Home MS Tishomingo & Iuka, Mississippi

Tishomingo & Iuka, Mississippi

by Richie

state line

The Natchez Trace Parkway continues to be a delight as we cross into Mississippi. I’m loving this long drive vacation. The Trace is beautiful at every turn, and the scenery is getting greener the farther south we go.

Cave Spring

Cave Spring on the Natchez Trace

April is the right time to visit the Deep South. Temperatures have been in the 70’s and there’s little humidity to complain about. In another couple of months I imagine Mississippi will be unbearable.

iuka 1

We took a side trip to Iuka, which turned out to be kind of a bust. Iuka was supposed to have a mineral springs and a covered bridge, but all we found was a dinky town lost in time. I halfway expected to see a stagecoach pull up, that’s how far behind Iuka is. We wandered around looking for a lunch spot but everything was closed up in mid-afternoon, including the Apron Museum. A freight train blew through the center of town, rattled all the buildings, and then the excitement was over. So much for Iuka.

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Downtown Iuka

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Farther south we stopped for the night at Tishomingo State Park. For $19 we had a big lakeside camping spot, “the best in the park” according to the ranger.

Tishomingo State Park

There’s a wonderful swinging bridge at Tishomingo built by the CCC in the 1930’s. It’s quite long and strung high over a creek and, boy howdy, did it sway! I passed a couple of people along the bridge, bouncing and jouncing, and remarked how it was a bit scary.

“Don’t worry,” they said, “it’s been here a really long time.”

“That’s what I’m worried about – it’s been here a really long time!”

bride 1

bride 2

bridge 3

After a good night’s rest here in Tishomingo we’ll be heading a little farther south into Mississippi, once again traveling slow on the Natchez Trace.

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2 comments

O Howell August 8, 2017 - 4:23 pm

You were less than a quarter of a mile from the Mineral Springs park off Hwy 72 and the Covered Bridge, just next to the park you spoke of. (All in the same area) Had you followed the road you were on in the picture of the part with the down town area in Iuka (over the rail road tracks) to the “OLD Courthouse”; you could have looked to the left to see the entrance to the Mineral Springs Park. We are a quite little town and we like it here without the big city effects. The Swinging bridge at Tishomingo State Park was built “originally” in the 1930’s and it was with heavy duty “Cords of Rope” not “corded cable wire” as it is today. It has been upgraded and again needs some minor repairs but, not quite as bad as you said above. I had rather have the stage coach coming up behind me than a drive by shooting any day or the blaring horns of inconsiderate and ungrateful people but, we are happy that you passed through. Oh, if you happen to return during one of the festivals (Christmas or some celebration going on up town, you probably can ride in a horse drawn carriage).
Have a good day.

Richie August 8, 2017 - 6:41 pm

Thanks for the heads up! We went 5 miles in the wrong direction looking for the spring.

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