The American South

Fly to Atlanta where you will be transferred to your hotel. Here you will be met by the Tour Director.

During the Civil War, Atlanta was one of the most important Southern Cities as it provided war materials to the South. In 1864, General Sherman marched into Atlanta and burned the entire city. The city recovered from its losses and today is one of the most dynamic in the South, boasting a successful cultural and business hub.

This morning, enjoy a city tour of Atlanta, including a visit to the boyhood home of Martin Luther King. You will also learn about another of Atlanta's most famous residents, Margaret Mitchell. In 1936, Mitchell published the book 'Gone with the Wind'. It depicted the life of the daughter of a plantation owner, and follows her story through the Civil War and reconstruction. The novel is based in Atlanta and Jonesboro, a small town to the south.

We will then visit the Road to Tara Museum and Stately Oaks Plantation, which was the inspiration for Tara. You will have the opportunity to see memorabilia from the movie, including costumes worn by the stars Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh.

In the evening, enjoy a welcome reception which will give you the opportunity to meet your fellow travellers.

Included Highlights

Atlanta

Today, we leave Atlanta 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 will arrive in Charleston, one of the most historic cities of the south.

Included Highlights

Charleston Augusta

In the morning, enjoy a locally guided tour of Charleston. Walk the streets of Charleston’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'.

Included Highlights

Charleston

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'.

Included Highlights

Savannah

Set course 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.

Included Highlights

Montgomery

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. Experience another historic site of the Civil Rights Trail, the Brown Chapel AME Church before heading south through Mississippi to New Orleans, a city immersed in Creole culture.

The city today 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.

Included Highlights

New Orleans Selma

The day is yours to immerse yourself in the French flavour and grandeur of one of America’s most unique cities, New Orleans. May we suggest starting the day with a visit to a working plantation (optional). Explore the French Quarter with its trademark wrought iron balconies overlooking the narrow cobblestone streets.

Included Highlights

New Orleans

This morning, we will travel to the capitol of Louisiana, Baton Rouge, and conduct 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.

Included Highlights

Baton Rouge Natchez

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 the city’s liveliest street, Beale Street, where the blues and other types of music are played nightly in almost a dozen clubs. Travel along historic Front Street, known as Cotton Row in the days when cotton traders and merchants conducted business here.

Of course, no visit to Memphis would be complete without a visit to Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley (optional).

Included Highlights

Memphis

Continue on 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 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.

Included Highlights

Nashville

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

Included Highlights

Nashville

Leaving Music City, we head to Chattanooga, home to the famous Choo Choo. It has received national recognition for the renaissance of its beautiful downtown and redevelopment of its riverfront.

In the afternoon, our trails lead us back to Atlanta where you may want to check out one of the sites you were not able to experience at the start of the tour like the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca Cola, CNN Center.

Included Highlights

Chattanooga

Morning at your leisure before departure. We hope you have had a memorable journey and look forward to the opportunity to host your next visit to America.

Arrival in the UK.