America’s Musical Heritage

Welcome to Music City, USA!   At 6 pm, meet your travelling companions for a welcome drink. 

Studios, Stages & Stars Start your day with a visit to RCA Studio B, Nashville's oldest recording studio. Then, enjoy a sightseeing tour of Nashville with a Local Guide, including Centennial Park's full-size replica of Athens' Parthenon. See the legendary recording and performing venues of Music Row and Honky Tonk Row-where music history was made and famous artists got their breaks. We then visit the Country Music Hall of Fame to see its collection of costumes, memorabilia, instruments, and photographs. Tonight, you have reserved seats for an unforgettable show at the world-famous Grand Ole Opry, the mecca for country musicians. (B) LOCAL FAVOURITE CULTURAL GEM The legendary RCA Studio B is a hallowed hall of recording history where legends like Elvis Presley, Chet Atkins, Dolly Parton, and the Everly Brothers laid down classic tracks in Nashville's oldest recording studio. Between 1957 and 1977, more than 35,000 songs were recorded here, making their mark on the musical landscape of America. Make your own recording for a priceless memory of your time in Nashville.

Singing the Blues This morning, depart for Memphis, "Home of the Blues," and visit Sun Studio, one of the most famous recording studios in the world and where rock `n' roll was first recorded. Then, visit the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, a celebration of the great Memphis soul music. Enjoy dinner at a local restaurant tonight. (B,D) TOUR HIGHLIGHT MUSICAL LEGENDS Ever since the Father of the Blues, W.C. Handy, coined the phrase, 'Memphis Blues,' this Tennessee mecca for American musicians has produced soulful sounds of syncopated rhythms with a blend of early jazz, vaudeville, ragtime, and folk styles with deep roots in the Deep South of the early 1900s. Memphis is also a mecca for rock-and-roll and country music icons throughout history, including artists who've recorded at the legendary Sun Studio - by the names of Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Roy Orbison - to name a few. Go deeper into music history with a visit to the Stax Museum of American Soul Music to discover the legacies of iconic artists from Otis Redding to Aretha Franklin.

Goin' to Graceland! See all the landmarks of Memphis today. A Local Guide will play and sing selections from the city's rich musical heritage, along with generous amounts of comedy and interaction. We then travel to Elvis Presley's Graceland for a tour of the King of Rock-n-Roll's estate. The remainder of the day is at leisure. (B) TOUR HIGHLIGHT LEGENDARY LIVES Tour the mansion at Graceland with access to Elvis' original business office, his enormous collection of gold records and awards, and the Meditation Garden, where Elvis and members of his family have been laid to rest. See Elvis' collection of ornate jumpsuits and capes, the automobile museum, and his collection of airplanes.

Mississippi History Today, follow the mighty Mississippi River deep into the heart of the Mississippi Delta, the "Birthplace of the Blues." From the cotton fields, street corners, and juke joints of the Mississippi Delta came a new kind of music-the blues. Visit the Delta Blues Museum, dedicated to exploring the history and heritage of this unique American musical art form and masters of the art, including Muddy Waters and Sam Cooke. Peruse historical images, artifacts, musical instruments, and the cabin where Muddy Waters lived as a sharecropper. Enjoy a photo stop at the "Crossroads," where legendary blues guitarist Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil in exchange for the best musical talent. Enjoy a special lunch with a local musician at Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale. After lunch, continue to Greenwood, where many of its buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Take a guided tour to see the filming locations of the Oscar-winning film, The Help. (B,L) LOCAL FAVOURITE TASTES & TRADITION Break bread in Clarksdale, the birthplace of the blues, with a special lunch served southern style at Ground Zero Blues Club. Co-owned by Academy Award winning actor, Morgan Freeman, this hopping juke-joint and restaurant is named for the historic town where blues first wailed and local musicians keep the blues cooking along with authentic southern-style dishes amid its eclectic down-home decor. TOUR HIGHLIGHT ACCOMMODATION SPOTLIGHT Enjoy a special overnight stay at the historic Alluvian Hotel. Originally opened in 1917, the renovated hotel is a luxurious respite on the Mississippi Blues Trail in the heart of the Delta. Warm hospitality and charm in the heart of soulful South!

