Lizard Head Didnt Work Natchez Trace Bike Tour (Tourzplus)

Overview Selected Tour Start Date: Monday, April 26th, 2021

Bicycle Tours in USA: Lizard Head didnt work Natchez Trace Bike Tour (TourzPlus)

OVERVIEW

The Natchez Trace Parkway is one of North America’s hidden gems. With its vast stretches of twisty roads with little vehicle traffic, its tremendous scenery over ridges and through isolated hollows, its undulating terrain with no big climbing, and its myriad small friendly towns steeped in history, it is no wonder that the Natchez Trace (also known simply as the “Trace”) is the perfect destination for cyclists looking to reconnect with nature while pursuing their love of cycling.

HIGHLIGHTS

Emerald Mound Site, Mount Locust Historic Home, Sunken Trace, Rocky Springs Site, Rocky Springs Site, Rocky Springs Site, French Camp Historic District, Red Clay Hills, Bynum Mounds, Elvis Presley Birthplace, Pharr Mounds, Wichahpi Commemorative Stone Wall, Meriwether Lewis National Monument.

TOUR FACTS

TourzPlus: Learn more about our TourzPlus tours at https://www.experienceplus.com/tours/bike- Tour Style tour-styles/tourzplus-tours 7-Days of guide service, 6-nights of lodging, all meals, entry fees, energy food, liquid refreshments, Includes shuttles and mechanical support. Alcoholic beverages, bike rental and massage therapy are not included. Countries USA Begin/End Nashville, TN Arrive/Depart Nashville International Airport (BNA) Total Distance 708 km (440 miles) Avg. Daily Distance 101 km (63 miles) per riding day Tour Level

Please Note: We may have small itinerary changes to this trip after you download this PDF document. If you have booked this trip and there are major changes, including changes to towns or activities, we'll email you directly. However, you should always be sure to refer to the online itinerary for the most up-to-date trip information including arrival and departure tips before you depart for your trip: https://www.experienceplus.com/guided-bike-tours/usa/natchez-trace

1 © ExperiencePlus! Bicycle Tours 1-800-685-4565 ExperiencePlus.com Dates & Prices Selected Tour Start Date: Monday, April 26th, 2021

Bicycle Tours in USA: Lizard Head didnt work Natchez Trace Bike Tour (TourzPlus)

DATES & PRICES

Dates Price Single Supplement* *We are happy to match solo travelers who would like to share a room with someone of the same gender. If no match exists, due to hotel pricing, we will charge 50% of the single supplement rate. This fee will be collected at the time of the final payment. If a DAILY RIDE SUMMARY roommate assignment is available this fee will be refunded at the conclusion of the tour. Day Distance/Gain Terrain Day Level Notes

1 76km (47mi)

2 103km (64mi)

3 130km (81mi)

4 142km (88mi)

5 64km (40mi)

6 137km (85mi)

7 89km (55mi)

2 © ExperiencePlus! Bicycle Tours 1-800-685-4565 ExperiencePlus.com Travel Information Selected Tour Start Date: Monday, April 26th, 2021

Bicycle Tours in USA: Lizard Head didnt work Natchez Trace Bike Tour (TourzPlus)

ARRIVAL INFO

Shuttle from Nashville, TN or Jackson, MS to Natchez, MS

PRE-TOUR SHUTTLE FROM NASHVILLE, TN ON DAY 0 – A pre-tour shuttle from Nashville, TN to Natchez, MS is available when reserved in advance. The cost is $75/pp which includes transport of you, your gear, your bicycle (or tandem), and, if you have one, your bicycle case (breaks enroute for food and lunch are not included). The shuttle departs the Courtyard Nashville Airport in Nashville, TN promptly at 6:30 AM, makes a stop in Jackson, MS at 3:30 PM to pick- up additional guests, and then arrives at approximately 6:00 PM in Natchez, MS. If you are flying to Nashville, the Courtyard offers a complimentary shuttle to and from Nashville International Airport. If you are driving to Nashville, we recommend that you leave your vehicle for long-term parking with the Courtyard (NOTE: there is a fee with the Courtyard for long-term parking, so check with the front desk well before our departure time).

