Growing up in Vicksburg, I remember when my parents would load the family up in the car for a Sunday drive.

Do people do that anymore?

Anyway, on some of those outings, we would end up down by the city waterfront. The memories are vivid in my head because the jokester that my dad is — he would back the car down close to the edge of the water just to give mom a fright.

And she always had a fright, just like the time when the family was visiting Disneyland. We had stood in a long line waiting to board a ride, only for mom to find when we were loading up that it was a roller coaster — let’s just say mom had a small meltdown.

Sorry, I digress. Back to the waterfront.

As a child, my memories of visiting the waterfront are fond. So much so that, when I became a parent, I would often drive my little ones down to see the muddy Yazoo Diversion Canal and the boats going by.

As an adult, the city waterfront has served as a place of solace for me. There was just something serene about having a place to drive down to, sit and think.

Oh, and then there was that one time I drove down to the city waterfront and tossed a ring into the water. Now, don’t get all excited thinking you could find a treasure — it was not the one with the diamond on it.

Having a city waterfront is what sets Vicksburg apart from most communities. Not only is it a place for locals and visitors to enjoy, but it also serves as a port for fishermen, boaters and the river boats that bring tourists to our town.

And now thanks to the Downtown Vicksburg Main Street Program, the Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau and the city of Vicksburg, all those visitors coming ashore will be welcomed with a waterfront mural depicting moments in Vicksburg history.

In talking with Kim Hopkins, who is the executive director of Main Street, the idea to fashion a waterfront mural has been in the making for several years and is now finally coming to fruition.

The project is not yet fully completed, but when I went down on Thursday to grab a photo for the article, I wrote to let the community know a waterfront mural is being painted and there is enough up to see how awesome it is going to look.

So, if any of you have a notion to take a Sunday drive this weekend, I suggest driving down to the city waterfront and checking out another one of the exciting things happenings in Vicksburg.