Vicksburg has been voted the top spot in three categories in this year’s AAA Southern Traveler Best of the South poll.

The River City received first place in Best Day Tour from Jackson, Best Civil War Battlefield for the Vicksburg National Military Park and Best Heritage Trail for the Mississippi Blues Trail, which has five markers in the city.

“We’re as pleased as can be,” said Bill Seratt, executive director of the Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau. “These three designations in one market are a treasure to us.”

Southern Traveler is a magazine sponsored by AAA, and readers voted for their favorite places to eat, visit and stay in the South. The results were published in the July/August edition of the magazine, which is circulated through Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas. This is the third year of the poll.

“I think our employees out here are very respectful and try to be as helpful as possible,” said Rick Martin, chief of operations at the Vicksburg National Military Park. “I think everyone in Vicksburg is working to give these visitors to the city a good experience, if they don’t have a good experience in the community they won’t have a good experience in the park.”

Martin said park employees do whatever they can to ensure their visitors leave with fond memories of their time in Vicksburg.

“You make sure to greet people,” Martin said. “Making that initial contact sets the tone for everybody, and we always try to do that.”

The park took second place in 2010, the first year of the American Automobile Association’s poll, for Best Heritage Attraction.

The Mississippi Blues Trail, which has more than 150 markers in Mississippi and 10 outside the state, took the top honor for Best Heritage Trail in the South.

“This is a great honor,” said Shirley Waring, a member of the Vicksburg Blues Society. “It’s indicative of the activity that’s going on here. It’s important that we give these visitors a wonderful experience and share our story with them.”

The five markers in Vicksburg honor legendary blues artist and Warren County native Willie Dixon, U.S. 61 South, Marcus Bottom, the Red Tops and the Blue Room, a nightclub that played host to such artists as Ray Charles and B.B. King.

“Blues is an important part of our legacy in Vicksburg,” Waring said. “We’re working to keep developing more cultural heritage opportunities for people here.”

Martin said he felt the high rankings were deserved.

“I’m not surprised at all that we’re rated number one,” Martin said. “The Southern hospitality and respect here is exactly what did it. Vicksburg does a very good job with that.”

Seratt said he also gets positive feedback from visitors coming through the city.

“In our research, people are overwhelmingly pleased with what they found in Vicksburg,” Seratt said. “It makes our day every time someone tells us how hospitable people were.”

Coming in second for Best Day Tour from Jackson was the Natchez Trace; the battlefield at Corinth/Shiloh was next for Best Civil War Battlefield; and the Trail of Tears in Arkansas was No. 2 for Best Heritage Trail.