PRE-TOUR SHUTTLE FROM JACKSON, MS ON DAY 0 – Guests fly early into Jackson, MS (Jackson–Evers International Airport – JAN) on the day before (Day 0) the tour starts. A pre-tour shuttle from Jackson, MS to Natchez, MS is available when reserved in advance. There is no cost and it includes transport of you, your gear, your bicycle (or tandem), and, if you have one, your bicycle case. The shuttle arrives at the Jackson–Evers International Airport between 3:00-3:30 PM and departs at 3:30 PM with arrival at approximately 6:00 PM in Natchez, MS.

DEPARTURE INFO

The Natchez Trace tour ends on Day 7 between 4-5:00 PM at the Courtyard Nashville Airport. Although we do not recommend a same day flight when the tour ends on Day 7, please make your flight reservation for 7:30 PM or later to avoid undue stress as things can happen during the last day that may delay our arrival back in the Nashville area.

3 © ExperiencePlus! Bicycle Tours 1-800-685-4565 ExperiencePlus.com Day to Day Itinerary Selected Tour Start Date: Monday, April 26th, 2021

Bicycle Tours in USA: Lizard Head didnt work Natchez Trace Bike Tour (TourzPlus)

Natchez to Sunken Trace DAY 1: Mon, Apr 26th

Highlights Welcome! Distance 76 km (47 mi) Gain 694 m (2275 ft) The tour begins at the Natchez Grand Hotel in Natchez, MS with a meet and greet of guests and guides followed by a short presentation of the week ahead and a brief Meals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner history of the Natchez Trace. We will fit bikes, and then saddle up to ride to the Lodging Anchuca Historic Inn southern terminus of the Natchez Trace Parkway where we will begin our week-long journey north. Today’s route is the lowest mileage of the week so that riders can stretch their legs and get warmed up for the week ahead. At mile marker 10, we will make a short divert from the Trace to view the Emerald Mound Site – an ancient ceremonial mound built by ancestors of the Natchez Indians that dates from the period between 1200 and 1730 A.D. After Emerald Mound and back on route, riders will soon make another quick divert to Mount Locust Historic Home, one of the oldest surviving structures in Mississippi. While riders take a tour of this house, guides will prepare a gourmet lunch in the parking area. After lunch, we finish the day by meandering our way along the Trace past the small town of Port Gibson, MS (the town GeneralSunken Ulysses Trace S. to Grant Ridgeland proclaimed was “too beautiful to burn”) and end the ride at DAY 2: Tue, Apr 27th Sunken Trace – a beautifully preserved portion of the centuries old deeply eroded NatchezHighlights TraceRocky footSprings path. Site From Sunken Trace we shuttle a short distance to Vicksburg, Distance 103 km (64 mi) MS to check into the Anchuca Historic Mansion and Inn. Guests will have time before Gain 773 m (2535 ft) dinnerThis day to beginsstroll this with small a hearty town or breakfast to relax andat the then inn shuttleafter the back adventures to the Natchez of the day. Trace Parkway to start from the Sunken Trace. During the morning’s ride we make a stop at Meals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner the old Rocky Springs town site for a quick tour. After Rocky Springs we thread our Lodging Home2 Suites by Hilton way through dense ancient hardwood forests, past open pastures and fields. After lunch at Dean's Stand we will make a stop at the Clinton Visitor Center. The Center is constructed with period materials and architectural details including a porch and “dogtrot” that give it the authentic charm of one of the 19th century farmhouses once located along the Natchez Trace. After departing the Center, we finish the last miles of our journey along the Natchez Multi-Use Path and leave the Trace to check into our lodging for the night in Ridgeland, MS.

Ridgeland to French Camp DAY 3: Wed, Apr 28th

Highlights Ross Barnett Reservoir, Cypress Swamp Distance 130 km (81 mi) Gain 532 m (1745 ft) Our mileage increases yet again today, but since this is one of the flatter sections of the Trace, the 81 miles will pass by quickly. Departing our hotel, we make our way Meals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner back to the Trace, and for the first five miles we'll use the bike path adjacent to the Lodging French Camp B&B Trace. Once back on the parkway, one of the highlights this morning is the ride along the Ross Barnett Reservoir. At mile marker 122, we will make a stop at the Cypress Swamp where a boardwalk trail leads over the murky waters through a tupelo and bald cypress swamp… but make sure to watch for alligators! Also along the way we will pass Kosciusko, Mississippi – the town where Oprah Winfrey was born and lived until age 6. Our destination is the French Camp Historic District log-cabin village where riders can relax and enjoy a well-deserved, authentic Southern meal.

