Best of the South: Atlanta to New Orleans

Welcome to Atlanta! At 10am there’ll be a group meeting where you’ll get to meet your leader and get an overview of the next couple of days. After the meeting, it’s time to immerse yourself in 33 acres of historic houses, gardens and award-winning exhibitions with a specialist guide at the Atlanta History Center where you’ll explore the past like never before. The center is part of a global network of historic sites and museums that connect past struggles to today’s movements for human rights. Next, head to the Martin Luther King Jr National Historic Site where you’ll learn more about where Martin Luther King was born and where he lived and worked, as well as his legacy as a leader. Wrap up the day with a welcome dinner – the perfect chance to get to know your group better.

Included Activities:
-Atlanta - Martin Luther King Jr National Historic Site
-Atlanta - Atlanta History Centre – Curated private tour

Mornin' sunshine! Hit the road bright and early and make the five-hour journey to Savannah. In 1946, Lady Astor referred to Savannah as 'a beautiful lady with a dirty face', in reference to the crumbling, faded majesty of the city's 18th- and 19th-century mansions. Due to plenty of restoration work, Savannah's face may no longer be dirty, but she's still a city of contradictions. Enjoy free time for the rest of the day. In the evening, perhaps head out on a ghost tour of old Savannah, then maybe seek out spirits of a different kind at one of the city’s many local haunts.

Take it easy this morning before meeting up at 11am for a three-hour walking tour which blends the city’s history with some of its best and most delicious eats. This fascinating food tour visits spots like a not-so-ordinary pub, an award-winning honey store, and a traditional British pie shop highlighting dishes consumed by some of Savannah’s earliest settlers. This afternoon is all yours so make the most of it! You could join a walking tour to learn more about the town’s slave and cotton trade, immerse yourself in its underreprented history or jump on a Hop-On Hop-Off trolley tour around town.

Included Activities:
-Savannah – Walking Food tour

Leave Savannah in the rear-view mirror and drive two hours to Charleston. On arrival, you might like to grab some lunch before joining a Black History walking tour with an expert local guide. Discover the ‘lost stories’ of Charleston's rich history as you stroll around town and immerse yourself in its complex past. If time permits, you could continue your exploration with a ferry trip to Fort Sumter to see where the Civil War started or join a food tour and check out the local drinking and dining scene.

Included Activities:
-Charleston – Black History walking tour with a local guide

Bid farewell to Charleston and drive to the McLeod Plantation and Historic Site where everyone’s stories are given their due. Here you can learn about the daily lives of those who were free – and the people who were not - and those who worked here before and after slavery. Tracing the struggle for freedom at this site provides a deeper insight into American history as a whole. From here, it’s a five-hour drive through the Blue Ridge Mountains to the charming town of Asheville. Home to the country’s best breweries and some of North Carolina’s finest barbecue, Asheville also boasts an incredible folk music scene. Arriving in the mid-afternoon, you’ll be given an orientation tour by your leader to help you get your bearings. Tonight, you may like to join your group for a good ol’ fashioned BBQ dinner at Buxton Hall.

Included Activities:
-James Island - McLeod Plantation and Historic Site guided tour

Make the scenic drive to Nashville, arriving in the country music capital after lunch. On arrival, you’ll be introduced to this famous toe tapping town with an orientation tour. Get your bearings and then enjoy a free afternoon exploring this famous town. You might like to visit the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, explore the Tennessee State Museum, or drop into a distillery for a tasting or two. Tonight we’ll regroup for a final finger lickin’ good dinner on a barbecue, beer and bourbon foodie adventure with an expert guide. Think house-smoked meats, southern-inspired spirits, traditional southern sides and frosty seasonal beers – the perfect way to toast the end of your trip!

Included Activities:
-Nashville - BBQ and Whiskey dinner
-Nashville – Leader led walking tour

After breakfast it’s time to dive straight into the city’s history with a visit to the Country Music Hall of Fame. This fabulous piano-shaped building is a work of art in itself, and contains Elvis’s gold Cadillac among other impressive memorabilia. While here you’ll pay a visit to Studio B – Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Roy Orbison and “The King” Elvis Presley have all laid tracks in this studio, and today you’ll be joining this prestigious list. Meet with a professional sound engineer for your own recording session and find out what it takes to create the Nashville sound. Enjoy a free afternoon to explore the city – you may like to check out the Nashville murals, visit the much-loved Goo Goo candy store, or swing by the Johnny Cash Museum. Get back together in the evening for an optional dinner with your group (at own expense) and leader at a local restaurant.

Included Activities:
-Nashville - Country Music Hall of Fame + Studio B Tour

Hit the road this morning and make tracks for Memphis, Tennessee, a city overflowing with musical history and legends. If time allows, your first stop on arrival will be Sun Studio. This studio may be tiny, but its impact on the world of music is immeasurable. BB King, Johnny Cash, Howlin' Wolf and Elvis Presley have all recorded here, and the studio claims to be the 'Birthplace of Rock 'n' Roll' (and they may just be right!). The rest of the day is yours to discover the sights and sounds of Memphis. No visit to this city would be complete without checking out Beale Street, lined with traditional blues clubs – ask your leader where the locals hang out so you can avoid the tourist hotspots.

Included Activities:
-Memphis - Sun Studio Visit

After breakfast this morning, head to Memphis’s most iconic site – Graceland! Elvis’s former home and his final resting place, a visit to Graceland is like stepping back into the 1970s, with a glamourous and kitschy twist. Explore a fascinating world of green shag-carpet ceilings and yellow vinyl walls while getting a sneak peek into the glitzy side of the Deep South. Then it’s time for a change of pace as you leave Graceland and visit the National Civil Rights Museum at the former Lorraine Motel – where Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated – for a dose of history that is both confronting and inspirational. The rest of the afternoon is free for your own discoveries – your leader will have some tips on how to get the most out of this lively city.

Included Activities:
-Memphis - Graceland, The Home of Elvis Presley
-Memphis - National Civil Rights Museum

Today you’ll be road-tripping from Memphis to New Orleans, enjoying some charming Southern scenery along the way. Stop off en route to tuck into some classic Southern food for lunch, then arrive into New Orleans in the early afternoon. Jazz is not just a part of the city’s history – it’s alive and kicking today. You will join a local expert guide as you take a scenic stroll around the beautiful Louis Armstrong park and check out Frenchmen Street’s most happening music venues.

The evening is yours to further explore this fascinating city – your leader will have some great recommendations on where to grab a bite to eat and listen to live music.

Included Activities:
-New Orleans - Jazz Music Tour

Today begins with a visit to the Whitney Plantation, where you’ll learn about what life was like for those enslaved on a Louisiana sugarcane plantation. With a focus on the lives of slaves rather than the opulent house the slave owners lived in, exploring this plantation is a sobering and eye-opening experience. You’ll then enjoy an afternoon at leisure – you may like to see a wilder side of the city and take a kayaking tour through the surrounding swamps. This evening you’re in for a real treat – not only famed for its music scene, the food in New Orleans is some of the best in the country. This evening you’ll learn how to create one of the region’s most beloved dishes, a crawfish boil, then tuck into the finished product for your dinner. Perhaps take the chance to reminisce with your group about all you’ve seen, heard and tasted on your adventure.

Included Activities:
-New Orleans - Cooking Class
-New Orleans – Plantation Tour

Just like a good song, your adventure must come to an end, with things wrapping up this morning. If you’d like to spend more time exploring New Orleans, just get in touch ahead of time and we can arrange additional accommodation (subject to availability).