14D/13N - 2023 the American South

day 01 Atlanta-Arrival

Welcome to Atlanta, Georgia. During the Civil War, Atlanta was one of the most important Southern Cities as it provided war materials to the South. In 1864, General Sherman marched into Atlanta and burned the entire city. The city recovered from its losses and today is one of the most dynamic in the South, boasting a successful cultural and business hub. Transfer independently to your hotel where you will meet your Tour Director.

day 02 Atlanta.

This morning, enjoy a city tour of Atlanta and learn about one of its most famous residents, Margaret Mitchell. In 1936, Mitchell published the book “Gone with the Wind”. It depicted the life of the daughter of a plantation owner and follows her life through the Civil War and Reconstruction. The story takes place in Atlanta and south of Atlanta in a small town named Jonesboro. This afternoon, you will visit the Road to Tara Museum and Stately Oaks Plantation which was the inspiration for Tara. You will have the opportunity to see memorabilia from the movie including costumes worn by the stars Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh. In the evening, enjoy a welcome reception which will give you the opportunity to meet your fellow travellers.

day 03 Atlanta-Augusta-Charleston

Leave Atlanta today and head west to Augusta. Augusta is the second oldest city in Georgia and is home to the prestigious Masters golf tournament. In the afternoon, we will arrive in historic Charleston, one of the most historic and charming cities

of the South. For evening activities, you may wish to consult your Tour Director for the possibilities.

day 04 Charleston-Antebellum Plantation-Savannah

In the morning, enjoy a locally guided tour of Charleston, walk the streets of the preserved historic district (the best protected in the nation). Natural disasters, the Revolutionary War, and the Civil War all took their toll on this beautiful city, yet it stands out as a historic gem of the South. In the afternoon, you may wish to participate in an optional excursion to historic Boone Hall Plantation with its famous Avenue of Oaks. The property has appeared in numerous American movies, among them “North and South”. En route to Savannah, route stop on Port Royal Island and see Beaufort, South Carolina’s second oldest city. Its impressive Antebellum architecture has been backdrop for many shows and films, including “Forrest Gump.”

day 05 Savannah

Today, enjoy the charm of Savannah, once the world’s largest cotton port. When cotton was king, Savannah controlled the prices of the world cotton market at her cotton exchange. Founder James Oglethorpe laid out the famed city squares. The Civil War destroyed a large portion of Georgia, but Savannah was spared. Numerous buildings around the tree-shaded squares are hundreds of years old; providing the setting for the popular novel “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.”

day 06 Savannah-Montgomery

Set course west across the state of Georgia and into the heart of the Deep South, Alabama. Upon arrival in Montgomery, Alabama’s capital city and a central backdrop of the American Civil Rights Movement, visit the Rosa Parks Library and Museum. Learn about the Montgomery Bus Boycott inspired by Parks, which ignited the Civil Rights movement and changed American history. You may also wish to visit the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King Jnr led the Boycott with his powerful sermons.

day 07 Montgomery-Selma-New Orleans

Depart Montgomery this morning to discover Selma, Alabama, another centerpiece of the Civil Rights Movement. Visit the Edmund Pettis Bridge where the historic March from Selma to Montgomery began and where the brutal events of Bloody Sunday took place. Experience another historic site of the Civil Rights Trail, the Brown Chapel AME Church before heading south through Mississippi to New Orleans, a city immersed in Creole culture. The city today is a unique blend of Spanish, French, Caribbean, African and Anglo-Saxon influences. This is obvious in the food, architecture and of course, the music. Experience this melting pot aboard a Riverboat Dinner Cruise (optional) and enjoy the rhythms of Dixieland jazz bands.

day 08 New Orleans

The day is yours to explore the charm and excitement of one of America’s most unique cities and for you to take in the French flavor & grandeur of New Orleans. May we suggest starting the day with a visit to a working plantation (optional). Explore the French Quarter with its trademark wrought iron balconies overlooking the narrow cobblestone streets.

