Day 1 UK to Nashville

Our VIP door-to-door travel service collects you from home for your flight to Nashville.

You stay at Opryland Resort (4*) or Drury Plaza Hotel Nashville Downtown (3*).

Day 2 Nashville

Today we enjoy an orientation tour of Nashville and visit Studio B - where Elvis, Roy Orbison, Jim Reeves, Dolly Parton and many other stars recorded their first or early records - a real trip down memory lane.

We continue to the Country Music Hall of Fame, packed full with little-known information and memorabilia. We’ll also explore more of the city known as the ‘Athens of the South’, for its full-scale replica of the Greek Parthenon.

The remainder of the day is free.

Day 3 Nashville

Today is at leisure to explore. There are so many fabulous museums to discover including the Musicians Hall of Fame and the Johnny Cash Museum.

This evening you may wish to take an optional excursion to the mecca of Country and Western Music, The Grand Ole Opry, America’s longest running scheduled show. This excursion is only bookable prior to departure (subject to availability).

Day 4 Memphis

From Nashville we head to another music mecca, Memphis. We visit Elvis Presley’s Graceland, the mansion he purchased at the age of 22. A self-guided tour takes you through the estate, preserved in the decorated style in which he left it.

There are many other fascinating displays including the Entertainer Career Museum, Automobile Museum and Elvis Discovery Exhibits.

You stay at Hampton Inn Memphis-Beale Street (3*) or DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Memphis Downtown (3*).

Day 5 Memphis

A short orientation tour shows us more of the city, also the infamous location for the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr in 1968.

The rest of the day is free.

Day 6 Memphis to Mississippi Cruise

This morning you’re free to further explore the city of Memphis; perhaps visit the Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum or take a tour of the Gibson guitar factory.

This afternoon, we embark our ship, to begin our mighty Mississippi river cruise. We set sail this evening.

Day 7 Mississippi (Greenville/Terrene Landing)

Enjoy the sights and sounds as we sail down ‘Ol’ Man River’. We’ll make a stop along the way at a port in the Mississippi Delta - Greenville or Terrene Landing.

Day 8 Mississippi (Vicksburg)

We arrive in Vicksburg, Mississippi, a city that blends modern elements with the charm and elegance associated with the Old South. As you disembark here, join a narrated ‘Hop-On Hop-Off Steamcoach Tour’ of this city bursting with character.

See the shopping district, The Church of the Holy Trinity, the Southern Cultural Heritage Center, Pemberton’s Headquarters and the Old Courthouse Museum - home to thousands of artefacts dating from pre-Columbian times to the Civil War. The last stop is Washington Street, for shopping or visiting the Biedenharn Coca-Cola Museum and the Lower Mississippi River Museum.

Day 9 Mississippi (Natchez)

Named for the Natchez tribe of Native Americans, this charming city is proud of its rich, vibrant history.

The starting point for the Natchez Trace, it became home to many antebellum homes and today numerous restored mansions are the highlight of this part of the South.

On a ‘Hop-On Hop-Off Steamcoach Tour’, visit some of these grand homes, including Stanton Hall, built in 1857 and considered the grandest of the Natchez mansions.

Day 10 Mississippi (St Francisville)

Today we stop in the quaint town of St Francisville, located on a narrow ridge overlooking the Mississippi River.

Today’s ‘Hop-On Hop-Off Steamcoach Tour’ makes stops at Grandmother’s Buttons or the West Florida Republic Park. Perhaps visit the Old Market Hall, Commerce Street or the Spring Creek Shopping Center.

Please note: The ports of call on days 10 and 11 in Baton Rouge and St Francisville may operate in reverse.

Day 11 Mississippi (Baton Rouge)

We cross into Louisiana and its capital, Baton Rouge. Join another ‘Hop-On Hop-Off Steamcoach Tour’, including the USS KIDD and Veterans Memorial - the WWII Fletcher-class destroyer and the museum’s historic exhibits are a must for any military enthusiast. ‘Louisiana’s White House’ - The Old Governor’s Mansion is the next stop.

The Main Street Market has many lunch options before continuing to Capitol Lake and the Louisiana State Capitol building. Take the lift up to the 27th floor for wonderful views over the city and the Mississippi. The last stop is Louisiana’s 160-year-old, Old State Capitol building.

Please note: The ports of call on days 10 and 11 in Baton Rouge and St Francisville may operate in reverse.

Day 12 Mississippi (Nottoway)

Imagine life on a cotton plantation as you explore the largest remaining antebellum mansion of the Deep South.

Within a great white façade of massive columns and grand balconies, enormous 11ft doors lead you into rooms with exquisite plaster friezes and hand-carved marble fireplaces. The ballroom is the epitome of elegance in pure white.

Day 13 New Orleans

This morning we arrive into the final port of call on our Mississippi river cruise, New Orleans, disembarking near historic Jackson Square. We’ll take a tour around the city, before checking in to our hotel.

The remainder of the day is at leisure to perhaps stroll around the French Quarter, the perfect place to dine al fresco and absorb the character and atmosphere of this multi-cultured city.

You stay at Sheraton New Orleans (4*) or Wyndham New Orleans - French Quarter (4*).

Day 14 New Orleans

Today is free in this lively bohemian city. Visit the Jackson Square Katrina Museums, or take a ride on the famous St Charles Streetcar.

In the evening, venture to Bourbon Street to sample Creole and Cajun cuisine in one of the many restaurants or stop in a bar and listen to live jazz.

Day 15 New Orleans to UK

Transfer to the airport for your return flight to the UK.

Day 16 UK

Upon arrival your vehicle will be waiting for the journey home.