Spring Pilgrimage begins Saturday in Natchez, Miss....

Spring Pilgrimage begins Saturday in Natchez, Miss. A great show. Ladies in hoop skirts. Gentlemen in planter suits. Doors to dozens of pre-Civil War mansions swing open during the annual monthlong observance. As the oldest town along the Mississippi River, Natchez once boasted more millionaires than any town in America. Plantations spanned thousands of acres. Cotton was king. Natchez’s opulent lifestyle ended with the South’s crushing defeat. Hundreds of antebellum homes stood abandoned. Lace curtains rotted at the windows. Shutters rattled in the wind. A one-time center of culture, Natchez slumbered.

During the war, when Union forces occupied Natchez, Gen. Grant ordered his troops to spare the homes. Now Natchez preaches that “it is here that the Old South still lives.” Several years ago, I arrived aboard an old paddle-wheeler. It was a trip back in time.

Massive columns support such grand old antebellums as Rosalie, The Elms, The Briars, Cherokee, Elms Court, Elgin, Fair Oaks, Gloucester, Dunleith, D’Evereaux, Auburn, Longwood and others. The latter, the largest octagonal house in America, remains unfinished. Workmen’s tools lie scattered in the attic. Wheelbarrows are laced with spider webs. Dust gathers in the ghostly old home.

Like Spanish moss dripping from some gnarled old oak, history hangs heavy in Natchez. The antebellums provided shelter to such legendary figures as Henry Clay, Lafayette, Jenny Lind, Samuel Clemens and Stephen Foster. Andrew Jackson wed his beloved Rachel at Springfield. Jefferson Davis took his bride at The Briars. Elsewhere, bed and breakfast is provided in other mansions. Mint juleps, warm cider, Southern fried chicken, catfish, sausage, red beans, rice and gumbo. Carriages rattle through the streets. The voice of an all-black choir is heard at the Holy Family Catholic Church, and the history of Natchez is repeated nightly at the Confederate Pageant.

Spring Pilgrimage continues through April 5. In the fall, the spectacle is repeated (Oct. 3-23). For details:

Natchez Pilgrimage Tours and the Pilgrimage Garden Club, P.O. Box 347, Natchez, Miss. 39121, (800) 647-6742.

Natchez Garden Club, P.O. Box 537, Natchez, Miss. 39121, (601) 442-6672.

Europe Catalogue: Rail Europe’s new 40-page catalogue outlines train, rental car and hotel programs in 23 European countries. A total of 17 plans for vacationers. Ride the train exclusively or choose a rail/drive package. Participating countries include Austria, Britain, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Scandinavia, plus others. (Purchase passes before leaving the United States.) In France, air travel is offered with train/auto trips. A five-day pass (for use during a 17-day period) sells for as little as $103 for the Benelux countries (Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg). Rail Europe’s brand-new “Flexhotel” program provides discounted hotel vouchers good for accommodations at 430 Best Western hotels.

Copies of the catalogue from Rail Europe, Box 10383, Stamford, Conn. 06904.

Remembering France: A note from John Habecker of Cucamonga: “A few years ago you wrote of Castang, a guest farm in the Dordogne area of France operated by Daphne and Maurice Gorse. A young couple, Cathy and Keith Parker, are the new managers. My wife and I spent a beautiful week there as a result of your article. Several friends have gone on our recommendation. Also, we have recommended it to travelers we have met on trips. All have reported their pleasure and satisfaction. Rates for rooms or apartments (with bath) include breakfast, a cocktail hour and five-course dinner. We paid approximately $1,000 for the week for two.”

Castang overlooks the Dordogne Valley. Nine guest rooms with baths in a farmhouse. Visits to historic chateaux, caves. Season: April 13 to Nov. 3. Write to Castang, Le Coux et Bigaroque, 24220 St. Cyprien, Dordogne, France.

