A walk through the exhibits at the Natchez Visitor Reception Center can’t truly tell the story of decades of Natchezians.

From the Natchez Indians to the present-day citizens, the stories are too great for any exhibit, any book or any collection.

Our history is outside the walls of the visitor center. It’s shown in the layout of the downtown streets, the columns of the antebellum mansions and the existence of the Forks of the Road.

You’ll find history on top of the mounds at Grand Village and history down by the river.

But the true history isn’t told by places and things, but by people.

The Visitor Reception Center celebrated 10 years last week by starting a new decade of storytelling.

An exhibit two years in the works tells the story of the Natchez people. But the purpose of the exhibit isn’t to parade tourist after tourist through the colorful, interactive displays for hours at a time, but instead, to send them out.

The National Park Service — the group behind the new display — realizes that the history of Natchez isn’t in one room. The Natchez story is all around.

Happy 10th, visitor center, and thank you for helping to tell our story.