The River Road--actually two roads, one on each side of the Mississippi River--is the product of more than three hundred years of documented history and culture. The centerpiece of the book is a mile-by-mile guided tour--upriver on the east bank and downriver along the west--that details the past of scores of overlooked venues. The River Road's allure goes far beyond its parade of antebellum mansions to reveal a wondrous past and present awaiting discovery with this book in hand.