Biedenharn Coca-Cola Museum

Coca-Cola was first bottled in 1894 by Joseph Biedenharn in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Putting the soda fountain treat in bottles so that it could be delivered to customers outside the city expanded his business and reshaped the future of the soft drink industry. Biedenham's candy shop at which he first bottled Coca-Cola is now a museum filled with Coca-Cola memorabilia.

Biedenham's bottling system

They Do It All, Y'all

Natchez Donut Shop

Donuts for dinner.

Melrose

Natchez National Historical Park

Diary of William Johnson: Free Black Businessman (excerpts)

We only got a bit of time to explore the Melrose plantation before they closed for the day.  Rather than take a guided tour of the big house, we explored the exhibits in the slave quarters and barn.

As I read a placard about runaway slaves, a nearby security alarm panel started alerting to a "SLAVE N MOTION". I think this might be a case of a runaway homonym.

Our visit to the Melrose property was the 4th visit within three days to a place that showed the ugly history of slavery in the south. Although this is history that must not be forgotten, and history that still plays a part in society today, slavery exhibits (as well as that contrasting life of the white folks in the "big house") were becoming more depressing than educational. Melrose removed all desire to visit any more plantations on our current roadtrip up the Mississippi River.

Perhaps, our limited after-work tourist time would have been better spent visiting the William Johnson House in downtown Natchez -- also part of the park.  William Johnson was a black businessman -- a free man -- in Natchez, Mississippi, decades before the Civil War. Excerpts from his diary can be read here: http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/maai/identity/text4/williamjohnsondiary.pdf .

Natchez-Vidalia Bridge

Natchez Bluffs

Natchez, Mississippi, sits on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River. The high ground of the Natchez Bluffs offers protection from flooding and great views of the river.

Judge George W Armstrong Library

The Natchez, Mississippi, public library provides a nice out-of-office workplace for a day.

Malt Shop

Upon arriving in Natchez, Mississippi, we circled the town in search of a local restaurant at which we might eat dinner. In our search we passed the Malt Shop twice. It didn't look like much but had lots of people coming and going -- a sign there might be something good here.  As it was getting late we were hungry, I abandoned our search and headed back to the Malt Shop. I am glad we did.

We found the best in local drive-ins at the Malt Shop. They had an extensive menu, friendly service, and tasty food. This is the kind of restaurant that makes roadtripping fun. When in Natchez, stop by the Malt Shop for a tasty treat.

The Natchez Malt Shop

Catfish Dinner

Tenderloin Dinner

Tagged Table

Mammy's Cupboard

Mammy's Cupboard is a roadside restaurant inside a giant's skirt. They were closed when we passed by, so we didn't get to see inside or sample the food. We did, however, snap a few photos.

Flick's Slow Gas

The gas pumps at Flick's were slow. I tried a few of them before giving up. My multiple gas purchases at the same place for less than $1 each triggered text messages and phone calls from my bank's fraud detection systems.