4/19 Last night we went to eat at the Inn at Pickwick Landing State Park just over the bridge. The campers next to us said we had to go and they were right. The Inn faces the lake at the bottom of the dam and the area is beautiful. Our table looked out on the lake and towards the dam. We went to the “early bird” chicken buffet. It was excellent. All kinds of chicken – fried, barbecue, baked, etc/ huge salad bar/ hot bun section including corn bread/ vegetable bar/ dessert bar/ ice cream. It was southern food at its best and all for $5.95. George said the best deal of our trip and it was sooooooooo good!
Left Tailwater Campground around 8:30 and headed out of TN to Corinth, MS. Left our friendly dog with a few tears in our eyes – he was so well behaved and definitely had been trained. We definitely would have taken him home if we were in a day’s drive of RI. Corinth has the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center which is another unit of the Shiloh National Military Park but in MS. The confederates traveled from Corinth to Shiloh on route 22 and also used it as their retreat road. The center’s
exhibits and movies were really informative. We also drove through this charming town down main street to visit the Contraband Camp where the north set up villages for the slaves that ran away with stores, schools etc. This was the camp for the MS Valley area and was one of the best. The little park has a walk with beautiful statues of slaves living and working in this camp. Nice job! Headed back to the Trace again to travel south and stopped at some pullouts – one was a cave that the Indians used. The campground we stayed at today was right off the Trace since the road goes right through this huge MS park.
Tishomingo State Park - $16 – Site 10 – Tishomingo, MS – 62 sites
This state park is right off the Natchez Trace located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and it is very pretty. The sites go around a lake but it is one road in and out. The site we had was fine for a 25 foot RV with electricity and water. There are some larger sites for bigger units sites 29-62 at the end of the loop but still on Haynes Lake. Very peaceful looking out over the lake. The park is named for the leader of the Chickasaw nation, Chief Tishomingo. There are massive rock formations and fern-filled crevices here that you cannot find anywhere else in MS. Wildflowers line the entrance as well as the trails the Indians used to roam. The park also has a boat launching ramp, cabins, disc golf, nature center, swimming pool in the summer, picnic areas, fields for softball and baseball, a historic cabin, trails for hiking and wildlife viewing. We really enjoyed this campground yet others had told us that they didn’t think we would. I think it was because they had 5th wheels and the road could be a little tight for one pulling something that large. The ranger, host that checked us in was very helpful. They even have a Bear Creek Float Trip from April through October for a 6.25 mile ride down the creek leaving from swinging bridge.

4/20 – We had another thunderstorm about 4 this morning but it went through in about 30 minutes. Left the campground about 9:30 and headed back on the Trace this morning heading south again but only for a few miles before we headed up 25 to Tishomingo and then left to stay at the Piney Grove COE campground and recreational area on the Tennessee-Tombigbee waterways. A number of recreational areas with campgrounds in this area because of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Dam and waterways. The COE administers the waterway and visitor center here. This waterway makes 459 miles navigable between the Gulf of Mexico and the Tennessee River. Quite a complex! We biked, hiked and did our laundry here ($1.00 what a deal). About 40 campers here now but most sites are reserved for the upcoming Easter Weekend.
Piney Grove COE, Tennessee-Tombigbee, MS (New Site) 144 sites – our site 108 and almost underwater at this time of year. $ 10 with Golden Age
This is a very nice campground with over half the sites right on the lake. Each site has a table, grill, fire ring, lantern post, water and electric hookups. It is off the Trace down some back roads. Great campground for relaxing, boating, fishing, swimming, hike, biking, playing basketball and volleyball. We only stayed at this campground for one night as we are moving on but definitely would stay longer. If you plan on camping here on a weekend you should get reservations because most of the good sites are reserved for weekends and holidays. There are a number of campsites good for a large camper and a few pull-throughs. At this time of year with the water level so high a few of the sites are closed. We were right on the lake and the water almost reached our fire pit but the majority of the sites were high and dry.