Southern USA Sights and Sounds is a great 14 days tour you won’t forget

Titan’s VIP door-to-door travel service collects you from home for your flight to Atlanta. On arrival our coach transfers you to the Sheraton Atlanta 4*

This morning we take a tour of the city forever associated with ‘Gone with the Wind’. It includes sites which were important to Martin Luther King Jr and a visit to the national memorial dedicated to the leader of the American civil rights movement. We journey to Chattanooga and check into our hotel, the Hampton Inn Downtown 3* plus

Railway enthusiasts still flock to this town, which has the largest old-time steam railroad in the south. Today we board an equally exciting means of transport – The Incline Railway – which runs steeply up Lookout Mountain and affords wonderful views of terrain fought over during the American Civil War. The rest of the day is free for you to make your own discoveries.

This morning we travel to the small town of Lynchburg to tour the Jack Daniel’s Distillery where every bottle of the famous sippin’ whiskey has been produced since 1866. Interestingly, no liquor can be consumed in this famous location due to a law held over from the prohibition era. After our tour we transfer to Nashville and the Gaylord Opryland Resort (4*) our base for the next two nights.

Nashville is a city of contrasts, famous as the country music capital of the world. It is also called the ‘Athens of the South’ having, as it does, the only full-scale replica of the Greek Parthenon. Our morning tour introduces you to the facets of the city including the Parthenon replica, Studio B, and the Country Music Hall of Fame. This evening we experience the mecca of Country and Western Music, The Grand Ole Opry – America’s longest-running scheduled show having never missed a Saturday performance since it was first broadcast on radio in 1925.

Today we travel south to Tupelo and the Elvis Presley Birthplace Museum. Here we have time to explore the humble two-roomed shack where Elvis lived in his early years and the small museum. Later we continue to Memphis, home of Elvis Presley and WC Handy who, after publishing ‘Memphis Blues’ in 1912 followed by ‘St Louis Blues’ and ‘Beale St Blues’, became known as the ‘Father of the Blues’. On arrival, after a brief orientation tour, we check into the Holiday Inn Memphis-Downtown (3* plus) for the next two nights.

This morning we experience a true highlight of the holiday as we visit legendary Graceland, home of Elvis Presley. The Elvis Experience Tour is included, allowing you to explore the mansion and grounds of his estate. This is a well-presented audio walking tour which has an emotional conclusion at his final resting place. Your ticket also includes the Elvis Presley Automobile Museum and his lavish aeroplanes. You are free in Memphis for the remainder of the day and you may wish to visit the famous Peabody Hotel and watch the daily parade of ducks at the lobby fountain.

We follow Ol’ Man River to Natchez, central port for the cotton trade in the early 18th century, whose many grand mansions and estates bear witness to the wealth of those days. These homes indicate the sumptuous scale of society life, reminiscent of a film set from ‘Gone with the Wind’. We visit the Frogmore Cotton Plantation, which shows the contrast of working here as a planter or slave in the early 1800s, through to modern methods aided with the revolution of technology. We continue to the Natchez Grand Hotel (4*).

Visit Stanton Hall, a palatial Greek Revival residence which was occupied by Union troops during the Civil War and later became a college, before being restored to its former antebellum splendour. We cross into Louisiana, taking a shortcut over the spectacular Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, one of the world’s longest overwater bridges at nearly 24 miles. Arrive in New Orleans and our hotel, the Sheraton (4*), New Orleans or DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel New Orleans (4*). The remainder of the day is at leisure.

A free day to sample the delights of New Orleans, Nashville’s natural rival as Southern America’s great city of music, though here the traditional jazz has a flavour of its own. The French Quarter has a number of pleasant bars and restaurants with patios for dining al fresco. This evening you have the option to cruise and dine and enjoy a traditional jazz band on board The Natchez Steamboat on the Mississippi River.

Today is another day at leisure for you to explore all New Orleans has to offer. As the birthplace of jazz, many musical legends call it home; and with its colourful mix of culture and lively bohemian atmosphere you cannot fail to fall in love with it.

We start early for Montgomery, stopping in Monroeville, the Literary Capital of Alabama, for time to explore the town and old courthouse, made famous by the film of Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’. We continue to our hotel, the Renaissance Montgomery (4*) or DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Montgomery Downtown (4*), located in the heart of downtown Montgomery with several restaurants within walking distance.

Montgomery was an influential city in Alabama’s history. Jefferson Davis took the oath of office as President in the Capitol building and Dr Martin Luther King, Jr served as minister in Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church. A tour takes you on a journey through Montgomery’s rich history, focusing on the 1960s American Civil Rights Movement and pausing at the restored parsonage that once served as the home of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. We’ll also visit the Hank Williams Museum. Later, we transfer to the airport for your return flight to the UK.

Upon arrival, your Titan vehicle will be waiting for the journey home.