The Deep South

Day 1: UK/Atlanta
Your exploration of America’s Deep South begins with a flight to Atlanta, Georgia, where you stay overnight.

Day 2: Atlanta
Atlanta has been through many incarnations since it was founded as a railroad terminus in 1837, and these days is one of America’s foremost cities. After breakfast, an included sightseeing tour will introduce you to some of the city’s best-loved highlights, including the Martin Luther King museum and the Atlanta Cyclorama. This true hidden gem is a huge painting of the Civil War Battle of Atlanta. Painted in a continuous loop, it’s an in incredible experience to sit and watch as it rotates past you with a narration explaining all that happened in the battle depicted.

This afternoon, you’ll travel on to Chattanooga for two nights at the famous Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel, the former Terminal Station building that has been carefully restored and turned into a hotel. On arrival you will be given a brief orientation tour of the town.

Day 3: Chattanooga
Today you can explore Chattanooga at your own pace, or join your Tour Manager for an optional trip along the incline railway and Rock City. Sat high above Chattanooga on Lookout Mountain, Rock City’s incredible rock formations and views of seven states will amaze you.

Day 4: Nashville
Leaving Chattanooga behind, today you will pay a visit to the Jack Daniel’s distillery in the small town of Lynchburg before continuing to Nashville for a two night stay. Nashville is both the capital of Tennessee and the country music capital of the world, home to the Grand Ole Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame. This afternoon, you’ll enjoy a sightseeing tour of Nashville.

Day 5: Nashville
Today is a very special day for music lovers and especially fans of Johnny Cash. This morning, you’ll step inside the hallowed halls of Studio B, and then you’ll travel on to a private performance by either John Carter Cash, Johnny Cash’s son, or Tommy Cash, the legendary musician’s brother. Travelsphere guests will be the only people in attendance, making this an exciting, intimate experience that’s not to be missed. Following the performance, you’ll visit the Country Music Hall of Fame, and then in the evening you have the option to visit the Grand Ole Opry, which has to be one of the most important venues for country music in the world.

Day 6: Memphis
Leaving Nashville behind, you will journey to another great musical city – Memphis. Stood proudly on the bluffs of the mighty Mississippi River, Memphis is an old town with a new face, an intriguing blend of ‘Old South’ hospitality and modern American metropolis. This afternoon, your Tour Manager will lead you in a tour of Memphis’ highlights, including the famous Riverfront and Beale Street, the home of the blues.

Day 7: Memphis
No visit to Memphis would be complete without discovering more of its musical heritage, and today offers the opportunity to do just that. Visit Sun Studios, where Elvis Presley famously made his first recordings, and then head on to Graceland, Elvis’ opulent home. Today really is a must for any Elvis fan!

Day 8: Memphis
If you enjoyed yesterday’s visit to Sun Studios and Graceland, then you’re sure to want to be on today’s optional excursion to Tupelo – the birthplace of Elvis Presley. Your tour includes a visit to the house where the musical star was born and a museum displaying one of the finest collections of Elvis memorabilia in the world.

Day 9: Vicksburg
Leaving marvellous Memphis behind, you’ll cross the border into Mississippi as you travel to Vicksburg for an overnight stay. En route, you’ll get the chance to discover more about another musical legend at the BB King Museum.

Day 10: New Orleans
Today brings you to New Orleans, the ‘Big Easy’, and home of another musical genre – jazz. Soak up the atmosphere of the city so nearly destroyed by Hurricane Katrina on an included walking tour of the famous French Quarter this afternoon. With its laidback attitude, narrow streets, wrought iron balconies and flower-bedecked verandas, the French Quarter has been attracting visitors for many years. Wander past the open doors of bars and cafes, listening to snatches of leisurely jazz as they waft past your ears.

Day 11: New Orleans
Enjoy a leisurely breakfast today as you contemplate where to explore first on your free day in this thrilling city. Wander around the art galleries and boutiques of the French Quarter, stopping at a pavement cafe or two for a coffee or a bite to eat, perhaps, indulging in a little people watching while you relax. For another traditional Deep South experience, why not join your Tour Manager on an optional trip aboard a paddle steamer this afternoon? Once the only way to travel along the waterways of the south, this really is like heading back in time to another era.

Day 12: New Orleans
Today you are free to discover more of New Orleans’ charms for yourself, or why not join a optional excursion to see a little more of Louisiana? This excursion will introduce you to two very different sides of the state, as you explore the swamps by boat and also visit a plantation to see how farming was traditionally done Southern-style.

Day 13: New Orleans/UK
Sadly, your Deep South adventure comes to a close today as you travel to the airport for your return flight home.

Day 14: UK
Arrive in the UK.

Please note

Accommodation throughout is in hotels of a comfortable standard, typical of the hotels you will stay in are:

Holiday Inn Capitol Conference Centre or Holiday Inn Express & Suites Downtown in Atlanta
Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel in Chattanooga
Sheraton Downtown in Nashville
Holiday Inn Select in Memphis
La Quinta Inn & Suites in Vicksburg
Hampton Inn & Suites Convention Center in New Orleans
Guest rooms feature en suite facilities, air conditioning where appropriate, TV and telephone. There is a restaurant and/or bar in most locations and often extra facilities, such as a swimming pool and shop.

Hotels will be confirmed in your final documentation.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Included excursions and visits

Atlanta city tour
Chattanooga orientation tour
Nashville city tour
Memphis city tour
New Orleans sightseeing
Exclusive private Johnny Cash themed performance in Nashville
BB King Museum
Jack Daniels Distillery
Atlanta’s Cyclorama
Country Music Hall of Fame and Studio B

Optional excursions

Incline Railway and Rock City (half day)
Grand Ole Opry evening
Graceland & Sun Studios
Tupelo – home of Elvis
Louisiana swamps and plantation tour
New Orleans Paddle Steamer

Your holiday includes

Scheduled flights
Overseas transfers and other transportation
12 nights’ accommodation including 4 breakfasts
The services of a Travelsphere Tour Manager and Local Guide
Hotel porterage (one bag per person)
All airport taxes and security charges
UK Airline Passenger Duty
All state and local taxes

With 50 years’ experience in arranging escorted tours to exciting destinations across the globe, Travelsphere have built an excellent reputation founded on quality and value.

By choosing a Travelsphere escorted holiday you can travel with confidence, knowing that every aspect of your holiday has been carefully planned and arranged from start to finish. Further to this they are ATOL bonded and members of ABTA.

Travelsphere’s thorough planning of travel arrangements, itineraries and accommodation combined with the unique insight of their knowledgeable Tour Managers and Local Guides will enable you to experience the culture, traditions and hidden away places less accessible to other travellers.

Our Opinion
“Travelsphere are one of the biggest names in the Escorted Tour market. Finely tuned over the last 50 years their tours have been tried, tested and refined by thousands of customers.”