NATCHEZ — The hoop skirts were on, the tea sets were polished and the dining room table was set.

From the outside, the scene at Rosalie on Thursday was much like any other tour at Rosalie. But there was an obvious difference once the hostesses opened their mouth.

The history was the same, but it sounded a little different because many of the tour guides during Thursday’s Pilgrimage tours were Daughters of the American Revolution regents from outside Mississippi and didn’t speak with the traditional Southern drawl.

The special day is part of Rosalie’s Pilgrimage history that Cindy Phillips, chairman of the Rosalie governing board, said has been around for about 30 years.

“This year we have 17 out-of-state guests. Last year, we had 14 so it is up a little bit,” Phillips said of the visiting hostesses, who that traveled from Texas, Wisconsin, Missouri and other states. “They are from all over. It definitely isn’t regional.”

The group of out-of-state hostesses were given an official tour of the house on Wednesday before receiving their room assignments and scripts.

Phillips said bringing in the visiting guides provides a different perspective that is a benefit to tourists.

“With this being their first time in the house, they bring an energy and excitement with them,” she said.

The excitement was being passed on to a steady line of tourists who filled the front porch of the mansion before being led inside for their tour to begin.

While Phillips said she didn’t know the exact number of tourists who had been through the house, she was pleased with the turn out.

“I think it was a good day,” she said “It feels good.”

Julie Stuhlmacher, the DAR state regent from Wisconsin, was busy ushering tourists through the lower hallway of Rosalie, pointing out the clock and chandelier. For Stuhlmacher, the trip to Natchez was her first to Mississippi.

“I don’t want to leave,” she said. “It feels like a dream.”

Stuhlmacher said her DAR chapter has a historical property, but she said it doesn’t compare to the grandeur of Rosalie.

“We have a small property — it is just a log cabin — I never expected this,” Stuhlmacher said. “I expected (the house) to need more work. I wasn’t sure how much restoration had been done, but this is amazing.”

Stuhlmacher said despite her attempts, she hasn’t mastered her Southern accent and is still trying to say “y’all.”

“People have asked me where I’m from,” she said.

“I’ve been trying to talk slower.”