Slide Guitars & Steel Magnolias Visit the B.B. King Museum in Indianola, hometown of the legendary musician. Continue south to beautiful Natchez. Enjoy regional specialties while dining at a local restaurant tonight. (B,D) TOUR HIGHLIGHT ARTISTRY & CULTURE Explore B.B. King's 60-plus year career, from his time as a sharecropper and his time on Memphis' Beale Street to achieving international acclaim as a beloved force in Blues. Browse fascinating artifacts and images in the B.B. King Museum in Indianola and pick up an instrument to try your hand at the Blues!

Louisiana Legacies First stop today is the Delta Music Museum to hear intimate stories on a guided tour about Jerry Lee Lewis, Mickey Gilley, Conway Twitty, and other Louisiana Delta musicians. Then, head through Louisiana into the heart of Cajun Country for a visit to the historic Frogmore Plantation. Continue to Lafayette and partake in a unique musical experience at Cypress Cove Landing on the banks of the Atchafalaya Basin. (B) LOCAL FAVOURITE CULTURAL GEMS Listen to rich Creole and Cajun music and storytelling by Yvette Landry and Soko Music. Learn the dances of Mardi Gras and Fais do do on the banks of the Atchafalaya Basin while enjoying live music. Ready to join the band? Play Cajun percussion instruments like the T-Fre or try the accordion and take part in the rich Louisiana French musical traditions. TOUR HIGHLIGHT HISTORIC SPOT Learn about the trials and triumphs of American history with an enlightening tour of Frogmore Plantation. An 1800-acre working cotton plantation, Frogmore has 19 restored antebellum (pre-Civil War) structures that date from the early 1800's. Hear the history of the early Natchez planters and their slaves. A local guide tells of the evolution of history from the 1790's through the Civil War and the emergence of sharecropping. See a rare Smithsonian-quality steam cotton gin contrasting the historical methods with modern day planting, harvesting, and computerised ginning of cotton. A fascinating look at Southern history in Louisiana.

Southern History & Tradition Enjoy a morning visit to St. Martinville to see the famous oak tree named for the heroine of Longfellow's poem, Evangeline. Then, cruise through the swampy waterways of the Atchafalaya Basin. Larger than the Florida Everglades, the picturesque yet mysterious Atchafalaya Basin is home to moss-draped trees, a wealth of wildlife, and gators, of course. On to the Great River Road, where wealthy plantation owners built their monumental homes. Visit Houmas House Plantation and Gardens, called the "Crown Jewel of the Great River Road." Enjoy lunch at the plantation followed by a mansion tour, which is filled with period antiques and Louisiana artwork. Enjoy free time to stroll the magnificent gardens, gift shop, or have a Mint Julep at the Turtle Bar. Continue to exciting New Orleans. (B,L) TOUR HIGHLIGHT CULTURE & TRADITION Located between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, the Houmas House Estate allows visitors to experience the history of life on a sugarcane plantation. The mansion has been restored to the antebellum era, reflecting the opulence and wealth this sugarcane farm boasted in the 1880's. The guided tour walks through the 250-year history, highlighting the architectural evolution from manor house to grand estate. See rare artworks and artifacts that explore life on the plantation.

Laissez les Bons Temps Rouler! Let the good times roll in New Orleans with a guided sightseeing tour of the French Quarter. Stop at an above-ground cemetery and learn about the city's unique funeral customs and drive along tree-lined St. Charles Avenue to see the stately homes bordering the historic Garden District. This afternoon is free to explore New Orleans on your own, shop for a favourite souvenir, listen to live music or relax with a fresh cup of cafe au lait and a beignet. Tonight, celebrate your musical journey with a festive farewell dinner at one of the famed local restaurants in New Orleans. (B,D) TOUR HIGHLIGHT CULTURAL GEM World-renowned for its Jazz, Blues, and Cajun music, New Orleans is also the place for celebration - from Mardi Gras to the brass-band funeral processions. The French Quarter is so rich in French and Spanish Creole culture that it spills out from the wrought iron verandas onto the street where Bourbon Street swells with the sounds of kitchens, bars, and blues bands filling the fragrant Southern air. Down a hurricane glass of your favourite libation in the town that's as resilient as its strongest winds.

Safe travels until we meet again!   Your holiday ends with breakfast this morning. (B)