Overview
America’s Musical Heritage
You’ll love this musical heritage vacation that follows the influential sounds of chart-topping history from Nashville to Memphis with a crescendo in New Orleans for all that jazz. Strut your way down Nashville’s Honky Tonk Row to reserved seats at the Grand Ole Opry. Swivel your hips through Elvis Presley’s Graceland estate and the famous studios and streets of Memphis. Jump, jive, and wail through the New Orleans French Quarter in search of the blues and beignets. Follow the path of the Mississippi River to the famed Delta Blues Museum, the B.B. King Museum, and Morgan Freeman’s Ground Zero Blues Club. Both a musical and southern heritage tour, this vacation through the Deep South leads you to elegant antebellum mansions, historic sights, and the sounds of country, rock, and rhythm and blues. PLUS, your tour includes your choice of excursions in New Orleans so you can plan your day your way.
Highlights of America’s Musical Heritage
Related Tours
AS|America's Musical Heritage ASE|With Extended Stay in New Orleans
Notes
• Add 2 nights in New Orleans (Tour ASE) or extend your stay in New Orleans during the world-famous Jazz & Heritage Festival (Tour ASX). Your Jazz Fest package includes a 1-day pass to the Jazz & Heritage Festival plus transportation to and from the Jazz Fest Grounds. • Guests should be prepared for easy but sustained walking throughout the tour.
Small Group
Globus offers Small-Group Discoveries on select North America dates. A Small-Group Discovery is limited to an average of just 24 guests per departure. There’s always room to roam with extra space between you and other travelers—while still getting up close and personal to the experiences you’ve been dreaming of. Small-Group Discoveries include all the features of a traditional Globus escorted tour, complete with expert Tour Director, Driver, and Local Guides who ensure that your health and safety is our top priority. A Small-Group Discovery trip is the perfectly sized tour—without the crowds.
Related Option Title
America's Musical Heritage
Product Group
America's Musical Heritage
Travelers Notes
Special Features Included in this Tour: • Sightseeing in Nashville with a Local Guide• Visit RCA Studio B and Country Music Hall of Fame• Guided sightseeing in Memphis• Visit Sun Studio and Stax Museum of American Soul Music• Tour Elvis Presley’s Graceland• Visit the Mississippi Delta and the Delta Blues Museum• Guided sightseeing in Greenwood• Visit the B.B. King Museum in Indianola• Explore Natchez and the Delta Music Museum • Discover Cajun Country and tour the Frogmore Plantation• Enjoy live Cajun and creole music at the Atchafalaya Basin• Visit the Houmas House Plantation and Gardens• Globus Choice excursion in New Orleans – included in your tour with your choice of a visit to the World War II Museum or a French Quarter walking tour• Guided sightseeing in New Orleans
Meals
Breakfast daily, 2 lunches, 3 dinners
Itineraries
Day 1
ARRIVE IN NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE Welcome to Music City, USA! At 6 pm, meet your traveling companions for a welcome drink.
Day 2
NASHVILLE Studios, Stages & Stars Start your day with a visit to [LF] RCA Studio B, Nashville’s oldest recording studio. Then, enjoy a sightseeing tour of Nashville with a Local Guide, including Centennial Park’s full-size replica of Athens’ Parthenon. See the legendary recording and performing venues of Music Row and Honky Tonk Row—where music history was made and famous artists got their breaks. We then visit the Country Music Hall of Fame to see its collection of costumes, memorabilia, instruments, and photographs. Tonight, you have reserved seats for an unforgettable show at the world-famous Grand Ole Opry, the mecca for country musicians. (B)LOCAL FAVORITE RECORDING HISTORY The legendary RCA Studio B is a hallowed hall of recording history where legends including Elvis Presley, Chet Atkins, Dolly Parton, and the Everly Brothers laid down classic tracks in Nashville’s oldest recording studio. Between 1957 and 1977, more than 35,000 songs were recorded here, making their mark on the musical landscape of America. Make your own recording for a priceless memory of your time in Nashville.
