14 Day The American South

Arrive in Atlanta and transfer independently to your hotel. This first day is yours to enjoy at your leisure, before meeting your Tour Director at your hotel in the evening.

Enjoy a comprehensive city tour of Atlanta, including a visit to the boyhood home of Martin Luther King. You'll also learn about another of Atlanta’s most famous residents, Margaret Mitchell, who wrote historical novel Gone with the Wind, which became a masterpiece of American cinema. Visit the Road to Tara Museum and Stately Oaks Plantation, which was the inspiration for plantation in the film. You'll also have the opportunity to see memorabilia from the movie, including costumes worn by Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh. In the evening, enjoy a welcome reception with your fellow travellers.

Overnight – 2* Holiday Inn Express & Suites Atlanta Downtown, or similar

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 late afternoon, you'll arrive in 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.

In the morning, enjoy a locally guided tour of Charleston. Walk the streets of the city's 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, including North and South. En route to Savannah, 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.

Overnight – 2* Fairfield Inn & Suites Savannah Downtown/Historic District, or similar

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.

Overnight – 2* Fairfield Inn & Suites Savannah Downtown/Historic District, or similar

Head 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 – why not visit the Rosa Parks Library and Museum? You can 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 Jr. led the Boycott with his powerful sermons.

Overnight – 3* Courtyard Montgomery, or similar

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. Discover another historic site of the Civil Rights Trail, the Brown Chapel AME Church, before heading south through Mississippi to New Orleans – a city famed for its Creole culture. Today, this place is a unique blend of African, Caribbean, French and Spanish influences, which can be seen across the food, architecture and, of course, the music. Experience this melting pot aboard an optional Riverboat Dinner Cruise and tap your toes to a Dixieland jazz band.

Overnight – 4* Hilton New Orleans Riverside, or similar

The day is yours to discover the charm and excitement of one of America’s most unique cities, as you take in the French flavour and grandeur of New Orleans. We'd suggest starting your day with an optional visit to a working plantation, before exploring the French Quarter with its trademark wrought-iron balconies overlooking the narrow cobblestone streets.

Overnight – 4* Hilton New Orleans Riverside, or similar

Travel to the capital of Louisiana, Baton Rouge, and enjoy a brief city tour. From there, you'll travel via the historic Natchez Trace Parkway to Natchez. This is a 444-mile drive through exceptional scenery, boasting 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. In the afternoon, you'll visit one of the homes and learn about the wealth of these 19th-century millionaires.

Overnight – 3* Hampton Inn & Suites Natchez, or similar

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 it's liveliest street, Beale Street, where the blues and other music are played nightly in almost a dozen clubs. Travel along historic Front Street, known as Cotton Row, to learn about the days when cotton traders and merchants conducted business here. And, of course, no visit to Memphis would be complete without a visit to Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley.

Overnight – 3* Crowne Plaza Memphis Downtown, or similar

Your trip continues on to Nashville. Known as the capital of country music, this place earned its title with the very first airing of the WSM Barn Dance radio programme, 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 

Overnight - 3* Inn at Opryland, A Gaylord Hotel, or similar

Begin your day with a morning city tour around the dynamic and thriving state capital of Tennessee. While exploring the Nashville's landmarks, perhaps you’ll discover a new country music classic before they even hit the charts, as you visit one of the many recording studios around town? You can also enjoy dinner and a show in the evening, as an optional excursion.

Overnight - 3* Inn at Opryland, A Gaylord Hotel, or similar

Leaving Music City, you'll head to Chattanooga – 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, your journey leads back to Atlanta, where you may want to visit one of the attractions you missed at the start of the tour, like the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca Cola or the CNN Center.

Overnight - 3* Doubletree by Hilton Atlanta Airport, or similar

On the last day of your tour, you’ll transfer independently to the airport for your return flight.