On the road again: a group of Vicksburg women spends weekends traveling in search of beauty and history in their home state.

Like many happy occurrences, the "Travel Club" was a case of serendipity. Five years ago, six Vicksburg women visited a mutual friend on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. They knew each other slightly but had not been close friends. During their long weekend on the coast, the women had a wonderful time poring over guidebooks to find places they had missed on previous trips and seeking them out.

They were so congenial that one of them suggested they visit other parts of Mississippi together.

"We agreed that it was a shame that we had not visited many areas of our state," says Jane Bodron Buckner, "so we set out to correct that." Now they average a trip every three months.

In order to coordinate their trips, the six ladies were each given a function. Lee Waring was made the official chauffeur, and Bette Graham became restaurant selector. Anita Collins was named photographer, while Susan Chiarito, the only doctor in the club, took the job of resident physician. Connie Hinman was selected as movie critic and supplier of videos to watch in their hotel rooms, and Jane Bodron Buckner accepted the role of site selector. They even had baseball caps printed with "The Travel Club" on them (although, the members confess, they seldom wear them).

After researching several guidebooks, Jane selected Written in the Bricks by Mary Carol Miller with photographs by Mary Rose Carter (Quail Ridge Press, www.quailridge.com) as the most informative resource for the group's travels.

"This book goes into detail about so many interesting sites in Mississippi," says Jane. "It has been invaluable."

But these journeys haven't always gone strictly by the book, members say.

"Some of the most enjoyable trips have been to places where friends entertained us and showed us their towns like a native would," Jane continues. "Joyce Walker and her daughter did a magnificent tour of Holly Springs. We saw a pre-Civil War cemetery that was filled with beautiful statues and the antebellum Presbyterian Church which the Union Army used as a stable."

Another memorable trip with knowledgeable friends was to Belzoni, where members of the Mohamed family took the group to "Mama's Dream World," the Ethyl Wright Mohamed Stitchery Museum. Afterward, the club toured the Delta, with lunch at Indianola's Antique Mall and Crown Restaurant and dinner at K.C.'s in Cleveland.

Throughout all the trips, each Travel Club member follows her designated function. Dr. Chiarito awakens the members early for their daily walk and reminds them to eat healthy foods at mealtime. Hinman brings entertaining tapes to watch after dinner, and Collins snaps pictures of their activities, which later appear in scrapbooks. Waring keeps her eyes on the road, while Bodron Buckner reads descriptions of various attractions from her guidebook and relates the history of each town.

As restaurant selector, Graham has a hard job because this group loves good food.

"We never miss a good place to eat," says Jane. "We once spent three hours going fifteen miles because of seafood, homemade ice cream, and hamburger joints along the way."

Most trips are planned at one of the yearly birthday luncheons for each member, where they frequently open the conversation with "Do you remember?" and end with a new destination.

"Someone might suggest Columbus because she went to school there," says Jane. "The next thing we know, we are visiting Friendship Cemetery, where Columbus matrons started America's Memorial Day tradition by decorating the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers in 1866. After visiting the old Lowndes County Courthouse, we tour some of Columbus' antebellum homes."

Standout favorite jaunts of the club have included seeing Mardi Gras boats on the Singing River near Pascagoula, exploring Oxford while reading Faulkner and speaking to his statue on the courthouse square, and visiting beautiful homes and the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art in Laurel.

Scrapbooks bulge with memories of fun-filled trips: watching the St. Patrick's Day Parade from the front porch of the Governor's Mansion in Jackson, touring beautiful Waverley Mansion in West Point and having lunch at Old Waverly Golf Club, and driving to Greenwood for a full day taking in the impressive Viking operation, dining at Lusco's, and relaxing in luxurious feather beds at the Alluvian Hotel to watch a movie.

All of the members agree that traveling is fun, but the best thing about their Travel Club is the bonding among members.

As Jane says, "We have spent so much time together that we know each other's joys and sorrows. We talk non-stop and laugh a lot on the way to see the various attractions."

After all, the members attest, the Travel Club is about more than sightseeing. It is an opportunity to foster friendships that last long after the trips are over. When they see each other in Vicksburg, they like to relive each moment.

As for future trips, the club is flexible and always looking for destinations. Meridian, Hattiesburg, Carrollton, and Tupelo beckon.

"There is so much to do, so much to see and, best of all, each other to enjoy," says Jane.