Natchez Trace Parkway trip with Mom and Dad - Day 3

Day 3 - Collinwood, TN back to Nashville

On Friday morning we went to the Dragonfly - an Emporium in Collinwood for a quick breakfast. I had a peach smoothie and mom and dad drank hot chocolate and we shared a couple of muffins. David Harrison, the owner, showed us some of the arts and crafts items made by local artisans.

The Dragonfly is located next to the Wayne County Welcome Center in Collinwood, only 150 yards from the Trace.

We went back to Miss Monetta's Country Cottage and packed up our belongings and headed north on the Trace. We planned on stopping at a few of the areas that we didn't have time to visit on the way down on Day 1 of the trip.

Our first stop was at the Metal Ford / Buffalo River area at milepost 382. If you need to stretch your legs this is a great place to stop. The nature walk that takes you along the river and through an old mill run is absolutely beautiful.

Hard to imagine the old "Kaintucks" fording their way across the swift moving waters. But they did in order to make their way back home.

Our next stop was at the Tobacco Barn / Old Trace Drive area at milepost 401. Mom and Dad checked out the Tobacco Barn and talked to some other travelers while I made some phone calls.

Tobacco cut from the small tobacco field next to the barn was hanging to dry in the barn rafters.

Behind the tobacco barn there is an opening in the trees that reveals a breathtaking view of the valley below. Also behind the tobacco barn is the beginning of a two-mile section of the Old Trace that has been graded, just enough, to be a one-way road for cars. The Old Trace Drive takes you north and then exits back out onto the parkway. The drive takes you through dense forest and a few glimpses down into the valley that lies to the east.

We made a "pit stop" at Garrison Creek at milepost 427.  The park service maintains bathroom facilities spaced out along the parkway every 20 miles or so.

Garrison Creek is the northern trailhead of the Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail. The 24 mile hiking and horse trail parallels the parkway and Old Trace from here to the southern trailhead near the intersection of the parkway and Tennessee Highway 50. Just as we were about to leave a couple on horseback rode past us and onto the trail.

Just north of Garrison Creek we pulled off the Trace onto Tennessee Highway 46 and headed into the historic village of Leiper's Fork for lunch and a little shopping.

There are three restaurants in Leiper's Fork: Puckett's Grocery, the Twisted Fork Cafe and Country Boy. We dined at Puckett's Grocery. Puckett's is a small grocery store, restaurant and music venue. All three restaurants are worth the drive.

Of course, there is more to Leiper's Fork than just a bunch of good restaurants. There are several stores and shops housed in historic buildings all along the same little stretch of road as the restaurants. You can park your car and easily walk from one place to the next. Here are  mom and dad in one of the antique stores.

Leiper's Fork is a short 15 miles down the Trace from the northern terminus. This would be our last stop on our three day tour of the northern half of the Natchez Trace Parkway. Once off the Trace and a few more miles we were driving on I-40. What a difference.

Natchez Trace Parkway trip with Mom and Dad - Day 1

My mom and dad, Karen and Bill Fought, live in Ohio. I invited them to come to Nashville and take a short trip down the Natchez Trace Parkway during the fall foliage season. We went on a three day trip down the Trace from the northern terminus near Nashville, Tennessee to northeast Mississippi and back to Nashville.

Day 1 - Nashville, TN to Collinwood, TN

From my home in Madison, TN we drove 30 minutes to the community of Pasquo, TN where the Natchez Trace Parkway ends. We arrived in the area at lunch time and since my mom had seen a TV show about the Loveless Cafe and its famous biscuits we decided to eat at this world famous diner.

Dad and I ordered breakfast food (French Toast and Pancakes) and mom had a pulled pork BBQ sandwich that had enough meat to make three sandwiches. Before our meals arrived our waiter brought us some of the famous biscuits and three types of jams. You could just about make a meal of the biscuits - in fact, you can order a dozen!

We checked out a few of the shops that now encircle the cafe (they used to be motel rooms). The beginning (actually the end) of the Trace starts about 150 yards from the Loveless Cafe.

Just a few miles down the Trace takes you to one of the most popular stops on the entire 444 mile long parkway - the Double-Arched Bridge that spans Birdsong Hollow. The nearly 1/3 of a mile long bridge takes the Trace over 150 feet above the valley below.

The weather was fantastic for early November. Quite a few cyclists were out on the Trace. Here we are passing a solo cyclist. Notice how we pulled completely over into the other lane to pass the bike. Unfortunately, there has been two cyclists hit and killed by automobile drivers this year on the Trace.

Our next stop was Water Valley Overlook at milepost 411. The Trace follows the top of a ridge through this area and from the overlook you can see several farms in the Water Valley area. Several other people were also enjoying the view. We think the smoke in the picture is from a tobacco barn.

Our next stop was Jackson Falls at milepost 404. The parking area is on top of the same ridge with the Duck River 300 feet below. A 900 foot paved trail takes you down into a gorge where Jackson Falls tumbles. When we arrived at the falls we were not along. A young father and his three children were having a lot of fun playing in the water and jumping from rock to rock. We have had a very wet fall so there was quite a bit of water cascading down the two falls.

Our next stop was Fall Hollow Waterfall at milepost 391. Again, there was a lot of water flowing down the streams that feed the waterfalls. We only walked on the paved trail to the observation deck where you have a great view of the first cascade. Past the observation deck the trail is not paved and starts to go downhill. We decided to go no further. A more daring couple came up the path and reported that the main falls below was well worth the hike. We convinced ourselves that we had many more miles to travel on Day 1 and didn't have time to hike down into the gorge!

We made a quick drive through the Meriwether Lewis area at milepost 385. He died and was buried here along the Natchez Trace 200 years ago.

Our last stop of the day before arriving in Collinwood was at Glenrock Branch at milepost 364. This is one of the best picnic areas along the Trace. Several picnic tables and grills are located down the hill from the parking area. The creek (Glenrock Branch) flows around the picnic area. On the other side of the creek are rock walls and some very oddly shaped rock formations. The temperature in the heat of summer is usually 10-15 degrees lower here under the forest shade and next to the cool flowing water. We were still filled up from lunch at Loveless Cafe so we pushed on towards Collinwood.

Collinwood, Tennessee sits just off the Trace at milepost 354. In fact, the old Natchez Trace wilderness route looks like it went through what is now the middle of town. Our lodging for tonight and the next night was Miss Monetta's Country Cottage. I had stayed here once before and told mom and dad how nice it was. Needless to say - they were impressed. We had plenty of room. One bedroom has a queen bed and another bedroom has two twin beds. The living room featured a large TV with cable channels, two couches (one a sleeper sofa and the other one leather), a recliner and a chair. The kitchen is fully equipped with everything you need. We watched the last baseball game of the season as the Yankees put the wraps on yet another World Series championship.