French Camp is a tiny settlement on the Natchez Trace Parkway in central Mississippi, and it holds more history than its size suggests. In the early nineteenth century, a French-Canadian named Louis LeFleur established a stand here, a place where travellers on the old Trace could find a meal and a bed, and the community took its name from him. The site lay in Choctaw country, and LeFleur's family had Choctaw connections, which made the place a meeting point between peoples. Later, in 1822, a school was founded at French Camp, and it grew into a boarding academy that still operates today.
The little cluster of buildings beside the Parkway has a rewarding, off-the-record feel. A pair of log cabins, one of them dating from the early nineteenth century, stand under big trees, with a restored house nearby, and a small museum tells the story of the Trace and the people who used it. Sorghum syrup and cornbread are the local traditions, and a good number of Parkway travellers stop for just that. In warm weather the shade and the sound of cicadas are very agreeable.
Riding the Trace through this part of Mississippi is quiet and dreamlike. The road runs along ridges and through wooded valleys, with long straight sections and gentle bends, past old cotton fields that have gone back to pine and hardwood. The speed limit is low, the surface is mostly smooth and the traffic is thin, so you can relax and look around. Wildlife is plentiful, with deer, wild turkeys and the occasional armadillo trundling along the verge. Heat and humidity in summer can be intense, and thunderstorms arrive with little warning.
Fuel is not available on the Parkway, so you need to leave it to fill up. Kosciusko, a town of about seven thousand people about thirty kilometres to the south, is the nearest place with stations, restaurants and motels, and it is also the birthplace of Oprah Winfrey. Winona and Durant are options farther north and south. Bring water and a snack, and be aware that many facilities along the Trace keep short hours and are closed on some days. Spring and autumn are the best seasons, with comfortable temperatures and bright, clear light.