Day 3
NASHVILLE–MEMPHIS Singing the Blues This morning, depart for Memphis, “Home of the Blues,” and visit Sun Studio, one of the most famous recording studios in the world and where rock ‘n’ roll was first recorded. Then, visit the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, a celebration of the great Memphis soul music. Enjoy dinner at a local restaurant tonight. (B,D)TOUR HIGHLIGHT MUSICAL LEGENDS Ever since the Father of the Blues, W.C. Handy, coined the phrase, ‘Memphis Blues,’ this Tennessee mecca for American musicians has produced soulful sounds of syncopated rhythms with a blend of early jazz, vaudeville, ragtime, and folk styles with deep roots in the Deep South of the early 1900s. Memphis is also a mecca for rock-and-roll and country music icons throughout history, including artists who’ve recorded at the legendary Sun Studio – by the names of Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Roy Orbison – to name a few. Go deeper into music history with a visit to the Stax Museum of American Soul Music to discover the legacies of iconic artists from Otis Redding to Aretha Franklin.
Day 4
MEMPHIS. EXCURSION TO GRACELAND Goin’ to Graceland! See all the landmarks of Memphis today. A Local Guide will play and sing selections from the city’s rich musical heritage, along with generous amounts of comedy and interaction. We then travel to Elvis Presley’s Graceland for a tour of the King of Rock-n-Roll's estate. The remainder of the day is at leisure. (B)TOUR HIGHLIGHT LEGENDARY LIVES Tour the mansion at Graceland with access to Elvis’ original business office, his vast collection of gold records and awards, and the Meditation Garden, where Elvis and members of his family have been laid to rest. See Elvis’ collection of ornate jumpsuits and capes, the automobile museum, and his collection of airplanes.
Day 5
MEMPHIS–CLARKSDALE, MISSISSIPPI–GREENWOOD Mississippi History Today, follow the mighty Mississippi River deep into the heart of the Mississippi Delta, the “Birthplace of the Blues.” From the cotton fields, street corners, and juke joints of the Mississippi Delta came a new kind of music—the blues. Visit the Delta Blues Museum, dedicated to exploring the history and heritage of this unique American musical art form and masters of the art, including Muddy Waters and Sam Cooke. Peruse historical images, artifacts, musical instruments, and the cabin where Muddy Waters lived as a sharecropper. Enjoy a photo stop at the “Crossroads,” where legendary blues guitarist Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil in exchange for the best musical talent. Enjoy a [LF] special lunch with a local musician at Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale. After lunch, continue to Greenwood, where many of its buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Take a guided tour to see the filming locations of the Oscar-winning film, The Help. (B,L)LOCAL FAVORITE TASTES & TRADITION Break bread in Clarksdale, the birthplace of the blues, with a special lunch served southern style at Ground Zero Blues Club. Co-owned by Academy Award winning actor, Morgan Freeman, this hopping juke-joint and restaurant is named for the historic town where blues first wailed and local musicians keep the blues cooking along with authentic southern-style dishes amid its eclectic down-home décor. TOUR HIGHLIGHTACCOMMODATION SPOTLIGHT Enjoy a special overnight stay at the historic Alluvian Hotel. Originally opened in 1917, the renovated hotel is a luxurious respite on the Mississippi Blues Trail in the heart of the Delta. Warm hospitality and charm in the heart of soulful South!
Day 6
GREENWOOD–INDIANOLA–NATCHEZ Slide Guitars & Steel Magnolias Visit the B.B. King Museum in Indianola, hometown of the legendary musician. Continue south to beautiful Natchez. Enjoy regional specialties while dining at a local restaurant tonight. (B,D)TOUR HIGHLIGHT ARTISTRY & CULTURE Explore B.B. King’s 60-plus year career, from his time as a sharecropper and his time on Memphis’ Beale Street to achieving international acclaim as a beloved force in Blues. Browse fascinating artifacts and images in the B.B. King Museum in Indianola and pick up an instrument to try your hand at the Blues!
Day 7
NATCHEZ–FERRIDAY, LOUISIANA–FROGMORE–LAFAYETTE Louisiana Legacies First stop today is the Delta Music Museum to hear intimate stories on a guided tour about Jerry Lee Lewis, Mickey Gilley, Conway Twitty, and other Louisiana Delta musicians. Then, head through Louisiana into the heart of Cajun Country for a visit to the historic Frogmore Plantation. Continue to Lafayette and partake in a unique musical experience at [LF] Cypress Cove Landing on the banks of the Atchafalaya Basin. (B)LOCAL FAVORITELOUSIANA FRENCH Listen to rich Creole and Cajun music and storytelling by Yvette Landry and Soko Music. Learn the dances of Mardi Gras and Fais do-do on the banks of the Atchafalaya Basin while enjoying live music. Ready to join the band? Play Cajun percussion instruments like the T-Fre or try the accordion and take part in the rich Louisiana French musical traditions. TOUR HIGHLIGHT HISTORIC SPOT Learn about the trials and triumphs of American history with an enlightening tour of Frogmore Plantation. An 1800-acre working cotton plantation, Frogmore has 19 restored antebellum (pre-Civil War) structures that date from the early 1800's. Hear the history of the early Natchez planters and their slaves. A Local Guide tells of the evolution of history from the 1790's through the Civil War and the emergence of sharecropping. See a rare Smithsonian-quality steam cotton gin contrasting the historical methods with modern day planting, harvesting, and computerized ginning of cotton. A fascinating look at Southern history in Louisiana.
