The Best of the Deep South: Nashville, Memphis & New Orleans

The Best of the Deep South: Nashville, Memphis & New Orleans

This tour takes you on an exhilarating journey through America's Deep South and is a must for music fans. Your adventure begins in the city that "calls music home", Nashville, where a host of musical highlights await. Step inside Studio B, where Elvis Presley recorded famous tracks. On to Memphis, where you'll learn even more about Elvis with tours of Sun Studios and his opulent mansion, Graceland. You can also opt to visit Tupelo, where the King of Rock 'n' Roll was born, before travelling further south into Mississippi, with a visit to the BB King Museum en route. Your final destination is New Orleans, whose famous French Quarter rings to the sounds of jazz and blues. Here you'll also have the option to journey back in time on a paddle steamer cruise.

What's Included

• Return flights from London
• 10 nights in hotels of a great quality plus 1 night in flight
• 4 meals: 3 breakfasts, 1 brunch, welcome drink
• Travelsphere Holiday Director and Local Guide
• Overseas transfers and other transportation
• Porterage

Holiday Highlights:

• ​City tour of Atlanta
• Nashville, the city that "calls music home"
• Country Music Hall of Fame
• Historic RCA Studio B Museum
• City tour of Memphis, home of the blues
• Graceland and Elvis Experience tour
• Tour of Sun Studios, "the birthplace of Rock 'n' Roll"
• Explore the BB King Museum
• Visit historic Natchez and tour an antebellum mansion
• New Orleans sightseeing tour
• Walking tour of the French Quarter
• Live jazz brunch in New Orleans French Quarter

Day 1: UK to Atlanta

Today you will fly to Atlanta, Georgia. On arrival we'll transfer you to your hotel.

Day 2: Atlanta - Nashville

Atlanta has been through many incarnations since it was founded as a railroad terminus in 1837 and on your morning tour you'll see its main highlights. Later we'll drive to Nashville for a two night stay. On your free evening be sure to explore the city's Broadway and Honky Tonk Highway, a strip of venues where there is live music 365 days a year.

Day 3: Nashville

We've a fabulous music themed day in store for you today. It begins as you step inside the hallowed halls of Studio B, which became famous in the 1960s for its part in the Nashville Sound. Here, more than 35,000 songs have been recorded by artists including Elvis Presley, and you'll step inside the studio where he recorded Are You Lonesome Tonight? As the lights are dimmed, just as they would have been for the King of Rock 'n' Roll, and you hear his incredible voice flowing from the speakers, you will be sharing a truly special moment. To round off the day you'll visit the Country Music Hall of Fame.

There's one more exciting experience to come if you choose to join an optional excursion, an evening of live music at the Grand Ole Opry. This is one of the most important venues for live country music in the world.

Day 4: Memphis

The next great musical city you'll visit is Memphis, standing proudly on the bluffs of the Mississippi River. On arrival in the afternoon, we're going to set off together to discover some of its many highlights. They include the Riverfront and Beale Street, the home of the blues. On this iconic street, music emanates from every open door, and street performers entertain the crowds.

Day 5: Memphis

Memphis is synonymous with Elvis Presley, and today we're going to find out about this connection. Our first visit is to Sun Studios, where the 'King of Rock 'n' Roll' made his first recordings back in 1954. This is followed by Graceland, where we'll take a fascinating guided tour of the opulent mansion that was his home from 1957 until his death in 1977. Here you can fully immerse yourself in his life and career as you go back to his roots. You'll see the living room, kitchen, TV room, pool room and the famous Jungle Room among other highlights. The tour ends at the Meditation Garden, where Elvis is buried alongside his parents. This is sure to be a wonderful highlight of your holiday, and there's more to come tomorrow.

Day 6: Memphis

Today has been left free for you to explore more of Memphis at leisure. Maybe you'll choose to visit one of the city's fascinating museums, which include the National Civil Rights Museum and the Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum. Alternatively, if you enjoyed your visit to Graceland yesterday, today's optional excursion is sure to be tempting. Why not come with us to Tupelo, where you'll see the house where Elvis was born. You'll also get to visit a fantastic museum displaying one of the most remarkable collections of Elvis memorabilia in the world.

Day 7: Vicksburg

Leaving Memphis we'll travel in to the Mississippi Delta stopping in Indianola to visit the BB King Museum. Here we'll learn about this blues legend and the history, literature, music and race relations of this area that gave birth to the Delta Blues.

Day 8: Natchez - New Orleans

As we head deeper south we're going to make a stop today in Natchez, a historic river town on the banks of the Mississippi. This laid back destination is filled with grand mansions and we’ll visit one today to learn about southern life in the “antebellum” period, before the civil war. Our ultimate destination is the 'Big Easy', or New Orleans, home to another musical genre & jazz. Your hotel here is just steps from the famous French Quarter. This is the oldest district and the cultural hub of the city, so you're well placed to make your own discoveries. We'll explore New Orleans' highlights on an included tour this afternoon. As we drive around the city we'll see St Louis Cathedral and cemeteries full of above-the-ground tombs, known as Cities of the Dead.

Day 9: New Orleans

Your day begins with a walking tour of the French Quarter, taking in Jackson Square, Pirate's Alley and the world-famous Bourbon Street. We'll end our walk at a restaurant for a buffet brunch accompanied by live jazz music, which is served in a pretty outdoor courtyard in the French Quarter. The rest of the day is all yours to explore the galleries and boutiques of the French Quarter, or join an optional Louisiana swamp and bayou tour.

Day 10: New Orleans

With so much to discover in New Orleans you can spend the day exploring at your own pace,. However, if you're still keen to discover more, your Holiday Director is hosting an afternoon optional trip on an authentic paddle steamer. Once the only way to travel along the waterways of the South, this trip will take you on a glorious journey back to the 19th century heyday of these iconic vessels.

Day 11: New Orleans/UK

Today we'll transfer you to the airport for your return flight to the UK.

Day 12: UK

You'll arrive back in the UK today.