The American South

Today you will make your own way to your international local airport to board your flight to Atlanta. Arrive at Atlanta International airport, transfer on your own to your hotel. Relax at your hotel or take a walk around your hotel to familiarize yourself.  




Overnight in Atlanta

This morning you may prepare for a comprehensive city tour of Atlanta. Pay a visit to the childhood home of Martin Luther King. You will also learn about another one of Atlanta's most famous residents, Margaret Mitchell, who wrote the historical novel which turned into a masterpiece of American cinema, \"Gone with the Wind.\" Visit the road to the Tara Museum and Stately Oaks Plantation, the inspiration for the plantation in the film. You will get the opportunity to see memorabilia from the movie including costumes worn by stars Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh. In the evening, enjoy a welcome reception where you will get the opportunity to meet your fellow travelers.




Overnight in Atlanta

Today you will leave Atlanta and head west to Augusta. Augusta is the second oldest city in Georgia and is home to the prestigious Master's Golf Tournament. In the late afternoon, you will arrive in Charleston — one of the most historic and charming cities of the South.




Overnight in Charleston

This morning you may prepare for a guided tour of Charleston, led by a local city guide. Walk the streets of Charleston's preserved historic district, the best protected in the nation. While natural disasters, the Revolutionary War, and the Civil War all took their toll on this beautiful city, it continues to stand out as the historic gem of the South. In the afternoon, you may choose to participate in an optional excursion to the 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, enjoy an en-route stop in Port Royal Island and see Beaufort, South Carolina's second-oldest city. Its impressive Antebellum architecture has been backdropped for many films and shows, including the famous “Forrest Gump.\"




Overnight in Savannah

Today you will experience 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. While the Civil War destroyed a large portion of Georgia, Savannah was spared. Plenty of 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 in Savannah

Continue your journey 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 Jr. led the Boycott with his powerful sermons.




Overnight in Montgomery

This morning you will depart Montgomery 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. From there you will head south through Mississippi to New Orleans, a city immersed in Creole culture. Today the city 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 a Dixieland jazz band.




Overnight in New Orleans

The day will be yours to discover the charm and excitement of one of America's most unique cities. Take in the French flavor and grandeur of New Orleans. May we suggest starting your day with a visit to a working plantation (optional). Explore the French Quarter with its trademark wrought-iron balconies overlooking the narrow cobblestone streets.




Overnight in New Orleans

This morning, we will travel to the capital of Louisiana, Baton Rouge, for 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 19th-century millionaires.




Overnight in Natchez

Leave Natchez and drive to Memphis, home of “Sun Records”. As a large river port, it was one of the most significant 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 nearly a dozen clubs. Travel along the historic Front Street, known as Cotton Row in the days when cotton traders and merchants conducted business here. No visit to Memphis would be complete without a trip to Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley (optional).




Overnight in Memphis

Continue your journey 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 to the Grand Ole Opry, the studios near Music Row, and Opryland itself demonstrate Nashville's reputation as the most important city in country music.




Overnight in Nashville

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




Overnight in Nashville

Leaving Music City, we will continue our journey to Chattanooga, home to the famous Choo Choo. This city has received national recognition for the renaissance of its beautiful downtown core and redevelopment of the riverfront. In the afternoon, our trails will guide us back to Atlanta where you may choose to explore one of the sites you were not able to experience at the start of the tour, such as the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca Cola, and CNN Center.




Overnight in Atlanta

Your 14-day exploration to this fascinating city of USA comes to an end with a transfer on your own to the Atlanta International airport for your onward flight.