Natchez will welcome guests to town today with the start of the annual Fall Pilgrimage. The Pilgrimage, which offers tours of 18 antebellum houses and two shows, will last from Oct. 11 to 28.

Faye Richardson, operations manager of Natchez Pilgrimage Tours, said she wants to welcome tourists to Natchez.

&uot;We’re glad to have them and we certainly hope they love everything Natchez has to offer,&uot; she said. &uot;We’ll do our best to make sure they have a wonderful time.&uot;

Richardson said the community is so thankful for its guests and wants to greet them in Southern style.

&uot;Hospitality is one of the things people look forward to when they come to the South,&uot; she said.

Natchez has hosted a Fall Pilgrimage since 1977 and the 2000 Natchez Fall Pilgrimage has been selected as one of the top 20 events in the Southeast USA for October by the Southeast Tourism Society. The annual event is coordinated by Natchez&160;Pilgrimage Tours at the Canal Street Depot.

This year, tourism officials say they have had an increase in ticket sales.

&uot;Advance booking reports show an increase in group bookings compared to the 1999 Fall Pilgrimage,&uot; Richardson said. &uot;This is very positive news for Natchez, since tourism dollars benefit our entire community.&uot;

Requests for information from Natchez Pilgrimage Tours also indicate a good season, she said.

Included in the 18 houses on tour, guests will also be able to visit three homes not usually open for tours.

Ravenna is only open for tours during the fall, Richardson said.

And Richardson said two other houses,&160;Airlie on Elm Street and Glenfield on Providence Road, have not been on tour in years — since she came to work for Natchez Pilgrimage Tours in 1987.

Airlie, which dates to Natchez’s spanish period of 1790, is probably the oldest house on tour this fall, she said.

Glenfield has not been on tour since the early 1950s, said its owner, Lester Meng.

&uot;My wife (Marjorie) is excited about being back on the tour,&uot; he said.

Catherine Morgan of Ravenna said the fall tour is nice because crowds are smaller, and tour guides can spend more time with the guests answering question.

Like many local homeowners, Morgan spent Tuesday cleaning her house preparing for today’s afternoon tour.

&uot;There’s always something to do on these old houses,&uot; said Morgan.

Ravenna is not open for tours during Spring Pilgrimage because its location is not large enough to handle the extra vehicles, she said.

Tickets are sold only at Natchez Pilgrimage Tours, at the corner of Canal and States streets. Natchez residents who have paying guests will receive complimentary house tour tickets.

Guests can also attend two shows this fall. &uot;Amos Polk’s Voices of Hope Spiritual Singers&uot; every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday during pilgrimage. The performance includes a plantation-style dinner at the Carriage House Restaurant, on the corner of High and Pearl streets.

Dinner is at 6:45 p.m. and the performance begins at 8 p.m.

Guests can also attend the &uot;Mississippi Medicine Show,&uot; every Monday, Wednesday,&160;Friday and Saturday at 8:30 a.m. at the Natchez Little Theater, at 319 Linton Ave.

For more information contact, Natchez Pilgrimage Tours at 446-6631.

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