AFRICAN- AMERICAN HERITAGE IN NATCHEZ

The history runs deep here—if you know where to look.

Natchez, Mississippi is often remembered for its grand mansions and riverfront views—but that’s only part of the story. Beneath the balconies and beyond the postcards lies a powerful truth: African Americans helped build this city—physically, spiritually, and culturally, and their stories deserve to be told with the fullness and dignity they deserve.

At Open Arms Tours, we focus on the complete story. From the painful legacy of the Forks of the Road slave market to the triumph of Black entrepreneurship, spiritual leadership, and civil rights organizing, our tours are grounded in real people, real places, and real history.

COME SEE WHAT HISTORY REALLY LOOKS LIKE

THE LEGACY LIVES HERE

Our city is layered with legacy. Enslaved Africans built its wealth and foundation. Free people of color contributed to its fame. The black community fought, worked, worshipped, and lived right here—often without recognition.

Our tours walk guests through:

St. Catherine Street, once a bustling corridor of Black business and progress
Silver Street, Under-the-Hill, where ships docked and human lives were bought and sold — where Black men later worked the river and built lives
The Forks of the Road, one of the largest slave markets in the Deep South
Historic churches and schools, where resistance took root through education, civil rights and faith
The William Johnson House, a window into the life of a free Black entrepreneur in the antebellum South
And dozens more sites where Black Natchezians lived, thrived, and made history

Our city is layered with legacy. Enslaved Africans built its foundation. Free people of color contributed to its rise. Black communities fought, worked, worshipped, and led right here—often without recognition.

Our tours walk guests through:

St. Catherine Street, once a bustling corridor of Black business and progress
Silver Street and Under-the-Hill, where ships docked and human lives were bought—but where later, Black men worked the river and built lives
The Forks of the Road, one of the largest slave markets in the Deep South
Historic churches and schools, where resistance took root through education and faith
The William Johnson House, a window into the life of a free Black entrepreneur in the antebellum South
And dozens more sites where Black Natchez lived, thrived, and made history

Our tours walk guests through:

St. Catherine Street, once a bustling corridor of Black business and progress
Silver Street and Under-the-Hill, where ships docked and human lives were bought—but where later, Black men worked the river and built lives
The Forks of the Road, one of the largest slave markets in the Deep South
Historic churches and schools, where resistance took root through education and faith
The William Johnson House, a window into the life of a free Black entrepreneur in the antebellum South
And dozens more sites where Black Natchez lived, thrived, and made history

WHY OUR LENS MATTERS

Because we’re not just telling the story—we’re part of it.

What makes Open Arms Tours truly unique isn’t just the history we share—it’s how we share it. Our guides aren’t outsiders reading from a script. They’re members of this community—born, raised, and rooted in Natchez.

Our guides have walked these streets, worshipped in these churches, and heard these stories passed down from generation to generation. That lived experience gives our tours a level of authenticity, depth, and connection you simply won’t find in a textbook or brochure.

We don’t just lead tours—we carry legacy.
We speak from a place of personal truth and cultural memory, honoring both the beauty and the burden of the past.

When you walk with us, you’re not getting a history lesson. You’re getting a local perspective, a sacred invitation, and a lens shaped by time, truth, and community.