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Welcome to New Orleans. The heart and soul of the Crescent City is the picturesque French Quarter, known originally as the Vieux Carré. Enjoy its decorative balconied buildings, antique shops, great restaurants and, of course, the jazz clubs. Ride the famed streetcars and see the charming Garden District.
Day 3:
New Orleans to Natchez
(175 miles/280 km)
Travel to Natchez, the oldest permanent settlement on the Mississippi River and once home to more millionaires than anywhere in the USA. Enjoy a walking tour of some of the 500 antebellum (re-Civil War) structures. Watch the sunset over Ol' Man River and sample Natchez-Under-The-Hill, once known for its saloons and gambling, now offering bars, restaurants, gift shops and casino gambling.
Day 4: Natchez
Take a horse-drawn carriage ride through downtown Natchez and travel back in time to the elegance of the "Old South" as you tour the beautiful plantation homes. For a special treat you might want to stay overnight in one of these antebellum mansions and experience first-hand their distinctive comfort and charm. Visit the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians and discover the long history of this once-great civilization.
Day 5 & 6:
Natchez to Vicksburg
(70 miles/112 km)
Discover rural Mississippi and the warm hospitality of the quaint and historic town of Port Gibson en route to Vicksburg. Learn about the battle of Vicksburg, turning point in the Civil War, as you tour the vast Military Park. Then visit Vicksburg's Old Court House Museum or Coca-Cola Museum or relax on a boating excursion on the Mississippi River.
Day 7:
Vicksburg to Clarksdale
(200 miles/320 km)
Today journey north on Highway 61 into the Mississippi Delta, the birthplace of the Blues and Mississippi's agricultural area. From Vicksburg travel to Greenville and Washington County, home of Jim Henson's Kermit the Frog. Visit the Winterville Mounds State Park, one of the largest Indian Mound Groups in the Mississippi Valley. Then continue on to enjoy the history of the Blues with memorabilia from such Mississippi greats at Muddy Waters and B.B. King at the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale. Across the street enjoy live Blues entertainment at Ground Zero, actor Morgan Freeman's new juke joint. Or spend the evening at the fastest-growing gambling destination in the USA - Tunica - where 9 casinos offer all the excitement, top-name entertainment, fabulous food and lodging of Las Vegas.
Day 8:
Clarksdale to Memphis
(70 miles/112 km)
Welcome to the home of the Blues and birthplace of Rock 'n' Roll. Visit Graceland, Elvis' beloved mansion, see his two private jets and fantastic Automobile Museum. Don't miss the tour of famous Sun Studio and be sure to see the new Smithsonian Rock 'n' Roll Museum and the Gibson Guitar Factory. Then dance the night away at any of the clubs on historic Beale Street.
Day 9:
Memphis to Nashville
(210 miles/336 km)
Drive east across Tennessee to Music City USA but do stop en route at the Casey Jones Village in Jackson, also home to Carl Perkins of Blue Suede Shoes fame. In Nashville see the legendary Grand Ole Opry, the $37 million Country Music Hall of Fame and be sure to hear some live music at a classic honky tonk like Tootsie's Orchid Lounge. Kick up your heels to the Country sounds at the Wildhorse Saloon or take a cabaret dinner cruise aboard the General Jackson Showboat on the Cumberland River.
Day 10:
Nashville to Tupelo
(240 miles/384 km)
Travel from Nashville to Tupelo via the scenic Natchez Trace Parkway, an historic trail originally "traced out" by buffalo and later used as a trading route. In Tupelo you can visit the humble two-room birthplace of Elvis, the Elvis Presley Memorial Chapel and the Elvis Presley Museum. Also worth a visit is the Tupelo City Museum, which showcases the local history of the Chickasaw Indians.
Day 11:
Tupelo to Jackson (200 miles/320 km)
Continue along the Natchez Trace Parkway to Jackson, Mississippi's capital city. On the way visit French Cap where you'll find period artefacts housed in authentic log cabins, a restored antebellum home and an operating sorghum mill. Then stop at Kosciusko Visitors Center to learn about the history of the area that TV star Oprah Winfrey called home. Take a driving tour of downtown Jackson and visit Mississippi Governor's Mansion and the Old Capitol Historical Museum. Also tour Jim Buck Ross Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum, which features a re-creation of "small town Mississippi" as it would have existed in the 1920s.
Day 12 & 13: Jackson to Mississippi's Gulf Coast
(200 miles/320 km)
Head south to the Mississippi Gulf Coast for two days of relaxation in an area combining small-town friendliness, antique shops, history and coastal cuisine with casino gaming and entertainment, golf courses and 26 miles of white sand beaches. Tour Beauvoir,the final home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, or take a ferry to Ship Island and Fort Massachusetts, located 12 miles out in the Gulf of Mexico and the site of a beautiful pristine beach. Discover the unique surrounding towns and great antique shops of Pass Christian, Bay St. Louis and Waveland, or visit the quaint town of Ocean Springs, a haven for local artists.
Day 14: Mississippi's Gulf Coast to New Orleans
(90 miles/145 km)
Travel back to New Orleans fore your return flight home.
