit margins here.

• While we weren’t really hungry Johnnie’s Drive In is right down the road so we had to go to this iconic spot. We lucked out big time as it was about 4pm and there was no one else in the building besides us. We got to sit in the Elvis booth while we ate a doughburger (its a burger with dough alright) plus apple pie with ice cream. While a doughburger was a favorite of Elvis I think Evan and I will be sticking with hamburgers or maybe next time try a slugburger (has some ground meat in them, usually beef or pork) . As a side not Doughburgers are also known as Dudie burgers during Tupelo’s annual festival.

• Leaving Johnnie’s we drove down to Queen’s Reward Meadery to give it a try. Very nice place and we loved their bee themed decorations. Even the mead bottles had honeycombed patterns on their corks! They has some pretty good meads. Best ones to us were their RuBee (made with honey and tart North American cranberries), Delta Gold (made with honey and Riesling grapes), and the Honey Habanero. Grabbing a bottle for later provisioning we headed out to Oxford.
• Arriving in Oxford, MS we drove around the University area and the downtown area. We were extremely pleased they let us through with no passport needed. lol. Actually, we were really impressed with the area. It was nice, clean, beautiful, and well kept. Glad we made the time to stop and go through this icon place. They had some beautiful old historic houses and the University area was gorgeous.
• Ever onward we discovered we were MISLEAD and DECEIVED by Cedar Bucket Furniture in Oxford, MS who REMOVED the world’s largest(?) Cedar bucket. Actually I think they went out of business as there is remodeling going on and the bucket is gone.

• With our hearts heavy and no bucket we are back on the way to Jonesboro to continue the adventure! Well ..ish anyway as it’s time for finding a hotel for the night. We rolled into the Marriott Residence Inn in Jonesboro, AR about 9pm. Evan had to stay up to do more computer work and I felt so bad for deserting her the previous night that I stayed up with her in solidarity and got a few things done myself.
• It’s a great hotel and appeared to be brand new. We had no problems at all. Great staff that were friendly. Everything in the room was clean and neat. Hotel was quiet. All in all, the perfect hotel stay.