Longwood — Attraction in Natchez

This is a fantastic example of history suspended in time in the Natchez area. I went with my school group and the construction, even unfinished, was incredible. I write this review however, not to laud the spectacle of the building, which can be read in other reviews, but of how I was treated by an employee in the gift shop.

We had concluded our tour and my friends and I were looking at items in the gift shop. I noticed one of the employees, an older woman with glasses and long white hair in a ponytail, staring at me with a frown and a stern look from behind the counter. I was not holding any item, so it was unlikely she thought I was stealing. I continued browsing, and I noticed her glaring at me a couple more times when she saw me. I found a map poster I liked, and when I went to pay, the gentleman behind the counter who checked me out was very friendly. However, behind him, the woman stared at me outright with what I can describe, looking back, as distaste, almost sneering at me. I was so confused leaving the shop, but realized in the car ride back to our house that I was wearing blue and black plaid jacket over a shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes (typical site-work attire, as we were working at another house in Natchez), and that she might have thought I was presenting as gay. I cannot think of another reason why she would have glared at me so. I did nothing offensive to her or in front of her, and I made a sizeable purchase. I have reflected upon this experience a lot in the past nine months since it happened, and have given her the benefit of the doubt in the interim. However, especially given the ambient political climate in the nation currently and social sentiments in rural Mississippi and the broader South, it could be that my suppositions were correct, and so I write this review.

My experience with the employees/volunteers at Longwood was otherwise excellent. Nevertheless, I invite the people working there to do some soul-searching together about stereotyping visitors and customers at a glance. Regardless of my interpretation, I /was/ seethed at, and that is not a hunch. These houses need positive attention to attract visitors. There is no excuse for hate, in disdain, disapproval, or...

The property, and the history behind it, is fascinating. However, the tickests are not cheap ($25 each) and our guide was rude. She failed to show us "southern hospitality". Her attitude to us was very disappointing; she saw us nothing more than being a bother to her. We visited with two international guests. They are non-English speakers (they speak Russian) and this is their first trip to the USA. We told our guide, when we purchased our $25 tickets, that we'd have to translate for our guests. She agreed and even gave us 2 copies of a 5 page description of the house in Russian. We were pleased. Two other ladies (native English speakers) joined our tour. My wife interpreted for one of our guests, I interpreted for the other. We were both trying to do this very quietly, so as to not bother the other 2 people in the tour. As soon as the tour started, the guide abruptly told me to stop interpreting so loudly, saying that it was bothering her. I dropped my voice and she immediately told me the same thing. It was clear she only wanted 1 person interpreting. We finished with just my wife doing the interpretation. Our guests missed a lot. But we still had the descriptions in Russian to refer to after the 20 minute tour. Or, so we thought. Immediately, upon finished the tour, the guide demanded the Russian descriptions back. She said that she was under orders from organization not to give those away. The guide's attitude and treatment was a disappointment. She was very inconsiderate. We won't be returning to this plantation with guests...

I am only giving 3 stars because we could not visit the basement where the family lived in this house. Longwood-or Nutt's Folly (and to see it is to know why it was called that)-started construction in 1860 but stopped in 1861 because of the Civil War. It was to be a very grand mansion with 6 floors and an unusual layout and design but it was never finished. It is shown as it was when the Pilgrimage Garden Club of Natchez took it over. The family, however, lived in the basement of the house for decades. However, due to (I believe it was) Hurricane Harvey, the basement was not part of the tour as it was undergoing renovations. The day was cold with wind whipping through the open space that we toured but our guide was a delight and gave us a really good idea of the place. I would say that unless you are an architect or like building design, to check to see if the basement is open yet before buying tickets and be sure to dress warmly if it's a cold day. You will essentially be doing a 1 hour tour as if you were outside. Nice gift shop and the grounds are beautiful. It's well worth a visit but I do feel the experience is not at all compete if not seeing...