Rockin' Down the Highway
Rockin' Down the Highway: The South's Music Cities9 nightsFrom £1179 per person
Price Includes: Flights, accommodation and car hire
Day 1- Arrive in Nashville
Arrive Nashville. This evening explore the area between Broadway and 2nd Avenue, filled with entertainment venues, and night clubs, known locally as “honky tonks”. Stay in Nashville for two nights..
Day 2- Explore Nashville
Today, visit such sites as Ryman Auditorium - the original home of the Grand Ole Opry, and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Rhinestone costumes, seasoned instruments and tear-stained lyric sheets are only the beginning. Be sure to take a tour of Historic RCA Studio B – where Elvis and others recorded over 35,000 songs. If available, attend a performance at the Grand Ole Opry tonight.
Day 3- Nashville to Memphis, approx 212 miles
Memphis is where the roots of Blues, Country and Gospel music formed in the 1930s. Visit the Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum and learn about the explosion of Sun Studio, and Memphis’ musical heyday in the 70s, to its global musical influence. Stroll through the seven galleries featuring audio visual programs,instruments, costumes and other musical treasures. After dinner, spend time on Beale Street, the melting pot of delta blues, jazz, rock-n-roll, R&B, and gospel.
Stay one night.
Day 4- Memphis to Florence/Muscle Shoals, approx 152 miles
No visit to Memphis is complete without a tour of Graceland. Walk in the footsteps of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Learn of Elvis’ humble beginnings through his rise to superstardom. See how a rock ‘n’ roll legend lived and relaxed with family and friends. Depart for the Muscle Shoals region late afternoon. Comprising the towns of Muscle Shoals, Florence, Sheffield and Tuscumbia, the quad cities became a recording mecca for rhythm and blues, and rock and pop artists in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Stay two nights.
Day 5- Visit Muscle Shoals
Visit the local landmarks - FAME Studios, Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, and others are usually available by appointment. While famous for classic recordings from Rod Stewart, Aretha Franklin, Eric Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Rolling Stones, and The Allman Brothers, current singers such as Carrie Underwood record here. Visit one of the area nightclubs and you may catch one of the rock, R&B and country music celebrities who have homes in the area trying out their new songs.
Day 6- Muscle Shoals to Tuscaloosa and Mobile, approx 121 miles
Before departing the area, tour the Helen Keller Birthplace in Tuscumbia. Helen Keller, although deaf and blind, became one of history’s remarkable women. Her home, Ivy Green, is on the National Register of Historic Places. En route to Mobile, stop in Tuscaloosa. Home to the University of Alabama, it is also known for one of the best barbeque restaurants in the south – Dreamland. Enjoy down home authentic barbeque before continuing to Mobile. Walk Mobile’s historic downtown and choose from an array of restaurants featuring regional cuisine. Stay two nights.
Day 7- Explore Mobile
Mobile is the oldest city in Alabama and its French, Spanish, British, Creole, Catholic, Greek and African legacies have influenced everything from architecture to cuisine, creating a miniature melting pot in the Port City. Today, explore the battlegrounds of Forts Morgan, Gaines and Condé, tour the USS Alabama Battleship, or follow the black history trail complete with an Underground Railroad bike tour.
Day 8- Mobile to New Orleans, approx 145miles
Stroll New Orleans French Quarter this afternoon before boarding an authentic Paddlewheeler for a lively jazz dinner cruise along the Mississippi River this evening. Stay two nights.
Day 9- Stay in New Orleans
Today, tour the more than 20 historic districts on the National Register, more than any other city in the United States, and visit one of the city’s famous resting places. With a spooky history, and unique, ornate tombs, Lafayette Cemetery is a popular location for movies shot in New Orleans. Or choose to take an exciting swamp airboat tour to see alligators, pelicans, osprey. Tonight, you have your pick of music venues, from dueling pianos, to smooth blues and funky jazz clubs. The French Quarter has it all!
Day 10- Finish your trip in New Orleans
Morning at leisure for some last minute shopping before departure from New Orleans airport.