day 09 New Orleans-Baton Rouge-Natchez

This morning, we will travel to the capitol of Louisiana, Baton Rouge, and conduct a brief city tour. From there, we will travel via the historic Natchez Trace Parkway to Natchez. The parkway is a 444-mile drive through exceptional scenery and years of Native American and European history. Natchez is the oldest European settlement on the Mississippi River. Before the Civil War, wealthy plantation owners from Louisiana built magnificent Antebellum homes here because the area was considered safer from flooding. This afternoon, we will visit one of the homes and learn about the wealth of these 19C millionaires.

day 10 Natchez-Mississippi River Valley-Memphis

Leave Natchez and drive on to Memphis, home of ‘Sun Records’. As a large river port, it was one of the most important links in the cotton trade before the Civil War. Memphis is also known as the “home of the blues.” A brief city tour will take you to the city’s liveliest street, Beale Street, where the blues and other types of music are played nightly in almost a dozen clubs. Travel along historic Front Street, known as Cotton Row in the days when cotton traders and merchants conducted business here. Of course, no visit to Memphis would be complete without a visit to Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley (optional).

day 11 Memphis-Nashville

Continue on to Nashville, known as the capital of country music. The city earned its title with the very first airing of the WSM Barn Dance radio program, the forerunner of the Grand Ole Opry. The newly renovated Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville, once home of the Grand Ole Opry, the studios near Music Row, and Opryland itself attest to Nashville’s reputation as the most important city in country music.

day 12 Nashville

Begin your day in this dynamic and thriving cultural and state capital of Tennessee with a morning city tour. While exploring the city’s landmarks, perhaps you’ll discover a new country music classic before they even hit the charts while visiting one of the many recording studios around town. Perhaps enjoy dinner and a show in the evening as a optional excursion.

day 13 Nashville-Chattanooga-Atlanta

Leaving Music City, we head to Chatanooga, home to the famous Choo Choo and which has received national recognition for the renaissance of its beautiful downtown and redevelopment of its riverfront. In the afternoon, our trails lead us back to Atlanta where where you may want to check our one of the sites you were not able to experience at the start of the tour like the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca Cola, the CNN Center

day 14 Atlanta Departure

Morning at your leisure before departure. Your tour director will be available to assist you in arranging individual transportation to the Airport.

Inclusions: twin share, tour director, deluxe coach, porterage, service charges, taxes.
Sightseeing: Visit Stately Oaks Plantation and museum (the inspiration for “Tara” from Gone with the Wind), tour of Atlanta including Martin Luther King’s boyhood home and visitors’ center, see the iconic piazzas of the beautiful homes of historic Charleston, travel to Beaufort, the filming site of the movie Forest Gump, Trolley Tour the historic downtown district of Savannah, experience historic landmarks of the Civil Rights Trail in Montgomery and Selma, Alabama, see New Orleans, home to jazz and beignets, see and visit a lavish Antebellum-styled Mansion in Natchez, sightseeing Memphis: including the Lorraine Hotel (Martin Luther King assassination site), and Beale Street (home of the Blues), tour Nashville and go Honky Tonkin’, see the renowned Chatanooga Choo Choo

Hotels: Atlanta-Indigo Vinings or similar, Charleston-Holiday Inn Riverview, Savannah-Comfort Suites Historic, Montgomery-Comfort Inn and Suites (Montgomery East), New Orleans-Hilton New Orleans Riverside, Natchez-Hotel Vue, Memphis-Crowne Plaza Memphis Downtown, Nashville-Inn at Opryland, Atlanta-Indigo Vinings (or similar).

Notes: All departures are bilingual (2 languages). Tours are subject to change without notice pending climatic and local traffic conditions.

Optional excursions: tour and explore Boone Hall Plantation, take a riverboat dinner cruise of Savannah, traditional Steamboat Jazz Cruise on the Mississippi River, Swamp tour and jazz brunch in New Orleans, Explore Elvis Presley’s magnificent Graceland Estate, tour Nashville’s Country Hall of Fame and Studio B.