Southern Grace

Southern Grace
Enjoy everything from rock ‘n roll to Creole cuisine on this 9-Day guided tour that stretches from Nashville to New Orleans. In the birthplace of country music, take a tour of historic Studio B, in Nashville, with a professional sound engineer, who will record you and your fellow travelers singing for a once-in-a-lifetime keepsake. Later, visit the Country Music Hall of Fame on private tour and meet a local singer who will give you a behind-the-scenes look at the songwriting process. In Memphis, marvel at the mansion where Elvis once lived: Graceland. At the Houmas House plantation, take part in a Creole cooking demonstration, then feast on traditional Southern dishes for dinner. Allow a Local Expert to lead you through New Orleans’ best sites, from bustling Jackson Square to idyllic City Park.


Dining Summary

• 3 Dinner (D)
• 8 Breakfast (B)
• 2 Lunch (L)

Choice Highlights

• Choose between two carefully selected activities
• Memphis: Explore Sun Studios, “The Birthplace of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” on a guided tour led take-home song. At this circa 1950 recording studio, stand in the very same spot Elvis and other musical legends including B.B. King, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Charlie Feathers, Ray Harris, Warren Smith, Charlie Rich, and Jerry Lee Lewis first recorded.
• Memphis: Learn about the slave trade, runaway slaves and the message system and travel patterns of escaping slaves at the Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum or Burkle Estate. Time travel back through the history of the Deep South to the pre-Civil War era when you step inside the main house once used as a shelter for slaves along the Underground Railroad and owned by Jacob Burkle, part of the antislavery movement and an aid to those trying to escape slavery.
• Choose between two carefully selected activities
• Natchez: Awaken your imagination on a private tour of an antebellum mansion. Explore the interior and grounds as you learn about its past and distinct architectural style. This 1850’s Greek-Revival cottage on 10 acres near Natchez’s historic downtown is the beloved home of a local who is eager to show off their stunning property. Take in the architecture and wander among the expansive gardens, certified as a Wildlife Habitat and a member of the Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail.
• Natchez: Visit Dunleith Historic Inn,  a National Historic Landmark built in 1855 that remains Mississippi’s sole example of a pre-civil-war mansion. Join the Bar Manager at Castle Pub for a mixology class on two seasonal cocktails as you learn the history of each cocktail and the ingredients. After the demonstration relax and sip on the delicious final product.
• Choose between two carefully selected activities
• New Orleans: Tour Mardi Gras World’s Blaine Kern Studios, a workshop that has created breathtaking floats for Mardi Gras and other parades around the world since 1947. With your all-access pass, wind through the massive studio where artists and architects build Mardi Gras floats from the ground up. Viewing floats, colorful costumes and props, you’ll learn about the history of this unique and festive tradition, going beyond its reputation and getting a deeper understanding of the real Mardi Gras.
• New Orleans: Embark on an immersive tour of World War II through the exhibits, multimedia experiences and thousands of personal accounts at the National World War II Museum. You’ll learn not only about the role of world leaders, but also the everyday men and women who fought. Through experiences such as the 4D film Beyond All Boundaries, go on a journey through the war that changed the world.

Additional Included Highlights

• : You will be escorted by one of our fine Travel Concierges, handpicked to serve as your expert guide, consummate organiser, and friend overseas.
• : Personal radio headsets give you the freedom to wander during visits to famous highlights, without missing any of your Local Expert’s fascinating commentary, available on departures with 15 or more guests.
• : At every hotel, you’ll be treated to seamless baggage handling, with prompt delivery inside your room.
• : Hotel and restaurant tips are included – you’ll never have to worry about how much to give, nor search for foreign currency. We also include all taxes and porterage charges at hotels.
• : Stay connected with friends and family with our complimentary coach and hotel Wi-Fi (where available).

Exceptional Dining

• Nashville: Get acquainted with Nashville’s burgeoning food scene as you join your Traveling Concierge for a Welcome Dinner at Henley’s modern American brasserie where inventive small plates and entrées using classical French technique meet sociable Southern dining. Perhaps start with a grilled broccolini Caesar salad followed by American Wagyu strip or parsnip gnocchi before finishing with banana pudding. Raise a glass with one of their signature cocktails such as “Queen’s Cure” and “Henley G & T” and toast to a grand adventure ahead.
• Natchez: Learn to make the signature drink of the South, the Mint Julep, before an elegant, three-course Southern dinner at the Monmouth Historic Inn and Gardens, a National Historic Landmark in Natchez. As you take in your surroundings of this early 19th-century antebellum mansion set in within manicured gardens, let the flavors of the “Crown Julep” show off the best of the South.
• New Orleans: Dive into a hands-on private cooking class at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, where students of the Deelightful Roux School of Cooking learn basic culinary techniques such as sautéing, boiling, flambé and handy knife skills. The Creole and Cajun cuisine will be taught by New Orleans very own Chef Dee Lavigne. Enjoy a fun and educational, hands-on culinary journey as you discover some of New Orleans most famou…