Arrive into Nashville, better known as the Music City. Nashville is the heart and soul of country music. Whilst in the city, take the time to visit the Country Music Hall of Fame where you can enjoy historic country video clips and recorded music.

Hyatt Place Opryland or similar

Leaving Nashville behind, travel on to the home of blues, Memphis. Your first stop should be Graceland, Elvis Presley’s 14-acre estate where Elvis lived for 20 years. For many, the Elvis Presley mansion embodies the American Dream – a poor small-town boy who reached super stardom and changed pop culture and the world forever. You may like to include a Graceland Mansion Tour, offering a very personal look inside the home of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Then visit the “Birthplace of Rock ‘n Roll”, Sun Studios, where you can enjoy a fascinating tour and listen to audio presentations of some of the earliest recordings made there. After, visit the recording studio itself, where you can stand in the exact same room where the likes of Johnny Cash and Elvis recorded their first tracks. Then, visit the Lorraine Motel and the National Civil Rights Museum, the site where Dr Martin Luther King Jr was assasinated, for an eye-opening insight into the movement and the powerful figures that championed it. In the evening, take a stroll down historic Beale Street where blues has been playing for more than half a century.

Nashville > Memphis | 213 miles

The Peabody Hotel or similar

Vicksburg was once the centre for the aristocracy whose wealth was based around cotton and lumber. A glimpse of its former glory is evident with the preservation of many historic churches, government buildings and grand homes, dating back to the 19th Century. For the history buff, there’s also Vicksburg National Military Park, the Vicksburg Battlefield Museum and Historic Downtown Vicksburg which offers a variety of restaurants, shops and art galleries.

Memphis > Vicksburg | 251 miles

Corners Mansion Inn or similar

Continue on to the town of Natchez, the oldest permanent settlement on the Mississippi River and known for the preservation of many historic stately homes including Stanton Hall, one of the most magnificent palatial residences of the southern states. Below the town lies Natchez Under-the-Hill, home to many bars and restaurants and a riverboat casino.

Vicksburg > Natchez | 72 miles

Monmouth Historic Inn or similar

Drive further south into Louisiana. Along the way, consider a stop in Baton Rouge, Louisiana’s capital, here you can learn about the colourful history filled with controversial politics at the Capitol Building and the Old Governor’s Mansion and sample some of the fine Cajun-Creole cuisines at one of the local eateries. After, continue on to New Orleans, a modern city with a historic soul.

Venture out of the city’s centre to the Garden District, this elegant neighbourhood is home to lovely southern homes (some of which are open to tours) and lined with beautiful parks and cafes, or if you are feeling more adventurous, consider an escapade in the swamp. In these mysterious waterways that surround the city, you will get up close encounters with alligators and other exotic creatures.

Optional Experience – New Orleans City Tour

Absorb the sights and sounds of the world famous French Quarter and historic Jackson Square, travel through historic neighbourhoods and visit one of New Orleans’ historic cemeteries, referred to as ‘Cities of the Dead’. Visit City Park, one of the ten largest urban parks in America, here you can either visit the Morning Call Café or the Besthoff Sculpture Garden.

Natchez > New Orleans | 178 miles

Holiday inn Chateau Lemoyne or similar

Montgomery is the state capital of Alabama, and the setting for many significant moments in the civil rights movement. Follow along the civil rights trail to retrace the events that changed the world. Montgomery is also home to a thriving arts and entertainment scene, so perhaps stop by a gallery or enjoy the theatre while you are in town.

New Orleans > Montgomery | 331 miles

Hampton Inn & Suites Montgomery-Downtown or similar

Welcoming its visitors with real southern hospitality, Atlanta is a bustling big city where the past and present collide. Visit the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site and Sweet Auburn District; here you will find The King Centre and the historic Ebeneezer Baptist Church, or visit other Atlanta neighbourhoods like the quaint Midtown and luxurious Buckhead, both are filled with interesting shops and restaurants.

Montgomery > Atlanta | 161 miles

Courtland Grand Hotel or similar

Leaving Atlanta, head to the more rural side of Tennessee through the Cherokee Indian Reservation. Visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, they are among the oldest mountains in the world and home to black bear, white-tailed deer, raccoons, coyote and the plentiful salamander. As you drive onwards into Gatlinburg, enjoy the breathtaking views all around you. Once settled, ride the sky lift to the top of Crockett Mountain for a bird’s eye view of the scenery.

Atlanta > Great Smoky Mountains | 209 miles

Wild Bear Inn or similar

Drive back to Nashville Tennessee, better known as Music City, USA. Visit the historic RCA Studio B to get an up-close look at what was once the second home of music legends Elvis Presley, Chet Atkins, Dolly Parton and many more. For a slightly different side of Nashville, see the Parthenon, the world’s only full-scale reproduction of the famous Greek temple. One evening consider a dinner cruise on a paddlewheel riverboat or a dinner theatre experience, both offer exceptional entertainment and cuisine.

Great Smoky Mountains > Nashville | 218 miles

Hyatt Place Opryland or similar

Depart at leisure to Nashville Airport to return your car and board a flight home or onward to your next destination.