Day 8
LAFAYETTE–ST. MARTINVILLE–HOUMAS HOUSE PLANTATION–NEW ORLEANS Southern History & Tradition Enjoy a morning visit to St. Martinville to see the famous oak tree named for the heroine of Longfellow’s poem, Evangeline. Then, cruise through the swampy waterways of the Atchafalaya Basin. Larger than the Florida Everglades, the picturesque yet mysterious Atchafalaya Basin is home to moss-draped trees, a wealth of wildlife, and gators, of course. On to the Great River Road, where wealthy plantation owners built their monumental homes. Visit Houmas House Plantation and Gardens, called the “Crown Jewel of the Great River Road.” Enjoy lunch at the plantation followed by a mansion tour, which is filled with period antiques and Louisiana artwork. Enjoy free time to stroll the magnificent gardens, gift shop, or have a Mint Julep at the Turtle Bar. Continue to exciting New Orleans for a 2-night stay. (B,L)TOUR HIGHLIGHT CULTURE & TRADITION Located between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, the Houmas House Estate allows visitors to experience the history of life on a sugarcane plantation. The mansion has been restored to the antebellum era, reflecting the opulence and wealth this sugarcane farm boasted in the 1880’s. The guided tour walks through the 250-year history, highlighting the architectural evolution from manor house to grand estate. See rare artworks and artifacts that explore life on the plantation.
Day 9
NEW ORLEANS Spend your day your way in New Orleans Say, ‘Yes, Ma’am’ to Southern hospitality in New Orleans with a guided sightseeing tour of the French Quarter. Stop at an above-ground cemetery and learn about the city’s unique funeral customs and drive along tree-lined St. Charles Avenue to see the stately homes bordering the historic Garden District.Explore more of New Orleans with your choice of included Globus Choice excursions.
Day 10
NEW ORLEANS Safe travels until we meet again! Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (B)
Departures
Hotels
| # | Name | Description | City | Address | Rating |
| 1 | Gaylord Opryland Resort | This premier Opryland hotel offers guests an unforgettable getaway with all the excitement and energy of the Music City under one spectacular roof. There isn't a shortage of things to do at the Gaylord Opryland Resort, which features indoor and outdoor swimming pools, state of the art fitness center, relaxing spa and salon, and nine acres of lush, indoor gardens and cascading waterfalls. | Nashville | 2800 Opryland Drive | Moderate Deluxe |
| 2 | The Guest House at Graceland | Located just a few steps from the gates of Graceland, the newly built Guest House at Graceland hotel features a southern colonial exterior and is decorated with Elvis Presley's personal style in mind. The hotel offers 450 spacious rooms and a range of contemporary facilities, including two restaurants and a 464-seat theater for live performances and movies. | Memphis | 3600 Elvis Presley Blvd | Superior First-Class |
| 3 | The Alluvian Hotel | A cosmopolitan boutique hotel in the heart of the Mississippi Delta. | Greenwood | 318 Howard Street | Superior First-Class |
| 4 | Magnolia Hotel, BW Signature Collection | The fully renovated Magnolia Hotel, BW Signature Collection Hotel features an outdoor seasonal pool, fitness facilities, hot tub, and several restaurants. | Natchez | 645 South Canal Street | Tourist Class |
| 5 | DoubleTree by Hilton Lafayette | Dramatic 15-story Convention Hotel with glass facade, overlooking the Vermilion Bayou. | Lafayette | 1521 West Pinhook Road | First-Class |
| 6 | Sheraton New Orleans | Located on historic Canal Street just steps from the French Quarter, the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel is a short walk from Bourbon Street, the Aquarium of the Americas, IMAX Theater, Riverwalk Marketplace and the assortment of renowned restaurants, boutiques, and live music clubs. The hotel has an outdoor pool, hot tub, fitness center, business center, gift shop, concierge service, Internet access, restaurant, lounge, and room service. | New Orleans | 500 Canal St | Superior First-Class |
