This is our last day in Vidalia and Louisiana on this trip so we did the usual tank dumping and grocery shopping. Fortunately, this left quite a bit of time to watch the Mississippi flow by. We started our trip into the town with a ride down a gravel road that runs on the levee along the river. In the west, a levee is called a dike. We had not gone far when the levee road dropped us off in a beautiful Vidalia park that runs along the west bank for about 1/2 a mile. They have installed nice benches, swings and chairs overlooking the river for folks like me that just want to go down to the banks of the river and take it easy. It is very pretty and the scenery constantly changes.
A bit further down the road we came upon the Vidalia Graveyard which is built along the edge of the river and a neighborhood that looks like it floods regularly. They bury folks differently here than back home in California. One of the differences we noted is that the deceased are interred in big concrete vaults only partially buried into the ground. Perhaps it is to keep their moldy bodies from popping out of the ground when the graveyard floods. They also have what we would consider to be strange or bizarre headstones with football team names and odd sculptures that will live on in eternity or until there is some urban renewal.
We felt we needed a reward for exploring so we stopped in again at the Butt Hut to dine. We both selected what may be the best hamburger I have even consumed called a Butt Hut Burger which has about a six-inch diameter, a pretty impressive burger patty, a layer of sliced barbecued brisket, bacon, cheese, BBQ sauce and cole slaw. To make sure this was lethal to my heart, we also got some of their superb onion rings which they call onion straws for some reason. I was quite satisfied at the conclusion of dining.
During our stay here across the river from Natchez, we went into that venerable city twice to dine. One time was at a Wendy’s that we should have known better because all their food did was give our fancy RV terlet a workout. We also ate at a much-touted place called Fat Mama’s Tamales. Their tamales are the tiniest tamales I have ever seen. They are less than an inch in diameter and about 3.5 inches long. They tasted okay but seemed to be insufficiently spiced, greasy and basically boring. Peggy had a taco salad and she characterized it as “terrible.” I also had one of their “Knock you naked” margaritas and it wouldn’t hold a candle to anything available in Mexico except those drinks sold at Los Cabos International. It neither made me naked, prone or even slightly buzzed. Should we ever return to Natchez and Vidalia, I’ll keep my dining activities on the Vidalia side of the river, namely, at the Butt Hut.
We took a few pictures. To see them, click here