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From Nashville to New Orleans: 7-Day Tennessee Music Trail – Nashville, Tennessee
Picture it – you’re jumping from Nashville to Memphis to New Orleans, laying down tracks at recording studios and hanging out at Graceland along the way.
EXPERIENCE:
Day 1: Nashville
Welcome to Tennessee! Your adventure begins in Nashville – an energetic city celebrating boot-scooting, whiskey shooting and rootin’-tootin’ country music like nowhere else. Kick off your trip with a welcome meeting at 6 pm, where you’ll meet up with your leader and the other travellers. After, head out on a leader-led walking tour of the city to get your bearings and then join your group for an optional welcome dinner.
Day 2: Nashville
This morning after breakfast, 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 and contains Elvis’ gold Cadillac (among other impressive memorabilia). Then, cruise across town to Studio B, where Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Roy Orbison and ‘The King’ Elvis Presley have all laid tracks – today, you’ll even 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.
Day 3: Memphis
Hit the road this morning and make tracks for Memphis – a city overflowing with musical history and legends. Your first stop is the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. Here at the original location of Stax Records in downtown Memphis, you’ll learn the story of the Memphis sound where stars like Otis Redding and Isaac Hayes got their starts. You’ll even have a chance to cut a rug on their dance floor as you listen to Stax tracks. The rest of the day is yours to discover the sights and sounds of Memphis.
Day 4: Memphis
After breakfast this morning, you’ll head to 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. Then you’ll visit Memphis’s most iconic site – Graceland! Elvis’s former home and final resting place, a visit to Graceland is like stepping back into the 1970s, with a glamourous and kitschy twist.
Day 5: New Orleans
Today you’ll be road-tripping from Memphis to New Orleans, arriving in the afternoon. When you arrive, join a local expert for a Black Heritage & Jazz tour to explore sites like Congo Square, known as the birthplace of jazz, Louis Armstrong Park, and the Tremé neighbourhood with time for shopping on Bayou Street. The evening is yours to explore further.
Day 6: New Orleans
This morning, enjoy a leisurely breakfast and a free day to explore New Orleans at your own pace. Then later this afternoon, you’ll discover the food in New Orleans is some of the best in the country, and today you’ll learn about Creole and Cajun cuisine at a local cooking school. Find out how to create one of the region’s most beloved dishes with a demonstration, then get hands-on and try it yourself. Tuck into the finished product for dinner with your group.
• Day 7: New Orleans
This morning after breakfast, your trip comes to an end.
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:
Walk in famous footsteps at the ‘Birthplace of Rock ‘n’ Roll’
Discover a kitschy world of Southern glitz and glamour at Graceland
Get to know the real New Orleans during a Jazz tour
Learn to cook a classic New Orleans Cajun feast for a true taste of Louisiana
Explore thousands of upcoming events, local tours, top restaurants, and the best places to stay in Tennessee. You can also check out our dedicated city guide for Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis, and Nashville.