4 © ExperiencePlus! Bicycle Tours 1-800-685-4565 ExperiencePlus.com Day to Day Itinerary Selected Tour Start Date: Monday, April 26th, 2021

Bicycle Tours in USA: Lizard Head didnt work Natchez Trace Bike Tour (TourzPlus)

French Camp to Tupelo DAY 4: Thu, Apr 29th

Highlights Red Clay Hills, Bynum Mounds Distance 142 km (88 mi) Gain 854 m (2800 ft) Today is our longest day along the Trace. We will start early and riders will have plenty of time to enjoy the scenery of the Red Clay Hills before settling into the bottomlands Meals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner near the headwaters of the Big Black River. The miles will zip by along this quiet Lodging Hilton Garden Inn section of the Trace, with only a few minor hills. Just past Houston, Mississippi are the Bynum Mounds – six burial mounds and an associated habitation area built between 100 B.C. and 100 A.D. Our destination for the evening is Tupelo, Mississippi – birthplace of Elvis Presley – where our lodging, dinner and post-ride relaxation await.

Tupelo to Belmont DAY 5: Fri, Apr 30th

Highlights Elvis Presley Birthplace, Pharr Mounds Distance 64 km (40 mi) Gain 596 m (1955 ft) After breakfast at the hotel, we pack up and head over to the nearby Elvis Presley Birthplace for a tour of his childhood home and to learn of the humble beginnings of Meals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner the “King of Rock and Roll”. Afterward we shuttle a short distance back to the Trace Lodging Belmont Hotel and depart from the Parkway Visitor Center. Halfway through our ride we make a stop at the Pharr Mounds – a complex of eight dome shaped Tumulus burial mounds built between 100 and 200 A.D. We then continue to the end of our ride near Tishomingo State Park and from here we shuttle to our destination at The Belmont Hotel, a restored 1927 Georgian style hotel in Belmont, Mississippi.

Belmont to Meriwether Lewis National Monument DAY 6: Sat, May 1st

Highlights Wichahpi Commemorative Stone Wall

Today is the second longest day of the Trace at 85 miles and includes the highest point along the entire Trace at 1,100′ above sea level. Shuttling a short distance from Belmont, we begin the riding and the scenery remains world-class, from the wooded ridges to the steep hollows carved by brooks cascading over rocky stream beds. We will pedal across three states today starting from Mississippi, passing through Alabama, and finally ending in Tennessee. Along the way we will take a short diversion off the Trace to view the Wichahpi Commemorative Stone Wall (a.k.a: Te-lah-nay’s Wall) – a stone wall hand built by Tom Hendrix to commemorate his great-great-grandmother’s, Te-lah-nay, journey after being forced from her native lands in northwest Alabama and then returning during the Trail of Tears period of early American history. This is a must

5 © ExperiencePlus! Bicycle Tours 1-800-685-4565 ExperiencePlus.com Day to Day Itinerary Selected Tour Start Date: Monday, April 26th, 2021

Bicycle Tours in USA: Lizard Head didnt work Natchez Trace Bike Tour (TourzPlus)

see! We end the ride at the Meriwether Lewis National Monument and then shuttle to this evenings accommodations.

Distance 137 km (85 mi) Gain 1159 m (3800 ft) Meals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Lodging Commodore Hotel

6 © ExperiencePlus! Bicycle Tours 1-800-685-4565 ExperiencePlus.com Day to Day Itinerary Selected Tour Start Date: Monday, April 26th, 2021

Bicycle Tours in USA: Lizard Head didnt work Natchez Trace Bike Tour (TourzPlus)

Meriwether Lewis National Monument to Double Arch Bridge DAY 7: Sun, May 2nd

Highlights Meriwether Lewis National Monument Distance 89 km (55 mi) Gain 1242 m (4075 ft) The final day of the tour has arrived and we have saved what we think is the best of the Trace for last! Following breakfast we will shuttle from our lodging to the Meals Breakfast, Lunch Meriwether Lewis National Monument, an opportunity to check out the monument to a great American explorer. Riders roll away and will soon enjoy the magnificent scenery along the twisty turns and rolling hills on this final section of the Trace. At mile marker 438 you will ride across the gracefully designed Double Arch Bridge and then soon after the bridge, pull into a turnout at the Northern Terminus to end the riding for the week. The tour concludes with 30-mile shuttle back to Nashville, TN.