DAY 1 - Memphis, Beale Street
Arrive in Memphis and check into the Heartbreak Hotel, a boutique-style hotel decorated in Elvis’ personal style. After unpacking, join the group for a visit to the Peabody Hotel to view the daily march of ducks from the marble fountain to their home on the roof! Dinner is included this evening at Neeley’s Bar-B-Que, owned by Food Network stars Pat & Gina Neeley. Following your meal of Memphis-style barbecue, unwind to the sounds of authentic live blues at the Ground Zero Blues Club on Beale Street. Heartbreak Hotel, Memphis, TN (D)
DAY 2 - Graceland, STAX Museum, Backbeat Tour
Breakfast is included this morning before you explore the music of Memphis. A Platinum Tour of Elvis’ Graceland Mansion starts the day. View his home, airplanes, automobiles and much more. Lunch is included here before you board a vintage city bus for a Backbeat Tour of Memphis, featuring a visit to the STAX Museum of American Soul Music, built on the site of the famous recording studio. Tupelo, Mississippi is your next destination and home for the night, with dinner included this evening. Hilton Garden Inn, Tupelo, MS (B,L,D)
DAY 3 - Tupelo, Starksville, John Grisham Exhibit
Begin the day with breakfast then depart for the Elvis Presley Birthplace, Museum and Chapel to learn about his rags-to-riches story. Before lunch at a local eatery, you will tour the Tupelo Automobile Museum, a private collection that includes one of Elvis’ cars. With “time to kill,” depart Tupelo for Starksville, Mississippi to visit the John Grisham Exhibit at Mississippi State University. Also on campus is the Wade Clock Museum, showcasing an extensive collection of American clocks dating as far back as the early 1700’s. Check into your Starksville hotel and unpack. This evening, you are free to enjoy the Historic Cotton District on your own. Holiday Inn Express, Starksville, MS (B,L)
DAY 4 - Hattiesburg, Biloxi, Mary Mahoney's
After breakfast, we return to Mississippi State University for a visit to the Herzer Dairy Science Building and the birthplace of Edam cheese! Lunch is included today in Meridian, en route to Hattiesburg. Enjoy a welcome reception at the Hattiesburg visitor center prior to touring the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum, featuring state-of-the-art exhibits honoring the service of Mississippi’s servicemen and women. Next, your travels take you to Biloxi, Mississippi for the next two nights. Check into the Isle Casino Hotel and attend dinner at Mary Mahoney’s, housed in Biloxi’s oldest house. Afterwards, get your picture taken in front of the Largest Guitar in the World at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, just across the street. The evening is free for you to enjoy the headline entertainment, night clubs and the newest table and slot games at the many casinos. Isle Casino Hotel, Biloxi, MS (B,L,D)
DAY 5 - Biloxi Touring, Lagasse's Fish House, Biloxi Schooner
Breakfast is served at your casino hotel, then depart for Biloxi touring. Your first stop is at the Hurricane Katrina Memorial on the Biloxi Town Green, followed by admission to the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art Complex. Experience the creations of the “Mad Potter” George Ohr and visit the home of Pleasant Reed, a former slave, located on site. Lunch is a special treat today at Emeril Lagasse’s Gulf Coast Fish House. Your Gulf coast touring continues this afternoon with a visit to Beauvoir, the recently re-opened home of Jefferson Davis that was a victim of Hurricane Katrina. Later, take a relaxing sail aboard a Biloxi Schooner, a replica of the oyster schooners used during the late 1800’s. Your evening is free to enjoy the Gulf Coast. Isle Casino Hotel, Biloxi, MS (B,L)
DAY 6 - Jackson, Greenwood, Viking Cooking School
This morning after breakfast, check out and depart Biloxi for Jackson, Mississippi’s Capital City. Here, you will tour the antebellum Governor’s Mansion located in the heart of downtown. Lunch is on your own today. Travel north to Greenwood, Mississippi, check into the hotel and then depart for dinner and a cooking class at the Viking Cooking School. Not only will you enjoy a delicious meal but you will learn how to make it yourself! Afterwards, enjoy a walking tour of Greenwood’s Historic Cotton Row, the second largest cotton exchange in the United States. Holiday Inn Express, Greenwood, MS (B,D)
DAY 7 - BB King Museum, Cleveland, Hopson Plantation
Following an included breakfast, depart Greenwood for Indianola where you visit the BB King Museum & Interpretive Center to learn more about this blues icon and the world that shaped his music. Lunch is included today at the Crown Restaurant before a guided tour of nearby Cleveland, Mississippi, named for President Grover Cleveland. Travel on to Clarksdale, “the land where the blues began,” for your overnight stay. Dinner is included this evening at the Hopson Plantation, the first fully-mechanized cotton plantation in the world. Comfort Inn, Clarksdale, MS (B,L,D)
DAY 8 - Delta Blues Museum, National Civil Rights Museum
Another breakfast starts the day, visit the Delta Blues Museum and their collection of blues music artifacts including instruments, sheet music, posters and more. Departing Mississippi for Tennessee, you once again arrive in Memphis for your overnight. Upon arrival, visit the National Civil Rights Museum to understand the key events of the civil rights movement. Check into the hotel to freshen up before attending a special reception and tour at the Rock n’ Soul Museum. This museum opened in 2004 and tells the complete story of Memphis music history as researched by the Smithsonian Institution. Drury Inn, Memphis, TN (B,D)
DAY 9 - Travel home
Enjoy a final breakfast with your traveling companions before bidding farewell and departing for the airport and your flight home, carrying with you the memories of Southern music, history, and hospitality. (B)
Arrival: Into Memphis no later than 3:00 pm
Departure: From Memphis no earlier than 11:00 am