South USA Road Trip – Jazz and Blues, Grab your Dancing Shoes

Savour the deep south in the USA with this south USA road trip that will ignite your passion for Jazz and Blues.  Immerse yourself in the culture of the French Quarter, dance the night away in Bourbon Street, drive the 444-mile Natchez Trace Parkway, visit the home of Elvis Presley and take a trip to the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum.

You’ll fly direct to New Orleans with British Airways to begin your 11-day musical south USA road trip. With British Airways being the only airline to fly direct to New Orleans, sit back and enjoy the flight as it only takes 10 hours to get there.

Upon landing into New Orleans, you will be heading straight to the Soniat House for three nights.

This town knows how to party, and is renowned for being the birthplace of jazz. It has a cosy, lived-in feel and is a delight to explore on foot. A vibrant, bursting-at-the-seems city that famously inspires indulgence, from the awesome food and street performances, to its mighty Madri Gras.

If you’d like to experience more of Louisiana, then set off slightly early and visit Lafayette, before continuing onto Natchez. Lafayette is the heart of Cajun and Creole Country, known as the Happiest City in America. It’s an undiscovered gem with a bustling culinary scene and lots of interesting locally-owned stores.

After driving 177 miles from New Orleans to Natchez, you’ll be staying in the Monmouth Historic Inn for the next two nights.

With homes dating back to the 18th-century, Natchez is the oldest civilised settlement on the banks of the Mississippi. It’s also the end of the Natchez Trace Parkway, a 444-mile drive through exceptional scenery and 10,000 years of North American history. It’s also where you’ll find Emerald Mound, the second-largest Indian Temple Mound built.

With Natchez to Memphis being such a long drive, 302 miles, you definitely need somewhere to stop and stretch your legs. Clarkdale is perfect, it is a must for a south USA road trip for anyone who has a love for Blues. It’s an authentic, truly American town from its grits to its gun ammo. It’s the birthplace of Blues and home to the Delta Blues Museum. When you arrive in Memphis, check in to The Peabody for the next two nights.

Graceland is of course the main attraction in Memphis, luring in millions of visitors each year. Also not to be missed is the National Civil Rights Museum, where Reverend Dr Martin King Jr was fatally shot. Food lovers meanwhile can enjoy great smokehouse barbeques, but there’s a fabulous choice of slightly more sophisticated eats and treats too.

The drive from Memphis to Nashville is very easy, but set off a little earlier and head further south to Lynchburg for a visit to the Jack Daniels Distillery. It’s the oldest registered distillery in the United States but ironically, Moore County is a still a dry county, which means no alcoholic beverages can be sold here, and no bars selling alcohol either, not even the hometown favourite.

When you arrive in Nashville you’ll be staying in the Hutton Hotel for three nights.

Thanks to a fresh style of music from the likes of Taylor Swift, and the phenomenally-popular TV show, Nashville is a place that’s really changing its tune. The ‘cowboy boots and honky tonks’ vibe is still very much alive and kicking. With the dynamic food scene drawing in a more international clientele and chefs from larger cities, historic buildings and old neighbourhoods receiving a new lease of life, and an influx of enticing shops and stylish hotels popping up, there’s now a more youthful and sexy side to this musical metropolis too.

Say Farewell to your epic south USA road trip, depart Nashville for your international flight via Charlotte back to London Heathrow Airport. If you still want to see more then why not extend your stay, visit more cities and see more sights.

With prices from £2460 per person for ten nights, including flights and car hire. Give us a call today and you can be experiencing the deep south in this fantastic USA road trip!

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Fancy seeing more of America? Have a look at our West Coast America Road Trip here