Nashville to New Orleans

Tuesday 12 May

An evening departure on an Air New Zealand flight direct to Houston. After crossing the date line arrive the same day late afternoon. Transfer to your inner city hotel. 

Wednesday 13 May

After breakfast depart on a city tour which includes the Museum District, downtown, NRG Stadium and Memorial Park which stretches along the water trail system. This afternoon continue to the Amazon Fulfilment Centre to explore what happens when you make an order with the global company Amazon. An eye-opening experience. Tonight a welcome dinner. 

Thursday 14 May

This morning visit the NASA Johnson Space centre. Take a tram tour to mission control, explore astronaut exhibits and the Saturn V Rocket.  Afternoon free to explore on your own. 

Optional Experience – Baseball Approx. USD$110 - Tonight the Houston Astros are playing the Seattle Mariners in the all American game of baseball.  The atmosphere and experience will be a tour highlight. 

Friday 15 May

A leisurely morning before a transfer to the airport and fly to Nashville. Welcome to Music City! On arrival transfer to your accommodation for the night. 

Saturday 16 May

This morning a visit to RCA Studio B, Nashville’s oldest recording studio. Then, enjoy a sightseeing tour of Nashville. See the legendary recording and performing venues of Music Row and Honky Tonk Row. Then visit the Country Music Hall of Fame to see its collection of costumes, memorabilia, instruments, and photographs. Tonight, you have reserved seats for an unforgettable show at the world-famous Grand Ole Opry, the mecca for country musicians.

The legendary RCA Studio B is a hallowed hall of recording history where legends including Elvis Presley, Chet Atkins, Dolly Parton, and the Everly Brothers laid down classic tracks in Nashville’s oldest recording studio. Between 1957 and 1977, more than 35,000 songs were recorded here, making their mark on the musical landscape of America. 

Sunday 17 May

This morning, depart for Memphis, “Home of the Blues,” and visit Sun Studio, one of the most famous recording studios in the world, where rock ‘n’ roll was first recorded. Then, visit the Stax Museum of American Soul Music before dinner at a local restaurant.

Monday 18 May

See all the landmarks of Memphis today before we travel onto Elvis Presley’s Graceland.  Explore Elvis’ original business office, his vast collection of gold records and awards, and the Meditation Garden, where Elvis and members of his family have been laid to rest. See Elvis’ collection of ornate jumpsuits and capes, the automobile museum, and his collection of airplanes! 

Tuesday 19 May

Today, follow the mighty Mississippi River deep into the heart of the Mississippi Delta, the “Birthplace of the Blues.” Visit the Delta Blues Museum, before a special lunch with a local musician at the Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale. After lunch, continue to Greenwood, where many of its buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Enjoy a special overnight stay at the historic Alluvian Hotel, originally opened in 1917, newly renovated, the hotel is a luxurious respite on the Mississippi Blues Trail.

Wednesday 20 May

This morning travel to Indianola to visit the B.B. King Museum, hometown of the legendary musician. Continue south to Natchez and enjoy dinner tonight at a local restaurant.

Thursday 21 May

First stop today is the Delta Music Museum to hear stories about Jerry Lee Lewis, Mickey Gilley, Conway Twitty, and other Louisiana Delta musicians. Then, head through Louisiana into the heart of Cajun Country for a visit to the historic Frogmore Plantation. Continue to Lafayette and partake in a unique musical experience at Cypress Cove Landing, on the banks of the Atchafalaya Basin.

Learn about the trials and triumphs of American history with an enlightening tour of Frogmore Plantation. An 1800-acre working cotton plantation, Frogmore has 19 restored antebellum (pre-Civil War) structures that date from the early 1800’s. Learn the history of the early Natchez planters, their slaves, the Civil War and the emergence of sharecropping. A fascinating look at Southern history.

Friday 22 May

This morning we take a cruise through the swampy waterways of the Atchafalaya Basin. Larger than the Florida Everglades, the Atchafalaya Basin is home to moss-draped trees, and a wealth of wildlife. We continue on to the Great River Road and visit Houmas House Plantation known as the “Crown Jewel of the Great River Road”. Enjoy lunch at the plantation followed by a mansion tour. Continue to New Orleans for a 4 night stay.

Saturday 23 May

After breakfast a guided sightseeing tour of the French Quarter, so rich in French and Spanish Creole culture that it spills out onto Bourbon Street with the sounds of kitchens, bars and blues bands filling the fragrant Southern air. This afternoon is free to explore before dinner at a local restaurant. 

Sunday 24 May

Today a day at leisure. Why not return to Bourbon Street and follow your own tastes with a craft cocktail walking tour or explore the National World War II Museum. Maybe take time to explore the Garden District or take a swamp tour to see the wildlife. Then finish the day with a culinary experience like no other - gumbo, jambalaya, po’boys, crawfish étouffée, and beignets from the iconic Café du Monde. 

Monday 25 May

After a leisurely morning take a lunchtime cruise along the Mississippi River featuring great jazz and delicious food. 

Tuesday 26 May

Today we say goodbye to New Orleans and fly to Houston and connect with the direct Air New Zealand flight home.

Cross the dateline

Thursday 28 May

An early morning arrival into Auckland. Welcome home.