Vicksburg

I'd been wanting to stop by Vicksburg to visit the Civil War Battlefield for quite some time. I remember visiting Gettysburg in high school and I assumed Vicksburg would be similar and I knew that Mark would enjoy it.

The Visitor Center was very similar to Gettysburg, but that's where the similarity ended for me. Possibly because when I visited Gettysburg it was with a group of high school kids and they didn't drive us through the entire park. But at Vicksburg, Mark and I drove the entire park.

It wasn't really what I expected. There were numerous markers in red and blue to designate where the lines were and where things happened. Apparently it was mapped out by survivors not long after the war ended and is considered very accurate as to what happened and where.

Like Gettysburg, there were cannons that were in place. What I don't remember seeing in Gettysburg were all the state monuments. (I don't know whether they have them or not. If they do, I didn't see them.) States who had regiments or divisions fighting in a particular area had erected monuments with their state name. Some were all the same. For example, Iowa had the same smallish monument erected in numerous places. (After you'd seen a few of them, you  could spot them in other places.) Other states, like Ohio, had monuments that were not identical but were similar in size and style.

What's striking is how many monuments there are.

And some states, like Alabama, only had one but it was impressive.

Of course, Texas made an impression.

Many of the monuments were quite elaborate.

In addition to the monuments honoring state regiments, there were also monuments to regimental leaders.

It made for an interesting drive - plenty of places to get out and walk around - and the weather was just about perfect.

I'm glad we went but we are not likely to return. And while there are some stunning views of the Mississippi River in Vicksburg, the town really doesn't have much else to recommend it. Check out these shots of the Mississippi at sunset.

There are some casinos, but we're not gamblers. We're foodies and the restaurants in our hotel were closed except for the deli. Deli food is good for lunch but I'd rather have something else for dinner. So the second night we moved to a different hotel - Margaritaville.

They had taken what used to be a casino at whatever hotel that used to be and turned it into a giant arcade for kids. A "family" area. Wish I'd known that ahead of time. Let me just say that if I had to judge all Margaritaville hotels by the one in Vicksburg, I'd never stay at another one. If Jimmy Buffett only knew...