Dinner and Jazz - Cruise the Mississippi River on the Natchez

This is a nice evening dinner, a little pricey, but a nice evening out with friends aboard the old paddle boat (the only game in town.)  The tickets are $67 per person, but look through the local magazines such as "Where" for coupons for $3-$5 off.  The price includes salad bar, buffet, and coffee/tea/soda.  Wine and drinks are extra.  We reserved the tickets through the hotel with an $11 deposit per person (which I think is the commisssion). We met at the dock and purchased the tickets. One member of our group could not attend (she had tripped on a pot hole on the street, scraped her knees, hit her head on a pole and now has a black eye, but that is another story) so we had all of the high finance with the refund for the deposit. The refund needs to be worked through the hotel person who took the reservation but this was not an issue and went quite smoothly.  I don't know if that happens with every hotel, but the staff at Place D'Armes has been super.

We were at the dock early enough to enjoy the Calliope show. Here is a little sample.

The meal was all buffet style, and you could have as much as you wanted although one trip through the line satisfied all of us.  After the meal, we could tour the steamer or just sit out on the deck and watch the river go by.  The Engine room was open and it was very interesting to visit and watch how it all works.  We went outside to enjoy the river view and, although it was a little chilly, we wrapped the scarves and pulled the coats closed and enjoyed the jazz band music.  The bank performed in the dining hall but the music was played throughout the steamer.

Canvas Print of the Natchez by Artist Alicia Morales