Wildlife · 31 min southwest
St. Catherine Creek National Wildlife Refuge
Swamps and bluffs south of Natchez with a trail to a bird rookery and wildlife blind.
- Half day · Easy to moderate
- Year-round
- Free
Day Trippin' › Mississippi › From Natchez
Day trips from Natchez
From Natchez, the old town, Stanton Hall, Rosalie and Longwood are minutes away, the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians about 5, Emerald Mound under 15, Mount Locust about 20, the Windsor Ruins under an hour, and Clark Creek's waterfalls about an hour. The best day trips from Natchez, by drive time.
129 places within a 3-hour drive, by real roads.
10 day trips from Natchez
- St. Catherine Creek National Wildlife Refuge 31 min southwest
- Okhissa Lake 40 min east
- Windsor Ruins 51 min northeast
- Vicksburg 1 hr 16 min northeast
- Vicksburg National Military Park 1 hr 18 min northeast
- Lake Lincoln State Park 1 hr 23 min east
- Poverty Point World Heritage Site 1 hr 50 min north
- Natchitoches 2 hr 16 min west
- Oak Alley Plantation 2 hr 28 min south
- French Quarter 2 hr 47 min southeast
Within an hour from Natchez 5 spots
Historic site · 51 min northeast
Windsor Ruins
Tall Corinthian columns are all that remain of a grand 1861 mansion. Eerie and beautiful.
- Under 1 hr · Easy
- Dawn to dusk (check)
- Free
Lake · 40 min east
Okhissa Lake
Lake of about 1,075 acres in the Homochitto National Forest with fishing, boating and picnic areas.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- Day-use fee per vehicle (check)
Waterfall · 58 min south
Clark Creek Natural Area
About 50 waterfalls in steep ravines near Woodville. Some of the best hiking in the state.
- Half day · Strenuous
- Year-round; best after rain
- Mississippi State Parks day-use fee (check)
Historic site · 57 min northeast
Grand Gulf Military Park
Civil War earthworks, a museum and an old town site on the river near Port Gibson.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Year-round (check hours)
- Admission charged (check)
1 to 2 hours from Natchez 40 spots
National park · 1 hr 18 min northeast
Vicksburg National Military Park
16-mile tour road past the siege lines, monuments and the ironclad USS Cairo.
- Half day · Easy
- Tour road daily 8:30 am-5 pm
- National park entrance fee (under 16 free)
Historic site · 1 hr 50 min north
Poverty Point World Heritage Site
Huge earthworks built over 3,000 years ago, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a museum, tram tours and a 2.6-mile trail.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Daily 9am-5pm; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's
- Age 7-61 $6, 62+ $4; tram/guided $10 / $8; 6 and under free (checked Nov 2026)
Small town · 1 hr 16 min northeast
Vicksburg
Hilltop river city with a historic downtown and major Civil War sites.
- Full day · Easy
- Year-round
- Free to wander
State park · 1 hr 23 min east
Lake Lincoln State Park
Quiet lake park near Wesson with fishing and camping.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- Mississippi State Parks day-use fee (per person)
Zoo · 1 hr 27 min west
Alexandria Zoo
A well-loved mid-size zoo with a Louisiana habitats area and lots of shade.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Daily 9am-5pm; last entry 4:30pm; closed Thanksgiving
- Adult $(check), child $(check)
Hike · 1 hr 44 min south
Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center
More than 100 acres of swamp and woods inside Baton Rouge, with gravel trails, boardwalks and a nature center.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Tue-Sat 9am-5pm, Sun noon-5pm; closed Mon (check)
- Small fee (check)
Family fun · 1 hr 51 min northeast
Mississippi Children's Museum
Hands-on play museum in Jackson built for young kids, with outdoor gardens.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Tue-Sun; closed Mondays
- Admission charged (check)
Museum · 1 hr 15 min northeast
Jesse Brent Lower Mississippi River Museum
Free Corps of Engineers museum on the river and how people live and work with it.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Mon-Sat 9 am-4 pm, Sun 1-4 pm
- Free
2 to 3 hours from Natchez 79 spots
Historic site · 2 hr 47 min southeast
French Quarter
The oldest part of New Orleans, with Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral, Royal Street galleries and the French Market all in easy walking distance. You can cross the whole Quarter on foot in about 20 minutes.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round; best Oct-Apr
- Free to walk
Small town · 2 hr 16 min west
Natchitoches
Louisiana's oldest town, founded in 1714, with brick Front Street on Cane River Lake, meat pies and the famous Christmas Festival of Lights.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round; festive in Dec
- Free
Historic site · 2 hr 28 min south
Oak Alley Plantation
Famous for its quarter-mile tunnel of 300-year-old live oaks leading to the big house. The site also covers the lives of the people enslaved there.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round; hours (check)
- Adult $(check), child $(check)
Zoo · 2 hr 49 min southeast
Audubon Zoo
A big, shady zoo in Uptown with a Louisiana swamp area, giraffes, jaguars and plenty of room for kids to roam. Ride the St. Charles streetcar to get close.
- Half day · Easy
- Daily 10am-5pm; closed Mardi Gras, Thanksgiving, Christmas
- Adult $30-$40, child/senior $25-$35, under 2 free (checked Nov 2026)
Museum · 2 hr 57 min north
B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center
The life and music of B.B. King, plus Delta history, in his hometown of Indianola.
- 2 hrs · Easy
- Tue-Sat 10 am-5 pm
- Admission charged (check)
Wildlife · 2 hr 31 min south
Lake Martin
A cypress lake near Breaux Bridge famous for alligators and huge wading bird rookeries. Swamp tours run from the landing.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Year-round; rookery best Feb-Jun (check)
- Free (check)
Museum · 2 hr 45 min southeast
National WWII Museum
One of the best history museums in the country, with planes, personal stories and big immersive exhibits about World War II. Plan more time than you think.
- Half day · Easy
- Daily 9am-5pm; closed Mardi Gras, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Day
- Adult $37, students $27, under 5 free (checked Nov 2026)
Museum · 2 hr 20 min south
Whitney Plantation
A museum focused fully on the history of slavery, with original buildings and memorials. A moving, important visit.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- 9:30am-4:30pm; closed Tuesdays; last entry 3pm
- Fee (check)
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Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP 39120 (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.