Today you will arrive in the amazing city of New Orleans! Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, a French explorer, founded New Orleans in 1718. New Orleans is also the largest city in Louisiana, located next to the Mississippi River. The city, also known as "Big Easy", is famous for its exceptional music scene, the Mardi Gras festival, the nightlife and the unique “Cajun style” cuisine. In addition, New Orleans has a wide range of different types of museums, and you can discover the beautiful nature in New Orleans and its surroundings. After arriving at the airport, you can take a taxi to your hotel to check in. Depending on your arrival time, you can explore the city and enjoy a dinner in many of New Orleans’ fantastic restaurants. We are more than happy to give you recommendations for breakfast, lunch, dinner, music and Jazz Clubs! New Orleans offers several fantastic attractions and museums. Another great attraction is New Orleans’ City Park. This huge park has a wide range of attractions, but is also the perfect place for a walk to enjoy the nature. Visit the carousel, play miniature golf in the park, check out the Botanical Garden, see beautiful sculptures, kayak on Big Lake or visit Storyland, where fairytales and cartoon characters come to life. There is something for everyone to explore in this beautiful park! We also recommend a walking or trolley tour (this is added to your package) of the Garden District. Here you can peek at some of the city's most beautiful homes. As its name suggests, this historic residential neighborhood is laden with trees, ivy, and gardens. Those beautiful houses and architecture are definitely worth a visit.

Accommodation:

• Mid-Range Accommodation: 3* Hotel

New Orleans offers a wide arrange of evening entertainment. Here are some ideas of evening activities that should not be missed when in New Orleans. A great area to spend the evening in New Orleans is lively Frenchmen Street. This is a popular spot (more filled with locals) with live music, bars, art galleries and night clubs. A must-visit in New Orleans is the famous Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. Bourbon Street attracts millions of visitors every year and is known for its great live music venues, unique restaurants and bars. When you walk along Bourbon Street, take a look at the Music Legends Park, which is dedicated to New Orleans' musical and cultural heritage and features bronze statues of local musicians. Another fantastic activity is a jazz dinner cruise on the authentic steamboat “Natchez” on the Mississippi River. This name comes from several steamers and naval ships, all named after the Mississippi, the city of Natchez or the Natchez population. This steamboat has been sailing on The Mississippi since 1975. On this two-hour cruise, three New Orleans traditions come together: the music, the delectable dishes and the Mississippi River. We have added the tickets for this experience to your package. In the evening, you can also visit the Preservation Hall, located in the French Quarter. More than 350 jazz shows are held here annually. Please note that tickets must be purchased in advance. Close by, you’ll find a bar called Pat O’Briens, which is famous as it is the bar that invented the famous cocktail “Hurricane”.

Meals: Dinner

Accommodation:

• Mid-Range Accommodation: 3* Hotel

The next day, we added a unique New Orleans experience in your package: A Jazz brunch at the Court of two Sisters. This legendary restaurant offers fantastic creole and Cajun cuisine while enjoying fantastic live Jazz music. Choose from over 60 Buffet menu items and enjoy the atmosphere in the beautiful, spacious courtyard. After that, you can explore the French Quarter and visit Jackson Square. This is a well-known historical square in the heart of the French Quarter. In the center of the square is a statue of Andrew Jackson, the seventh President of the United States and former General of the United States Army. The park has a view of the Mississippi River, the Presbytère Museum, St. Louis Cathedral, and the Pontalbla Apartments. You can also visit the beautiful National Historic Landmark Longue Vue House and Gardens. Admire this beautiful house and see what the lifestyle of the wealthy was like in the 1930s and 1940s. The estate also has eight acres of beautiful gardens that you can visit.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

• Mid-Range Accommodation: 3* Hotel

A very popular festival in New Orleans is the Mardi Gras festival. During this festival people dress up and parades with floats are held. In 2020, Mardi Gras had 54 parades, 588 fanfares, 1061 floats and more than 135,000 participants. In the Mardi Gras World museum you can see what it takes to organize Mardi Gras every year. During the tour you will learn about the history of Mardi Gras, see beautiful floats, and you can even have your picture taken with a costume! You can also discover the nature and other beautiful places outside New Orleans, for example by visiting one of the many plantations or joining a Swamp Tour. Visit the Oak Alley plantation, a plantation from 1839 and one of the most famous plantations along the Mississippi River. This plantation was used as a film location in many movies. Another unique experience is a Swamp Tour. On this tour, you will cruise down the bayou on an airboat and see animals such as alligators, fish and snakes. You will get to know the Louisiana bayou, and you will learn about the different types of flora and fauna that surrounds you. These tours are included in your package.

