South Coast USA and City Highlights
South Coast USA & City Highlights14 nightsFrom £1,362 per person
Price Includes: Flights, accommodation and car hire
Day 1 & 2- Arrive in New Orleans, Louisana
Arrive in New Orleans, a city that marches to the beat of its own drum and spend two nights here. A stop at the French Quarter Visitor Center unit of the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park introduces you to the traditions and life in the area. Rangers lead daily walks to tell the story of this special place and its ties to the Mississippi River. There is music playing every evening in the French Quarter. Spend the second day exploring the Garden District which gets its name from the huge homes and gardens that fill block after block. Try the Maison Bourbon Jazz Club or the House of Blues for music. Also check to see if there are performances scheduled for Preservation Hall. Magazine Street is a great place for shopping, including antiques.
Day 3- New Orleans to Ocean Springs, Mississippi (92 miles)
Move on today to Ocean Springs, MS, known as the "City of Discovery" celebrating the French settlement of 1699. Conditions here are so tropical that the US Army established a training camp here during World War II to simulate the south seas. Forts along the National Seashore span 150 years from the Spanish fort established in 1797 to the World War II Battery 234. This area also saw significant action during the Civil War. You can soak in more nature along the Live Oak Bicycle Trail and enjoy other trails that run through the estuaries and inlets. Stay overnight in Ocean Springs.
Day 4 & 5- Ocean Springs to Mobile, Alabama (58 miles)
On to Mobile, Alabama. Founded in 1702 as he original capital of the Louisiana Territory, few cities can boast such rich history and prime location as Mobile. Visitors marvel at the sheer beauty of the city - breathtaking sunsets, lush foliage, spectacular historic and modern architecture, amazing museums, diverse arts and culture and famous seafood creations. Mobile was not only home to the first known Mardi Gras in 1703 but also hosts America's family Mardi Gras every year. One of the main attractions in Mobile is Bellingrath Gardens, an oasis built by the president of Mobile's first Coca-Cola bottling plant. The other attraction in Mobile that will draw you in, is food. Whether you want Bar-B-Q or seafood, this is the place to be. The Brick Pit in Mobile serves up tender pork ribs, cooked for at least twelve hours, while the pulled pork is roasted for up to thirty hours, over pecan and hickory-wood fires. Or there is Mary's Place in nearby Coden. Founded in 1935 by Mary Hunter, this rustic eatery offers Creole soul food and all-you-can eat seafood buffets. Stay two nights in Mobile.
Day 6 & 7- Mobile to Pensacola, Florida (59 miles)
Move on to Pensacola, Florida and stay here for two nights. Taking its name from the Pensacola Indians who inhabited the land before the Spanish arrived. In addition to the Spanish, Pensacola has been home to both English and French colonists, and held under both the flag of the United States of America and the Confederate States of America. Be sure to visit the National Museum of Naval Aviation, one of the largest air and space museums in the world. After you take the Flight Line Bus on a 20 minute tour, plan to see the Magic of Flight projected on a seven story screen and stroll through over 140 restored and one of a kind aircraft flown by the Navy, Marines and Coast Guard.
You'll find that a great contrast to the Historic Pensacola Village, where 10 of the structures are interpreted and open to the public. Julee Cottage was owned by a woman of colour who worked to free fellow blacks from slavery. Also in the Village, the 1805 Lavalle House is a rare example of French Creole colonial architecture. It has been authentically furnished to present a realistic picture of life on the frontier in Pensacola in the 1820s.
Day 8- Pensacola to Montgomery, Alabama (59 miles)
On to Montgomery, Alabama where you will stay overnight. You'll find a bustling city of the New South. A hotbed of activity during the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s, this is also the place where Confederate President Jefferson Davis lived at the birth of the Confederacy. Topping the city's list of "must-sees" is the state capitol building where Jefferson Davis took the oath of office and where the Selma-to-Montgomery march ended with Dr. King's moving speach from the bottom of the capitol steps. The Rosa Parks Museum and Civil Rights Memorial tells the story of the courageous women who refused to move to the back of the bus, essentially the first non-violent protest of the Civil Rights movement.
