Tracks of the Deep South Holiday

Historic tracks lead us on a rail tour through the heartland of great American music - from Nashville, home of Country Music, to the Blues, Soul and Rock 'n' Roll of Memphis and the jazz of New Orleans. Walk in the footsteps of legends and enjoy fine Southern hospitality.

Tour Inclusions & Scenic Highlights

• Scheduled flights London to Atlanta and return
• Rail and coach travel as described
• 12 nights' hotel accommodation (room only)
• 3 visits to music museums
• Guided sightseeing tours of Nashville, New Orleans and Atlanta
• Scenic journey on the Tennessee Valley Railroad
• Scenic journey on the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway
• A tour of Jack Daniel's Distillery
• A visit to Graceland, Tupelo and a dinner jazz cruise
• Amtrak rail journeys on the City of New Orleans
• Amtrak rail journey on the Crescent
• Services of a professional Tour Manager throughout
• Porterage is included at hotels and railway stations during the Tracks of the Deep South holiday. There are only a few occasions where you will need to handle your suitcases during the holiday
• At railway stations the famous 'Redcaps' will load your luggage onto the train prior to departure. They will also take your luggage from the train on arrival at your destination
• At hotels, 'bellhops' will ensure your luggage is taken to your room on arrival, and collected from your room prior to your departure
• Transfers in USA
• Flight taxes and charges

• Tennessee Valley Railroad
• Lookout Mountain Incline Railway
• Jack Daniel's Distillery
• Nashville
• The Country Music Hall of Fame
• Memphis and Tupelo
• Graceland
• Sun Studio and the Stax Museum of American Soul Music
• New Orleans
• Mississippi steamboat dinner Jazz cruise
• Atlanta, the Civil War and 'Gone with the Wind'

Itinerary

Day 1- To Atlanta and Chattanooga
We fly from London to Atlanta and transfer into Tennessee, where we stay for two nights at the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel, once the town's thriving railway station, a century old landmark building and now a railroad themed hotel.

Day 2 - The Tennessee Valley Railway and Incline Railway
Today we experience a ride on two of Chattanooga's railways, trundling through the countryside on the restored heritage Tennessee Valley Railroad before experiencing 'America's Most Amazing Mile', the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway. Built in 1895 to service a hotel at the top of the mountain, part of the track has an incline of 72.7%, giving it the distinction of being the world's steepest passenger railway.

Day 3 - Lynchburg and Jack Daniel’s Distillery
Our coach takes us through Tennessee to Lynchburg, capital of Moore County. Moore County has been 'dry' since the days of prohibition, which makes its main attraction all the more extraordinary - it is the home of Jack Daniel's Distillery! After a tour of the distillery we continue to Nashville, staying for two nights at the Sheraton Hotel, Downtown, within easy reach of Broadway's honky-tonk bars and live Country music scene.

Day 4 - Nashville and the Country Music Hall of Fame
Since the 1940s Nashville has been synonymous with Country Music, with its collection of recording studios and record labels on 'Music Row' and the landmark Ryman Auditorium, home of the Grand Ole Opry for three decades. A morning guided sightseeing tour introduces you to the sights before we visit the Country Music Hall of Fame, the largest music museum in the world, for an amazing 'who's who' in the world of Country music.

Day 5 - Tupelo and Memphis
Our journey through Tennessee continues to Memphis. En route we stop at Tupelo to visit the birthplace of Elvis Presley. A fascinating insight into the humble beginnings of Elvis, the birthplace features a museum, the Presley family's two-room house and the restored church building where Elvis' love of Gospel music was formed. On arrival in Memphis we check into the Doubletree Hotel for a three night stay.

Day 6 - Graceland, Sun Studios and Stax
Today introduces the sights of Memphis' extraordinary musical history. We visit Sun Studios, which lays claim to being the birthplace of rock 'n' roll, with a roster featuring Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash. By contrast, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music covers another of the city's musical phenomena. Founded in the neighbourhood known as Soulsville USA, Stax was responsible for launching the careers of great soul artists such as Isaac Hayes, Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett. In the afternoon we visit Graceland, Elvis' 14 acre mansion, and view his preserved living quarters, private aircraft and car collections.

Day 7 - At leisure in Memphis
Today you are free to explore Memphis independently. Beale Street's live music is a must as the evening draws in. It is here that Blues from the delta found a home before moving on to influence the world's musical tastes.

Day 8 - The City of New Orleans train
This morning we board Amtrak's City of New Orleans service, heading through Mississippi to Louisiana. It is claimed that the Blues spread along this route by rail. The pretty, floral towns of Brookhaven and McComb lead into the exotic Cajun swamps of the Louisiana Bayou. Following our arrival into the city of New Orleans, we transfer to our hotel for three nights, the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel.

Days 9-10 - New Orleans and Jazz Cruise
A morning guided sightseeing tour on Day 9 provides an introduction to this fascinating city. The afternoon and the following day are spent at leisure. The 'Big Easy' boasts unique architecture, influenced by Spanish, French, Creole and American styles, representative of the cultural melting pot that the city has become. On the evening of Day 10 we enjoy a dinner jazz cruise on board the paddlewheeler, SS Natchez, one of just a handful of steamboats still navigating the mighty Mississippi.

Day 11 - The Crescent train to Atlanta
Departing from New Orleans, we join the Crescent service to Atlanta. The Crescent crosses part of Lake Pontchartrain, the largest body of water in Louisiana. Cutting through the De Soto National Forest, we reach the lumber centre of Hattiesburg, before passing through swamp country. Towards midday we reach Meridian, birthplace of Jimmie Rodgers, the father of country music. Our route passes through Tuscaloosa, Birmingham and into Georgia for an evening arrival in Atlanta. We stay for two nights at the Courtyard by Marriott Atlanta Buckhead.

Day 12 - Atlanta
A morning guided sightseeing tour takes the American Civil War as one of its themes. Entrance is included to the Cyclorama & Civil War Museum, which features the world's largest oil painting and the historic locomotive, Texas. The tour continues to Margaret Mitchell House, where the author wrote her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, 'Gone with the Wind'. Your afternoon and the following morning are then free to explore Atlanta.

Days 13-14 - The journey home
In the afternoon of Day 13 we transfer to Atlanta Airport for our flight home to London, arriving in the morning of Day 14.

CB = Continental Breakfast, B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner, AT = Afternoon Tea

Mardi Gras - Our February departures spend time in New Orleans during its superb Mardi Gras Festival. Enjoy a host of parades and floats.

1. Dates & Pricing
2. Trains & Transportation
3. Accommodations