Accommodation:

• Mid-Range Accommodation: 3* Hotel

Today you will leave New Orleans, pick up your rental car and drive to Memphis, Tennessee! Memphis is known for its Blues and Rock 'n' Roll scene, as well as Graceland, Elvis Presley's estate. A visit to Graceland cannot be missed when you are in Memphis. Elvis lived in Graceland for 20 years, until his death. During your visit, you can fully immerse yourself in the roots and influences of Elvis Presley. Graceland includes the home of Elvis, Elvis: The Entertainer Career Museum, the Presley Motors Automobile Museum and several exhibitions, including one about his childhood and one about his love for American Football. We are happy to add the entrance tickets to your proposal. Memphis offers several music museums and is therefore the perfect destination for music lovers. You could bring a visit to the Stax Museum of American Soul, the Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum, the Memphis Music Hall of Fame or the Blues Hall of Fame. Sun Studio is also based in Memphis. Well-known artists, such as Elvis Presley, U2, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis, have recorded their songs in this studio.

Accommodation:

• Mid-Range Accommodation: 3* Hotel

Another interesting museum in Memphis is the National Civil Rights Museum. This museum used to be the Lorraine Motel, the motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered in 1968. In 1991 the museum, which draws visitors into the history of the struggle for equal rights of African Americans, opened. There are also several places of interest in Memphis for nature lovers, such as the Memphis Botanic Garden, the Dixon Gallery & Gardens or the Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park. In the evening, you should definitely visit Beale Street, a street that offers several restaurants and bars with jazz, blues, soul and rock 'n' roll music. Here you can fully enjoy (live) music and the Memphis “vibes”.

Accommodation:

• Mid-Range Accommodation: 3* Hotel

Today you will drive from Memphis to Nashville. Once you arrive in Nashville, you will return your rental car. Nashville is also known as the ‘’Music City of the United States’’. Nashville has a very diverse music culture, from country music to gospel to R&B to jazz. A must-see in Nashville is the Grand Ole Opry, a live show where country singers perform to audiences. People can also listen to the show on the radio. The Grand Ole Opry honors the history and present of country music. Please let us know if you wish to add a show to your offer, it is definitely worth a visit. Nashville also has several music-related museums. There is the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum and the Johnny Cash Museum. The Ryman Auditorium is also a popular attraction where many careers began. This is also the place where Johnny Cash met his wife, June Carter. The Ryman Auditorium has guided tours and shows are still being played. Please contact us for details. Andrew Jackson's house, called The Hermitage, can also be found in Nashville. This home is the most historic home in Tennessee. During your visit, you can walk through the house, learn about Andrew Jackson's life, and explore the beautiful estate.

Accommodation:

• Mid-Range Accommodation: 3* Hotel

If you are interested in history, you can visit the Tennessee State Museum. This museum takes you through the history of Tennessee and has several galleries and exhibitions. A nice addition is that the museum has no entrance fees. For automobile and motorcycle lovers, there is the Lane Motor Museum, a museum with a wide range of varied vehicles from the 1920s to the modern time. This museum has 150 special cars and motorcycles from all over the world, from prototypes to military vehicles to microcars, among others. In the evening, you can explore the city and listen to the fantastic live music. Take a look at the Bluebird Café, The Basement East or The Station Inn.

Accommodation:

• Mid-Range Accommodation: 3* Hotel

No Nashville visit is complete, without a visit to the famous “Broadway”. The heart of the country music scene, the four-block stretch of Broadway earned the nickname Honky Tonk Highway, a name similar to Bourbon Street in New Orleans and Beale Street in Memphis. Willie Nelson, Dierks Bentley, Kris Kristofferson, Gretchen Wilson and other stars began their careers on this fantastic street. Enjoy the live music, restaurants and amazing cuisine during the day and at night! Have Fun! At the end of your trip, you can either fly back home from Nashville or extend this trip with other cities or points of interest you wish to see.