OUTLOOK: Visitors to Vicksburg share excitement for Post-COVID travel

Published 4:00 am Sunday, March 27, 2022

Tourism is vital to Vicksburg, and now that COVID restrictions have been lifted, the River City is on its way back to where it was before the pandemic.

People from around the country, and the world, are coming by car and boat to see all Vicksburg has to offer, and they are glad to be here.

“We are so happy to be back out. You have a beautiful town,” Pennsylvania resident Sharon Bell said, in reference to the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020 and early 2021.

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Bell and her husband, Jack, were on their way into the Biedenharn Coca-Cola Museum after arriving in town via the American Queen riverboat.

Steve and Jean Volz were taking in the Vicksburg Riverfront Murals on Thursday.

The couple is from Wisconsin and traveled to Vicksburg in their RV. Steve said they had been on the road for two weeks vising friends and family in Texas, and were “incrementally” working their way back home.

While, COVID had not affected their travels in their home state, since they camped, Jean said it was nice that things were opened back up.

“It has been nice to go to the museums and the different parks and not have to worry about COVID,” Jean said.

Fred and Carol Bray hail from Mason, Tenn., and it was their second time to visit Vicksburg.

“On our first visit, we had been in New Orleans and had stopped by (Vicksburg) for just a day and had planned to come back, but with COVID and everything,” Fred said, they could not come back until now.

“We love the history behind Vicksburg, and we enjoy finding new places to eat,” he said.

“We just got through eating at Solly’s and it was awesome,” Fred said.

Heather Olivarez, who was traveling with her husband Bucky, lives in Houston, Texas, and she said she was excited people were traveling again.

Heather is a travel agent for Hummingbird Global Getaways.

This was the couple’s first time to visit Vicksburg, and both made comments on the beauty of the town.

“A lot of people take domestic travel for granted and don’t realize everything in our backyard,” Bucky said. “With the COVID, it’s kind of opened everybody back up to say, ‘Hey, do you really need to leave your country to consider yourselves traveling?’”

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

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