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Tours
Join your fellow Master Gardeners as they experience Natchez — what you love about the South. Natchez was named "Best Small City for Weekend" and "Best Historical Town in the South" by AAA Southern Traveler Magazine.
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Melrose estate and its historic gardens and
Natchez City Cemetery
– Bus Tour T1, $30 – Bus Tour F1, $30
Melrose estate is part of Natchez National Historical Park. The mansion was built in the 1840s by John McMurran. Most of the original furnishings and outbuildings remain. Gardens were established at Melrose as the house was built. The formal gardens feature many camellias and spring blooming shrubs such as azaleas, as mentioned in the letters of Mary Louisa McMurran.
› Melrose
The Natchez City Cemetery tour will be conducted by Don Estes, author of the book Legends of the Natchez City Cemetery. (See Books) Many famous people are buried there and the heirloom camellias, roses and crepe myrtles will take your breath away. Some of the over 400 crepe myrtles date back to 1800. › Natchez City Cemetery
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Longwood Mansion and Natchez Sites
– Bus Tour T2, $30 – Bus Tour F2, $30
Longwood is a six-story 30,000 square foot mansion that epitomizes the rise and fall of the South. As it was nearing completion, the Civil War began and the northern workmen dropped their tools and went home. The upper five stories are an architectural wonder ― a magnificent work in progress where time stands still. This grandest octagonal house in America is a National Historic Landmark. The remains of once elaborate gardens have survived for visitors to stroll through! In addition, an experienced bus tour guide will show you historic Natchez sites. › Longwood House
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Stanton Hall and Auburn
– Bus Tour F3, $30
Stanton Hall was completed at the height of antebellum prosperity for wealthy planter and cotton broker Frederick Stanton. Although of Greek Revival style, this palatial home features ornamentation and elaborate surface details that were lacking in the earlier pure Greek Revival styles. Stanton Hall is a National Historic Landmark. The grounds include a rose garden and many other plants to enjoy. › Stanton Hall
Built in 1812, Auburn was one of the most elaborate homes of its time. Its unsupported spiral staircase is a masterwork, and it was one of the first great white-pillared mansions in Natchez. It was left to the City of Natchez by the heirs of Stephen Duncan and is maintained as a memorial park. › Auburn
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Lasagna Gardening and The Gardens
– Bus Tour F4, $30
Our own Joanne King has created between 45-50 beds using lasagna gardening with no tilling or double digging. Ninety percent of her plants were either rescued from roadsides in construction areas or are treasures obtained from family and friends. In addition to the 65 crepe myrtles Joanne propagated, the garden also includes Rose of Sharon, plum, peach, lemon, apple, loquat, fig, muscadine, pomegranate, blueberry, angel's trumpet, bulbs of all kinds, hydrangeas, and purple coneflowers, just to name a few. › The Profile: Joanne King - see page 43
This tour includes the lovely gardens of a private home located on the bluffs above the Mississippi river and adjacent to the old Natchez City Cemetery. Built in 1794, “The Gardens” is a beautiful home that once served as a hospital for federal troops during the Civil War. It has been on the Natchez Pilgrimage Tour as well as the Symphony of Gardens Tour. You will get to experience a truly “old-fashion garden” planted with beautiful camellias, old-fashion roses, crepe myrtles and featuring a rose arbor. The spring color in this garden will astound you.
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Gardens designed by William Garbo, landscape architect. Gardens at Elms Court, Monmouth and Gloucester
- Bus Tour F5, $30
This tour includes gardens at three antebellum homes, Monmouth, Elms Court and Gloucester, all designed by William Garbo, landscape architect. Garbo also designed the formal gardens at the Mississippi Governor's mansion. The Monmouth estate has been restored to match the opulent gardens and grounds first envisioned by the plantation's most famous owner, General John Quitman. The site is filled with native and period plants, flowers, trees and shrubs. Garbo's exceptional skills are also reflected in the gardens at Elms Court and Gloucester.