TASTES AND SOUNDS OF THE SOUTH

• 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.

Welcome Meet our Travel Director at 18:00

Included Experience: Gaylord Opryland Resort

• The famous Nashville Sound comes alive this morning as RCA Studio B reveals the legends of Elvis Presley, Jim Reeves and Roy Orbison.
• Dive Into Culture and 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.
• Our 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.
• This evening, enjoy a live show at the iconic Grand Ole Opry.

Included Experience: RCA’S Studio B, Nashville, Cash on Cash and Visit Grand Ole Opry Live Performance

• Continue your discovery of Nashville by exploring the Johnny Cash Museum.
• With the remainder of the day at your leisure choose to visit the Ryman Auditorium, where Johnny & June first met, a hop-on-hop-off trolley, or a memorable MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® visit to the National Museum of African American Music – celebrating the music genres created, inspired and influenced by African Americans.
• Or perhaps you’ll enjoy the opportunity to amble through Broadway’s honky-tonk scene or enjoy the gut-busting flavours of homemade chicken or biscuits.

Included Experience: Johnny Cash Museum

Optional Experience: Soul of Nashville / National Museum of African American Music / Old Town Trolley Tours – Nashville

• Head to Memphis’ famous Beale Street, the birthplace of Blues, Soul, and Rock ‘n’ Roll, for a tour where we’ll meet a musician and Local Specialist to learn about the musical heritage of Memphis.
• Continue your Memphis sightseeing with a visit to the Lorraine Motel.
• Then MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® as you explore one of the most significant sites in town and one of the premier heritage and cultural museums, the National Civil Rights Museum.
• “Walk through history” in interactive exhibits that show how the heroes and lessons from the civil rights movement continue to impact equality all over the world.
• Enjoy a Regional Dinner of Southern cuisine this evening, capping off your tour of Memphis, past and present.

Optional Experience: Visit the National Civil Rights Museum and Music Tour of Memphis

• Worship at the altar of the King, Elvis Presley, 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 immortalize the raw energy of Beale Street, recording the first Rock ‘n’ Roll single in 1951. This evening is free.

Included Experience: Visit Graceland and Historic Sun Studio

• Kick off the day’s sightseeing with a musical morning at the Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum exploring the blues, country, and gospel of the rural South before leaving for Natchez, Mississippi.
• You’ll arrive in Natchez on the banks of the Mississippi, surrounded by the antebellum homes.
• The best way to experience Natchez is with a taste of Southern hospitality and you’ll experience all this and more at tonight’s memorable Be My Guest experience at one of the region’s beautiful historic, private homes for a meal.
• Connect With Locals as hosts who have lived in the area for generations open their doors and share their stories as you enjoy dinner and backyard cocktails like Planter’s Punch paired with elevated Southern fare.

Included Experience: Southern Hospitality at Natchez and Rock n Soul Museum

• Today your travels take you deeper into an important part of Southern history.
• On this morning’s visit to a working cotton plantation, Frogmore Plantation and Gins, learn about Natchez planters and slavery in the South.
• Tour the property boasting 19 restored antebellum structures and equipment dating from the early 1800’s including a Smithsonian quality steam gin listed on the National Register.
• You’ll learn how cotton was made and most importantly gain a better understanding of slavery in the South.
• Your tour brings you back into the present with a stop at its currently operating 900 bales-per-day cotton gin.
• Next up: The Big Easy, where we are introduced to Creole cuisine at the New Orleans School of Cooking.

Included Experience: Visit the Frogmore Plantation and New Orleans School of Cooking

• 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.
• The afternoon is yours to explore on your own.

Included Experience: New Orleans Tour

Optional Experience: Steamboat Natchez Jazz Dinner Cruise / The National WWII Museum

• Today is yours to explore the French, Spanish and Creole sights and sounds of New Orleans.
• Why not join an Optional Experience at the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park exploring the scenic swamp and bayou.
• Perhaps visit Mardi Gras World for a peek into what makes the New Orleans festival so popular or take a stroll down Magazine Street for plenty of regional food and shopping.
• This evening, join your Travel Director and new friends for a Farewell Dinner.

Optional Experience: Swamp & Bayou Tour with Transportation

• For now, it’s ‘Au Revoir’ New Orleans, but not ‘Adieu’.
• Make your own way to New Orleans International Airport or extend your stay in New Orleans.