• What to know if you go

Natchez, Miss. — Nestled among other lovely homes in this Old South city is Monmouth Plantation, a perfect place for romance.

Elisabeth A. Doehring/Special (ENLARGE)
Monmouth Plantation, on a 26-acre estate, has 30 rooms and suites, as well as gardens, a croquet lawn and nature trail.
Elisabeth A. Doehring/Special (ENLARGE)
At Monmouth, Mary Green Bell Taylor oversees the kitchen and serves up her trademark grits. In the evening, bartender Roosevelt Owens serves up mint juleps and Southern charm.
Elisabeth A. Doehring/Special (ENLARGE)
The lobby of Monmouth Plantation signals elegance and graciousness.
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The original home was built in 1818 and later settled by General John Quitman, hero of the Mexican-American War who became a Mississippi governor and United States senator.

Two young southern California lovebirds, Lani and Ronnie Riches, visited the home in early 1977. Clad in bellbottoms and moccasins, they fell in love on sight with Monmouth. In that same year on Valentine's Day, the Riches purchased the antebellum home. What they first envisioned those 29 years ago is today Monmouth Plantation.

Historic awards

Historic awards pour in for Monmouth year in and year out. In 1979 it was added to the prestigious National Pilgrimage Corporation; then in 1988 it was designated a National Historic Landmark. It's been recommended by Condé Nast and Travel+Leisure magazines, Gourmet Magazine, Zagat Survey and Architectural Digest, among other publications.

The magnificent Greek revival estate is situated on 26 landscaped acres. The fragrance of roses and draped wisteria beckon to the senses.

Mornings at Monmouth are a full Southern feast. Guests sip coffee and eat homemade foods in the centuries-old bricked modern dining area, known today as the Marguerite Guercio Breakfast Room.

Miss Mary runs the kitchen

Pure and simple, Mary Green Bell Taylor oversees the kitchen. A sixth-generation Mississippian, Miss Mary's parents were sharecroppers in nearby Fayette. Everything that touches the plates at Monmouth is first inspected by Mary's careful eye and hands. Silky smooth grits are her trademark.

"I use a wire beater to mix my grits. Keeps 'em creamy," explains Taylor. The twenty-year kitchen director is a perfectionist. She sifts her flour 12 times to make the fluffiest breads and breakfast desserts in the Magnolia State.

Taylor's demeanor with her guests is contagious. When not running the kitchen, "I am running my mouth with the guests," she says with a smile.

This special Monmouth warmth extends to the front reception desk, bellmen, groundskeepers, evening dining room servers, housekeeping, and the entire management staff.

Sipping bourbon

Evenings are pure Southern charm. Guests share complimentary hors d'oeuvres and sip Roosevelt Owens' bourbon whiskey mint juleps. The first sip to the last taste is pure heaven. Owens grows his own spearmint right on the grounds.

Owens' mint juleps are smooth and outdistance any that I have been served at Churchill Downs or at Keeneland's famed Bluegrass Stakes. No visit to Monmouth is complete without meeting up with and conversing with this effervescent bartender and ambassador of the Old and New South.

Dinners at Monmouth dazzle under Baccarat crystal chandeliers. Five-course meals are served in the main mansion. Chef Lanny Brasher's specialty dishes include fresh grilled Louisiana redfish topped with lump crabmeat and lemon buerre blanc and filet mignon accented by mushrooms and marchand di vin.

Brasher incorporates fresh herbs from Monmouth's garden in many of his epicurean offerings. Wine lists are a compilation of French and California vintages.

Antebellum luxury

Every modern creature comfort is provided in the elegantly-appointed 30 rooms and suites. Many of the rooms feature fireplaces and Jacuzzi tubs. Each room is furnished with early 1800s antiques hand-selected by owner Lani Riches and her friend and New Orleans antiques dealer and interior designer, Buzz Harper. Lush window treatments, the creation of local Natchez designer Barbara Holland, give each room and suite an added ambiance.

Other amenities on the plantation include complimentary breakfast, daily morning tour of the grounds, a croquet lawn, and a nature trail.

Proposals of marriage are made among the gardens. Storybook weddings for two or receptions of several hundred are held on the premises several times a month.

Walking the grounds, you'll spot couples holding hands or lazing away in a hammock by the pond. Couples often return for anniversaries or family celebrations, and Monmouth is also a favorite spot for marriage retreats.

Mollie and Larry Gregory of Jackson, Miss., married on the grounds at Monmouth in 2003. I met them over breakfast during their fifth trip back.

Mollie, a Natchez native, said they chose Monmouth for their wedding site because it is "intimate and simple, but elegant. We intentionally kept our wedding party small and everyone stayed at Monmouth." Her husband, Larry added, "We would have had it no other way."

Dignitaries, heads of state, Hollywood directors and producers, as well as Academy Award-winning actors have stayed at Monmouth. Feature films, such as the civil rights epic "Ghosts of Mississippi" have been filmed on the grounds.

Yet, to hear Lani Riches talk of her guests, you would hear a different story. "It's the couple who scrimps and saves for two years to come here that really touches me. These people are more important to me than anyone else. We want Monmouth to be a beautiful experience for these special people."

IF YOU GO

Driving: Natchez is about 500 miles from Atlanta, about an eight-hour drive. Take I-20 West and merge onto I-459 South toward Tuscaloosa/Montgomery; then merge onto I-20 West toward Tuscaloosa. Merge onto I-55 South and exit on exit 44; then take US 84 exit which is exit 38 toward Brookhaven/Natchez. Merge onto US-84 West toward Natchez/Meadville.

Flying: Natchez is less than a two-hour drive from Baton Rouge, La. Expect to pay about about $200 round trip to Baton Rouge.

About Monmouth

Monmouth Plantation, 36 Melrose Ave., Natchez, MS 39120. Room rates: $165-$385 plus tax per night. Springtime Pilgrimage Package: $215 per night (requires two-night stay) includes: full breakfast, Monmouth guided tour, welcome bottle of wine and fresh flowers. 1-800-828-4531 or 601-442-5852; www.monmouthplantation.com

— Elisabeth A. Doehring is a freelance travel writer based in Satsuma, Ala.