Maps/Guides: Trails Illustrated of Evergreen, Colo., produces dozens of maps/guides. Stocks national park maps, Colorado/Utah recreational area maps. National park listings take in the Great Smoky Mountains, Shenandoah, Acadia, Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Yellowstone, the Rocky Mountains, Zion, Glacier, Grand Teton, Mt. Rainier, Denali, Joshua Tree, Canyonlands, Sequoia. Scores of others. The maps (updated regularly) are waterproof and offer hiking/trip-planning guidance, information on wildlife, history, geology, archeology. Popular with hikers, skiers, bicyclists, backpackers. Sold in more than 1,200 retail outlets in the United States, Europe, Japan. Copies also on sale at National Park Visitor Centers and from Trails Illustrated, P.O. Box 3610, Evergreen, Colo. 80439, (800) 962-1643. Prices: $5-$8.

Wunderbar : If you’re planning to visit Germany, the country’s WunderCheck is ideal for the traveler on a fixed budget. Good at guest houses and tourist hotels. Here’s how it works: Buy vouchers to cover the number of nights you plan to be in Germany, then have your travel agent book the first night. After that, make your own reservations as your trip progresses, calling ahead each day to the next hotel. Other vouchers called DanubeChecks can be used at hotels and guest houses along the Danube River into Austria and Hungary. The WunderHotel program was launched 10 years ago. Travelers give it high marks. A total of 130 participating hotels in Germany. Vouchers cost $54 per person, double occupancy. (If you’re an adventurer, try winging it--motoring through Europe and choosing guest houses as you go. A bit chancy in the high season, but you’ll discover some remarkable bargains.)

Other details from the German National Tourist Office, 444 S. Flower St., Suite 2230, Los Angeles 90071, (213) 688-7332.

Student Travel: Students/adults will be studying abroad this summer under a program offered in England, France, Spain, Germany, the former Soviet Union, Mexico, China. Classes in business, communications, history, fine arts, politics, the performing arts, French, Spanish, design, the humanities. One program takes students to London, Brussels, Bonn, Strasbourg, Lucerne, Zurich and Paris for four weeks. A second four-week stint features London, Brussels, Berlin, Prague, Paris, Budapest, Vienna.

Free 1992-93 catalogues from AIFS College Division, Dept. P-10, 102 Greenwich Ave., Greenwich, Conn. 08630, (800) 727-2437.

Potpourri: Copies of the 1992 edition of the Dude Rancher Directory/Magazine are available for $3 from The Dude Ranchers’ Assn., P.O. Box G471, Laporte, Colo. 80535. Lists ranches in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Wyoming. . . .Converted dairies, coach houses/farmhouses, thatched-roof cottages in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds, the Berkshire Downs, the Chilterns of England are being booked by Allene Rose of Cottages in the Country, 14030 Roblar Road, Sherman Oaks 91423. . . .Blossom time in Kingsburg, Calif. (between Visalia and Fresno), is being observed by the Swedish Inn, 401 Conejo, Kingsburg 93631, with a $79 package for two persons that includes accommodations, breakfast, a smorgasbord lunch or dinner, taxes/gratuities.

Reader Recommendations

Washington--John Mifflin, Manhattan Beach: “Hillside House, Friday Harbor, San Juan Islands. A delightful B&B.; Great host family. Walking distance to town center and ferry. Rates: $75/$125, with full country breakfast.”

Massachusetts--Pam Lechtman, Thousand Oaks: “After paying $200-plus for a hotel room in Boston ($17 a day to park my rental car), I discovered The Newbury Guest House, 261 Newbury St., Boston 02116, with comfy rooms starting at $70 nightly, including continental buffet breakfast. Parking is $10 extra.”

England--Chris and Brett Smithers, Ojai: “Warm hospitality in a charming, 400-year-old farmhouse B&B; close to Ludlow and Shrewsbury. The Glebe Farm, Diddlebury, Craven Arms, Shropshire. Rates: about $95 for a comfortable double room.”

We regret that only a select few recommendations can be used. They must be brief (typewritten or printed). Only one recommendation per reader, please. Note: Recommendations will not be used unless prices and addresses are included.