With flights from £3355
Enjoy the South’s music, food and culture – from Elvis’s Graceland to Creole cooking in New Orleans and grand antebellum hospitality in Natchez.
Highlights:
The beating heart of America’s Music City will chart your pace as you prepare to embark on a leisurely pilgrimage to discover the tastes and sounds of the South. This evening, join your Travel Director and fellow travellers for a welcome reception.
Hotel: Sheraton Nashville
Meals: Dinner
The famous Nashville Sound comes alive this morning as RCA’s Studio B reveals the legends of Elvis Presley, Jim Reeves and Roy Orbison. Gain insights into the life and music of Johnny Cash during a private performance of original Cash tunes with one of Johnny’s family members.Your acoustic journey continues with a visit to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum to see Elvis’ Solid Gold Cadillac limousine and Jim Reeves’ tuxedo jacket.
Hotel: Sheraton Nashville
Meals: Breakfast
In the morning, visit the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, then continue your discovery of Nashville with a choice of sightseeing experience, exploring either the Johnny Cash Museum or the Ryman Auditorium. Amble through Broadway’s honky-tonk scene or perhaps enjoy the gut-busting flavours of homegrown hot chicken or biscuits. This evening, the sound of country music fills the air as you head to the Grand Ole Opry to watch a performance of America’s longest running live radio programme. Then, you will have the option to join a backstage tour of the Grand Ole Opry or you can spend the evening at your leisure.
Hotel: Sheraton Nashville
Meals: Breakfast
Head to Beale Street, the birthplace of Blues, Soul and Rock ‘n’ Roll, where you’ll meet a musician to learn about the musical heritage of Memphis. In the afternoon, you have the option of visiting the National Civil Rights Museum.
Hotel: Hotel Hu
Meals: Breakfast and dinner
Worship at the altar of the King and head to Graceland, paying tribute to the man who changed the face of American popular music and culture. Then, pay a visit to Sun Studios, which sought to immortalise the raw energy of Beale Street, recording the first Rock ‘n’ Roll single in 1951. This evening is free.
Hotel: Hotel Hu
Meals: Breakfast
Kick off this morning’s musical interlude at the Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum before saying so long to Memphis, bound for the city of Natchez. With a little French flair and a flowering antebellum culture, Natchez is the perfect showcase of Southern history and hospitality, which you’ll have an opportunity to experience when you connect with locals in their gracious homes. Meet Joe Stone in his 1850’s home and visit the 1804 residence of Esther Carpenter, a former Four Seasons chef, with whom you’ll enjoy a traditional three-course Deep South dinner with wine.
Hotel: Magnolia Bluffs
Meals: Breakfast and dinner
Today offers another encounter with American history as you visit Frogmore Plantation. As you explore the property, from the original gin through to modern day through the eyes of your hosts Buddy and Lynette, you’ll learn of the incredibly harsh realities of this trade and the mark it made on Southern history. Continue through the Louisiana countryside for another chance to learn and appreciate the stories of the south at Oak Alley Plantation, with its perfectly manicured gardens and quarter mile canopy of 300-year-old oak trees. The spicy scents of Creole cuisine linger long after this evening’s visit to the New Orleans School of Cooking where you will enjoy a fun cooking demonstration with a passionate New Orleans local. Dinner will be a delicious and hearty Creole creation, one of the region’s most iconic tastes.
Hotel: Sheraton New Orleans
Meals: Breakfast and dinner
Let the good times roll in New Orleans today, tracing the cosmopolitan history of one of America’s oldest cities with a local specialist, stopping at City Park and one of the ornate above-ground cemeteries. Spend the afternoon soaking up the laid-back vibes of The Big Easy.
Hotel: Sheraton New Orleans
Meals: Breakfast
Today is yours to explore the French, Spanish and Creole sights and sounds of New Orleans. If you’re feeling adventurous, visit Marie Laveau’s Historic Voodoo Museum. This evening, join your Travel Director and new friends for a final farewell dinner at the famed Court of Two Sisters.
Hotel: Sheraton New Orleans
Meals: Breakfast and dinner
Extend your stay in New Orleans at the Sheraton New Orleans or say ‘Au Revoir’ to the Big Easy this morning with a transfer provided to New Orleans International Airport.
Meals: Breakfast
All prices are per person, based on 2 sharing a twin room, and include meals where shown. Please call Freedom Destinations to confirm departure dates and availability. Seasonal variations may apply. Itineraries may vary for tours departing from 1 April 2023 onwards.
Enjoy first class touring with the company of others. Our experienced guides will make sure you don’t miss a thing.
Your escorted tour includes:
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