Courtesy Mississippi Development Authority
New at Monmouth
Monmouth, named for Monmouth County, N.J., has 30 rooms, some in its main house, built in 1818, others in replicas of dependencies that would have been a part of the estate.
For 30 years, Monmouth has earned AAA’s Four Diamond award and greeted famous guests, among them Bill and Hillary Clinton, Alec Baldwin, Michael Eisner and Connie Chung. The property is also a National Historic Landmark.
Early this year, the California couple who brought the property back from near ruin 35 years ago sold it to Warren and Nancy Reuther, part owners of the Grand. Long in the hospitality business in New Orleans, the Reuthers became hooked on Natchez after they sought refuge there following Hurricane Katrina.
Since the Reuthers bought Monmouth, Nancy has been overseeing a number of projects, from cleaning up overgrown gardens on the 26-acre property to refinishing floors, redoing bathrooms and restoring furnishings.
Meetings and retreats typically convene in the Garden Room, so named because of its views. As a postmeeting treat, guests can gather around the bar for a lesson in making mint juleps from longtime staffer Roosevelt Owens, who was named a Kentucky Colonel because of his knack for making the Kentucky Derby’s signature drink.
Nancy Reuther is among the newcomers who’ve been charmed by Natchez. “It’s a pretty place, not stuffy, very Southern.”
One reason people are taken with Natchez, Miller believes, is the town’s open-mindedness.
“It is a tolerant town where idiosyncrasies are cherished,” she said.
Natchez also appeals to a youthful audience that includes Emily Edwards, who moved to Natchez recently and is a group coordinator for Natchez Pilgrimage Tours.
“It has an Old World elegance, but it is also very open-minded and laid-back at the same time,” she said. “It is amazing how they have kept their traditions while moving forward.”
www.visitnatchez.org
