For starters, look for information at the terminus cities for the route (frequently a tourist development site for that city or region) and you will often uncover additional resources:
Natchez Tourism is the official tourist site for Natchez, Miss. But it offers information on multiple attractions in the region and information on the parkway itself. You will find guidance on accommodations, events, food and drink, and even real estate if you decide to make your visit permanent.
Natchez Trace Bed & Breakfast Reservation Service includes 40 establishments and organizes them into three geographic sections. Finding something before you leave home is important because no advertising is permitted along the route. If you're someone who depends on billboards to find a place to sleep, you'll wind up frustrated.
The cheapest found on a recent visit to this site was the French Camp Bed & Breakfast in northern Mississippi, where all rooms are $75. None of these are rock-bottom budget rooms, but they are competitive with the generic, look-alike franchise hotel rooms on the interstate, and likely to be far more interesting.
Another strategy is to find a city near the midpoint in the route and spend the night there. Since attractions aren't evenly spaced across a given byway, mileage is only one factor in making this determination.
Tupelo in northern Mississippi is 38 miles north of the halfway point on the Natchez Trace Parkway. It offers a host of dining and accommodation options within a few minutes of the road. Among them, the Microtel is offering rooms at $50/night.
Barnes Crossing Campground is among the many camping options in the region. It is located near the Tupelo Natchez Trace Visitor Center. There are 40 sites and the rates they quote assume two campers per site. Additional people incur add-on fees.
Plan carefully and follow some of these strategies to find an affordable byway. Treasure the experience and try not to be smug when you think about fellow travelers stuck in the interstate rut yet again.
