Recently, I met someone who goes by the name of Evil Greg.

Don’t worry — as I was told before meeting him — the only thing evil about him is his wicked sense of humor.

Evil Greg has done work here in Vicksburg for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and although he doesn’t keep a residence here in town, he does keep a motorcycle.

He told me about all sorts of interesting things he’s found in Vicksburg and the surrounding areas. Things that when he’d report on his weekend back at work, many knew nothing about.

This got me thinking: what’s it like to be a tourist in your own town?

Of course, there’s the obvious, Vicksburg National Military Park. According to TripAdvisor and other listings, the park is not only the top tourist destination in Vicksburg but the whole state of Mississippi.

With that kind of popularity, surely everyone’s been there a time or two. What I was interested in was the shining parts of our city the locals sometimes overlook.

During the weekly Lenten Fine Arts series taking place at Church of the Holy Trinity, I was approached by some older folks with funny (read: Northern) accents, asking me some general questions about the city.

They were passing through Vicksburg on their lower Mississippi River cruise aboard The American Queen, which offers a hop-on, hop-off bus tour with six unique stops around the city, including the historic church in which we were standing.

They may have learned a thing or two from me, but I certainly took just as much, if not more, from them about my own city.

Other popular excursions from the cruisers include a tour of Anchuca Mansion and a visit to Yesterday’s Children Antique Doll and Toy Museum and the Biedenharn Coca-Cola Museum.

To think, these people traveled hundreds and hundreds of miles to tour places I’ve never been to in my own city.

Slightly embarrassed, I left the church with a new motivation to make the most of what Vicksburg has to offer.

This weekend, I think I’ll be a tourist in my own town — suggestions welcome!

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Austin Vining is a staff writer for The Vicksburg Post. Email comments to austin.vining@vicksburgpost.com.