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Dixieland And Rhythms With New Orleans Extension2012 Season
Departs From: Chicago |
From 1,382EUR |
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Length: 12 days from Chicago to New Orleans
Overview
The beautiful South comes alive on this wonderful vacation. Start your trip in Chicago and spend leisure time getting to know the city. See the famous Chicago landmarks on an included sightseeing tour before heading south to St. Louis, Missouri, known as the “Gateway to the West.” On your St. Louis tour, take a trip to the top of the towering Gateway Arch. Then cross the Mississippi River to Nashville, Tennessee, home of country music! A guided tour shows you Nashville’s most famous sites, including the recording studios on Music Row, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and legendary RCA Studio B, once the recording home of Elvis Presley. No vacation to Nashville is complete without a visit to the Grand Ole Opry, and you’ll have reserved seats for a Grand Ole Opry show! Travel to Memphis, “Home of the Blues,” a city with a distinct Southern flair. Enjoy an orientation tour and visit Graceland, Elvis Presley’s grand estate. Next, hop on the AMTRAK City of New Orleans train to Louisiana. Pass cotton fields and catfish ponds to the heart of Cajun country. Cruise through the waterways of Atchafalaya Basin, where you may spot alligators, before arriving in New Orleans. Spend three nights in New Orleans to get acquainted with the city. You’ll also receive a pass and roundtrip transportation to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. What a great way to end your musical vacation to the charming South.
Duration: 12 Days
Schedule:
All Tours are SOLD OUT for this season. Contact us about availablity for next season.
City Highlights
Sightseeing in Chicago, Nashville, and orientation tours in St. Louis and Memphis; Gateway Arch, Country Music Hall of Fame, RCA Studios, reserved seats at the Grand Ole Opry, Graceland, boat cruise through the Atchafalaya Basin.
Scenic Highlights
Mississippi River, Cajun Country, Louisiana Bayou Country.
Day 1 Chicago. Welcome to the “Windy City.” Enjoy time at leisure to relax or to do some independent exploring. Your Tour Director is on hand this evening to answer any questions.
Day 2 Chicago. Start the day with an included sightseeing tour and see all the landmarks of this exciting city. This afternoon is at leisure. Ride the elevator to the top of Sears Tower, stroll in Grant Park along the waterfront, or take an optional cruise on Lake Michigan. This evening you might enjoy dinner on the Navy Pier with its collection of shops and restaurants.
Day 3 Chicago–St. Louis. Travel across the fertile Illinois farmlands today to St. Louis, the “Gateway to the West.” Your orientation tour includes a trip to the top of the towering GATEWAY ARCH, which commemorates the city’s key role in westward expansion. Be sure to visit the museum under the Arch, celebrating the famous expedition of Lewis and Clark 200 hundred years ago.
Day 4 St. Louis–Nashville. Start today’s journey by re-crossing the Mississippi River and rolling southeast to Paducah on the Ohio River. Late-afternoon arrival in Nashville. Tonight you have reserved seats for a show at the world-famous GRAND OLE OPRY, a mecca for country musicians.
Day 5 Nashville. Start the day with a sightseeing tour of Nashville’s famous landmarks and the recording studios of Music Row. We’ll tour historic RCA STUDIO B, the cradle of the “Nashville Sound” in the 1960s. Hitmakers in Studio B include such stars as Dolly Parton, Elvis Presley, Chet Atkins, Eddy Arnold, Willie Nelson, and the Everly Brothers. Afterward, visit the COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME with its glittering costumes, rare instruments, and Elvis Presley’s “solid-gold” Cadillac!
Day 6 Nashville–Memphis. Cross Tennessee today to Memphis, the “Home of the Blues” and a city with a distinct Southern flavor. Enjoy an orientation tour on arrival. Join the optional excursion that visits famous Sun Studio, where rock ‘n’ roll was first recorded, followed by dinner at a local Memphis restaurant.
Day 7 Memphis. Graceland Visit. A good portion of the day is devoted to GRACELAND, Elvis Presley’s beautiful estate. Your platinum audio tour focuses on the splendid garden, private plane, and the opulent 15,000-squarefoot mansion. Return to Memphis mid-afternoon. Tonight you may want to visit a blues club on famous Beale Street.
Day 8 Memphis–Amtrak City Of New Orleans Train–Lafayette. Providing the locomotion for today’s journey through the state of Mississippi and into the Mississippi River delta is the CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, the famous train of story and song. Pass cotton fields and catfish ponds as the train enters Louisiana. In Hammond, leave the train and board a motorcoach for the short drive into the heart of Cajun Country to Lafayette, first settled by French-Acadian farmers expelled from Nova Scotia by the British in the 1700s.
Day 9 Lafayette–New Orleans. On to St. Martinville to see the famous oak tree from Longfellow’s poem, Evangeline. Next, board your boat for a CRUISE through the winding, swampy waterways of the Atchafalaya Basin. If you are lucky, you might spot alligators basking on the banks. Then, cross Bayou Country into New Orleans.
Day 10 New Orleans. The morning is dedicated to the sights and sounds of this Old World city. First, visit the French Quarter including St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson Square. Next, learn about the city’s unique burial customs at an above-ground cemetery, followed by a leisurely drive down historic St. Charles Avenue to enjoy its stately mansions and clanging streetcars. The afternoon and evening are free for independent activities.
Day 11 New Orleans. Dixieland sound was made popular throughout the world by New Orleans own Louis Armstrong. Today be part of the action at the 43rd Annual Jazz & Heritage Festival. Your 1-day pass let’s you experience some of the hottest names in music from around the world. Don t miss the food, crafts and music, which make this festival one of the best of its kind and the best Louisiana has to offer.Note:Roundtrip transportation to the Jazz Fest grounds is included in your Jazz Fest package.
Day 12 New Orleans. The trip ends today with guests departing on individual schedules. Transfers to the New Orleans International Airport are included.
Hotel Information: CHICAGO Essex Inn (MF), ST. LOUIS St. Louis Union Station Marriott (MD), NASHVILLE Radisson Hotel at Opryland (MF), MEMPHIS Crowne Plaza Memphis (MF), LAFAYETTE Holiday Inn Hotel (F), NEW ORLEANS Holiday Inn French Quarter (MF)
Guides
Services of a professional Tour Director; Local Guide for sightseeing in New Orleans.
Transportation
AMTRAK® City of New Orleans train from Memphis to Hammond; private, deluxe air-conditioned motorcoach while touring. |
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