Rhythms of the South

Day 1: Arrive Atlanta

Welcome to Atlanta, capital of the New South. The impressive gold dome of the Georgia state capital presides over the fastest growing center for hip young professionals and multicultural residents in the country. You can still find glimpses of the Old South intertwined with sophisticated shopping, great art museums, the CNN Center, the Olympic complex and major league sports. Take the Inside CNN Atlanta Studio Tour, explore a bit of Buckhead and try some of the great food the south is famous for.
Standard Hotel: BW Atlanta Airport
Deluxe Hotel: Westin Atlanta

Day 2: Explore Atlanta

The must sees for today include the High Museum of Art, Atlanta History Center and World of Coca-Cola. The High’s light-filled contemporary galleries make the building as spectacular as its contents. True to form, the Atlanta History Center is housed in an 1845 plantation. The Georgia Aquarium, shaped like a ship, features aquatic life particular to the state coupled with beluga whales and whale sharks. Centennial Olympic Park was created for the 1996 Olympic Games. For history buffs, there’s the Margaret Mitchell house where she wrote Gone with the Wind. