Bridge of Sighs

There is arguably no better view of the Mississippi River anywhere in the lower river valley than the one you get from the Natchez Bluff, but scenic rambles along the clifftop have long been cut short by the absence of a footbridge spanning Roth’s Hill Road, the steep extension of Main Street that leads down to Magnolia Bluffs Casino. Now thanks to the efforts of the Natchez Community Alliance, a handsome pedestrian bridge connects the two sections of Natchez’s bluff-top Historic Spanish Promenade.

The latest in a series of scenic bridges of the same name, the new Bridge of Sighs is a carefully constructed replica of an earlier Bridge of Sighs that spanned Roth Hill until the early 1900s that was itself named for an ancient stone bridge in Venice, Italy. The original is said to have gotten its name as a result of having provided the last view of beautiful Venice seen by convicts on their way to imprisonment. But Natchez’s newest Bridge of Sighs is no one-way street. Built using grant money from the Mississippi Departments of Transportation and Wildlife and Fisheries, the bridge will be part of the new, 5.6-mile Walk Natchez public hiking and biking trail system currently under development, which will link the Bluff with a riverfront trail and the heart of historic downtown Natchez.

• Across the street from the Bluff, Bowie’s Tavern is putting the finishing touches on a new kitchen that will enable the popular bar, which occupies a circa-1840 cotton warehouse, to offer food all day, every day, and well into the night too. Alongside Bowie’s fabulous mahogany bar, which came from Holly, Colorado, and was once the longest bar west of the Mississippi River, Bowie’s Kitchen will concentrate on quality burgers, red beans & rice, poboys, and other such craft-beer-friendly fare, from 11 am–10 pm daily. Expect prices between $4 for appetizers to $16 for entrees. Open from mid-September. Bowiestavern.com.