Old Alabama Town, one of the South's premier history villages, is a collection of authentically restored 19th and 20th century buildings stretching along six blocks in the heart of historic Montgomery. Over 40 restored structures include an original 1850s townhouse, schoolhouses, a cotton gin, blacksmith shop, grist mill, tavern, log cabin, pole barn, southern mansion, and more. Here you can experience life in Montgomery during the infancy of the state's history. Nearby, the quaint Old Cloverdale historic area has been transformed into clubs, bars and restaurants. Listen to hot jazz at the 1048 Jazz and Blues Club.
Day 9 & 10- Montgomery to Birmingham, Alabama (90 miles)
From Montgomery, you'll be heading for Birmingham; Alabama's largest city where both riots and peaceful protests took place side by side in the racial turmoil of the 1960s. In downtown Birmingham, exhibits at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute illustrate the struggle for freedom during the civil rights movement. In order to work towards the most positive results, today, the Civil Rights Institute makes it its mission to look to the future: to promote civil and human rights worldwide through education. After seeing such emotionally charged material, why not treat yourself to a nice dinner; try Highlands Bar and Grill on the Southside of Birmingham for exquisitely fine food in an unpretentious atmosphere.
Other options in Birmingham include the Birmingham Museum of Art, featuring the Charles W. Ireland Sculpture Garden and the Beeson Collection of Wedgwood. A drive to Vulcan Park lets you view Birmingham and the greatest panorama of the Red Mountains. Back on the ground, the 67 acre Birmingham Botanical Gardens will give you a respite among the flowers and plants. For those who want to get the adrenalin running, you can cheer to the trills at the Barber Motorsports Park and Talladega Speedway and splash down at the Alabama Adventure water and theme park. Golfers can play a course or two on the famous Robert Trent Jones Gold Trail. The nine-story glass atrium at Riverchase Galleria is Birmingham's number one free tourist attraction. Enjoy the structure and the shopping. Stay two nights in Birmingham.
Day 11 & 12- Birmingham to Huntsville, Alabama (100 miles)
Huntsville is a city of great contrasts. It dates back from 1805 when John Hunt came to Alabama from Tennessee when it was still the Mississippi Territory. He built a log cabin in a beautiful wooded valley just above the "Big Spring" which soon attracted other settlers as well. By 1812, Huntsville had a city newspaper, stores arranged around the square, a public school, church and a bank. In 1819, Huntsville became the capital of Alabama. Contrast that early history with the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, the world's largest space museum featuring a full size space shuttle, a Saturn V rocket, the actual Apollo 16 capsule and a moon rock. Plan to enjoy a 4 G experience in the Space Shot tower and the Space Walk motion-based simulator. After you've had an opportunity to tour Constitution Village, plan to contrast that era with a trip through Twickenham Historic District, Alabama's largest district of antebellum homes. Although many of the homes were seized by Union troops, they were not burned, leaving the carefully preserved structures for us to enjoy today. Washington Square in downtown Huntsville has a mini entertainment district with live music at the Crossroads Cafe, the Jazz Factory and more. The Bridge Street Towne Center Shopping and Entertainment District has a nice open air shopping area with good restaurants and movie theater. You can also take a gondola out on the lake. Stay in Huntsville for two nights.
Day 13 & 14- Huntsville to Atlanta, Georgia (180 miles)
Finish your tour in Atlanta, Georgia where you will stay for two nights. Without fail, every survey of the top attractions in Atlanta comes up with virtually the same things: Centennial Olympic Park, the new High Museum of Art, the World of Coca-Cola and the Georgia Aquarium. More than eight million gallons of water fill the structure designed to look like the prow of a ship which makes the Georgia Aquarium the largest in the world. Be sure to make a swing through the Underground Atlanta before leaving the city. Depending on your interest, writer Margaret Mitchell's House, the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Stone Mountain Park, the King Center and Turner Field are also open for touring.
