Tastes & Sounds of the South Escorted Tour

The beating heart of America's Music City will chart your pace as you prepare to embark on a leisurely pilgrimage to discover the sounds of the South. This evening, join your Travel Director and fellow travellers for a Welcome Reception.

The famous Nashville Sound comes alive this morning as RCA's Studio B reveals the legends of Elvis Presley, Jim Reeves and Roy Orbison. Enjoy getting a cultural insight into the life and music of Johnny Cash during a discussion and private performance of original and popular Cash tunes with Johnny and June's son, John Carter Cash (or another family member). Our acoustic journey continues with a visit to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum to see Elvis' solid gold Cadillac limousine and Jim Reeves' tuxedo jacket - an extraordinary collection of memorabilia on display to admire. You'll have some time to yourself to continue your discovery of Nashville on a sightseeing experience of your choice, exploring either the Johnny Cash Museum or the Ryman Auditorium.

Today is at leisure. Amble through Broadway's honky-tonk scene or perhaps enjoy the gut-busting flavours of homegrown hot chicken and biscuits. This evening, the sounds of country music fill the air as we head to the Grand Ole Opry, home to America's longest-running live radio programme.

We head for the birthplace of rock 'n' roll and meet a musician and local specialist amidst the sounds of blues on Beale Street. This afternoon, perhaps join an optional visit to the National Civil Rights Museum, home to the former Lorraine Motel, where civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated.

Pay a visit to Sun Studios, which sought to immortalise the raw energy of Beale Street, recording the first rock 'n' roll single in 1951. Then worship at the altar of the King and head to Graceland, paying tribute to a man who changed the face of American popular music and culture. This evening, embark on a dining experience of your choice from a selection of local eateries. 

Visit the Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum before travelling to Natchez. Connect with locals as you meet Joe Stone in his 1850s home and visit the 1804 residence of Esther Carpenter, a former Four Seasons chef, with whom you'll enjoy a traditional three-course Deep South Be My Guest dinner with wine.

Dive into culture at Frogmore Plantation and make a difference as you learn about efforts to preserve the cotton plantation heritage of the Mississippi Delta. Continue through the Louisiana countryside to Oak Alley Plantation along a quarter mile canopy of 300-year-old oak trees. The spicy scents of Creole cuisine linger long after this evening's visit to the New Orleans School of Cooking where we enjoy a fun cooking demonstration and a regional meal of Creole cuisine.

Let the good times roll in New Orleans today, tracing the cosmopolitan history of one of America's oldest cities with a local specialist, stopping at City Park and one of the ornate above-ground cemeteries, a unique feature of this city built on swamplands. Spend the afternoon soaking up the laid-back vibes of The Big Easy.

Today is yours to explore the French, Spanish and Creole sights and sounds of New Orleans. If you're feeling adventurous, visit Marie Laveau's Historic Voodoo Museum which traces the mysteries, legends and traditions of voodoo. This evening, join your Travel Director and new friends for a Farewell Dinner at the famed Court of Two Sisters.

For now, it's 'Au Revoir' New Orleans, but not 'Adieu'. Take a transfer to New Orleans International Airport.