Natchez to formally transfer visitor center to National Park Service on Thursday

On July 23 the City of Natchez will formally transfer ownership of the Natchez Visitors Center to the National Park Service.

Completed in 1998 as a partnership project between the city, state, Mississippi Department of Transportation, and the NPS, the 25,000 square-foot building presently serves as a state and regional welcome center, providing tourist information services for hundreds of thousands of visitors annually to the greater Natchez region. NATC will make no immediate changes in operations at the facility.

With the parallel NPS acquisition of land at the Forks of the Road slave market site, Natchez National Historical Park is poised to provide a new level of leadership to the Natchez tourism community and drive local economic development.

Kathleen Bond, superintendent of NNHP, expressed her excitement about the transfer of ownership.

“The transfer not only provides a stable funding stream for the facility but also gives us the opportunity for this space to tell a more complete story of Natchez in a way that is updated for the 21st century,” Bond said. “My hope is that this building will become a must-see destination in and of itself, in addition to pointing visitors to go out and enjoy all that Natchez has to offer.”

Resting on 11.45 acres at the eastern end of the Mississippi River bridge, the prominent facility is immediately adjacent to the Park’s historic Fort Rosalie site. The building also serves as the southern terminus visitor center for the Natchez Trace Parkway.