If you have time to sample only one meal in Vicksburg, make it Walnut Hills Restaurant, 1214 Adams St. (tel. 601/638-4910; www.walnuthillsms.net). It looks like any other common, turn-of-the-20th-century house on the street of this residential neighborhood -- except for the long lines of families that curl across the wide front porch. Walnut Hills is a longtime local institution that serves sensational Southern cooking family style. Fried chicken, shrimp, casseroles, green beans, mashed potatoes, and plenty of corn bread and sweet iced tea are always on tap. Main courses cost $10 to $20. Closed Saturday. The city's best locally owned seafood restaurant is Rowdy's Family Catfish Shack, at the intersection of highways 27 and 80, I-20 exit 5B (tel. 601/638-2375). Order the platter, with coleslaw, fries, and hush puppies. Main courses cost $6 to $16. Another beloved eatery is Goldie's Trail Bar-B-Que, 4127 S. Washington St. (tel. 601/636-9839), an informal place for pork and beef ribs, chicken, and all the trimmings. Main courses cost $5 to $15. Closed Sunday.

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