NATCHEZ &8212; Signs are hung and porches painted in preparation for the 2006 Spring Pilgrimage, opening today at 9 a.m.

At Elgin, Ruth Ellen Calhoun and her husband, Dr. William Calhoun, have put fresh paint on porch furniture and put the yard in shape as part of their preparations.

Elgin is one of the seven houses that will open today. In all, 27 houses, representing many styles of pre-Civil War Natchez architecture, will be open during the season, which continues through April 14.

&8220;We&8217;re also trying to change our spiel a little,&8221; Ruth Ellen Calhoun said. &8220;We&8217;re bringing more of the history of the house into it.&8221;

Predictions of fewer tourists than usual for the Pilgrimage may come true, said Dr. Jim Coy, manager of Natchez Pilgrimage Tours. Group tours have been affected by the loss of New Orleans as a tourism destination.

&8220;But I&8217;ve never seen people more positive,&8221; he said. &8220;This will be a beautiful year for people to come to Natchez, and we&8217;re looking for lots of individuals to come.&8221;

Coy has been appearing in television and speaking on the radio during the past week. &8220;And we&8217;re still working on the Web ticket sales, streamlining it to make it user friendly.&8221;

Calhoun said she is optimistic about the season. &8220;I think we&8217;ll have an interesting group if not an exceptionally large group this year.&8221;

Tickets are available at the Natchez Visitor Reception Center, 640 S. Canal St. Tours are divided into morning and afternoon and feature three to four houses each.

Four-house tours are $28 per person; three-house tours, $21 per person.

Longwood, perhaps the most often visited house in Natchez, will be open daily on the morning tours.

Today also is the opening of the Historic Natchez Pageant, a series of tableaux depicting scenes from Natchez history. The pageant is held at Natchez City Auditorium, corner of Jefferson and Canal streets. Admission is $15 per person.

Other special entertainment during the Pilgrimage season is &8220;Southern Exposure,&8221; a spoof on Natchez and the Pilgrimage, which opens Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Natchez Little Theatre playhouse, 319 Linton Ave. Tickets are $15.

&8220;Southern Road to Freedom,&8221; a musical with narration depicting the struggle and victory of the African-American experience in Natchez, also will open at 8 p.m. Saturday.

Tickets are $15 for &8220;Southern Road,&8221; performed by the Holy Family Catholic Church Gospel Choir at First Presbyterian Church, corner of Pearl and State streets.

Coy said tour house owners are ready for the visitors. &8220;And I&8217;m positive. I&8217;ve said to them, &8216;let&8217;s do what we do best and put on our Southern hospitality.&8217;&8221;