Boogie & Blues: The Southern U.S. By Design

On this 8-day tour through The South, spend your days your way. More turn-of-the-century architecture or another sweet tea? March in the footsteps of Civil Rights heroes or boogie through rhythm and blues? Harper Lee mysteries or Helen Keller histories? A Kayak on the tributaries or a schooner along the coast? No matter what floats your boat, with complimentary YourChoice excursions, y’all are in for a toe-tapping, lip-smacking, memory-packing ride from New Orleans to Nashville.

DAY 1: ARRIVE IN NEW ORLEANS
Welcome to New Orleans! At 6 pm, meet your Tour Director and traveling companions for a welcome drink.

DAY 2: NEW ORLEANS–WAVELAND–BAY ST. LOUIS–BILOXI
NEW ORLEANS City sightseeing with Local Guide this morning, followed by free time for lunch.
WAVELAND Visit the Ground Zero Hurricane Museum.
BAY ST. LOUIS Free time.
BILOXI Free time this afternoon before a regional dinner at a local restaurant.

DAY 3: BILOXI
BILOXI YourChoice Excursions include one of the following activities of your choice:

DELVE: Maritime Mississippi Queens
Experience an ocean of exhibits at the Maritime & Seafood Museum. Dive deep into the history of shrimping, oystering, recreational fishing, wetlands, marine resource management, charter boats, marine blacksmithing, wooden-boat building, net making, catboats/Biloxi skiff, shrimp-peeling machine and an in-depth collection of historic photographs and artifacts.

GAZE: Artistic Vision
A guided tour of the Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art celebrates the innovative and creative spirit of its namesake, Mississippi master ceramist George Ohr, aka "The Mad Potter of Biloxi." Predicting the ultimate recognition of his artistic genius, Ohr created innovative ceramic designs from 1883 to 1910, which became central to the artistic heritage of the Gulf South and American Art at large. More than 100 years later, Ohr is considered an early pioneer in the American modernist movement.

FLOAT: For the Birds
Follow us into the wild at the gateway to the Pascagoula River -the largest free-flowing river in continental U.S.--with a visit to the Pascagoula River Audubon Center. Through the efforts of The Nature Conservancy, this 70,000-acre wildlife sanctuary is home to a wealth of protected wildlife, including animals and plant life unique to the region, and more than 300 species of migrating birds. Watch for bald eagles, blue herons, pelicans, and the swallow-tailed kite, to name just a few in this beautiful bayou paradise. Your visit includes a 2-hour kayak float trip to spot the magnificent birds that call these waters home. ***This opton will only operate with a minimum of 6 people and must be pre-booked.
Afternoon sightseeing includes a guided tour of Jefferson Davis’ home and presidential library, Beauvoir. Free time this evening.

DAY 4: BILOXI–MONROEVILLE–MONTGOMERY
MONROEVILLE Sightseeing in the hometown of authors Truman Capote and Harper Lee includes the Old Courthouse Museum in the “Literary Capital of Alabama.” Learn how Monroeville served as the inspiration for Lee’s 1961 Pulitzer-Prize-winning “To Kill a Mockingbird,” examining the historical prejudice of the deep South and loosely based on the life of the author’s father—a state legislator and county lawyer who defended two black men accused of murdering a white storekeeper. Free time this afternoon.
MONTGOMERY Free time this evening.

DAY 5: MONTGOMERY
MONTGOMERY The capital of Alabama, Montgomery is historic as an important place in the fight for voting rights, with the Alabama State Capitol Building having served as the ending point of the third march for voting rights from Selma. See the sights with a Local Guide this morning, including the State Capitol Building, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, the Civil Rights Memorial, and the Rosa Parks Museum. Take a docent-led tour of the courthouse where Judge Frank M. Johnson Jr. first legalized the desegregation of buses in 1956 and ruled the march from Selma was a legal protest to be allowed in 1965 (based on availability). Next, enjoy true Southern comfort food with lunch at Martha’s Place—born of one woman’s dream to overcome personal adversity and give back to others in her native Montgomery. Feed your soul with authentic, made-from-scratch Southern specialties—from fried chicken to fried green tomatoes, to black-eyed peas and pecan pie.

DAY 6: MONTGOMERY–SELMA–BIRMINGHAM–FLORENCE (MUSCLE SHOALS)
MONTGOMERY Travel the National Historic Trail of 1966 between Montgomery and Selma, which served as the route of Dr. Martin Luther King’s 1965 Voting Rights March.
SELMA Visit the historic Brown Chapel A.M.E Church and walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge—a National Historic Landmark and site of the infamous “Bloody Sunday”—where over 600 non-violent marchers, led by the late Freedom Rider and Congressional Representative John Lewis, were brutally attacked by police while attempting to cross the bridge.
BIRMINGHAM Free time this afternoon before continuing to Muscle Shoals.
FLORENCE (MUSCLE SHOALS) Free time this evening.

DAY 7: FLORENCE (MUSCLE SHOALS)
FLORENCE (MUSCLE SHOALS) Join in a guided sightseeing tour of Florence—“the gem of the South”—and learn about the “Muscle Shoals Sound” produced here since the 1960s with state-of-the-art recording studios for iconic artists and producers. See the old town and the home of W.C. Handy—the “Father of the Blues.” See the original Muscle Shoals Sound Studios building, and tour the Alabama Music Hall of Fame with a docent. Enjoy free time this afternoon.

DAY 8: FLORENCE–NASHVILLE
This morning, travel to Nashville International Airport or the Westin Hotel Downtown. Please schedule departing flights after 1pm.

Please note: Pricing starts at $2,700 per person, double occupancy. Prices subject to change.

Guided by GT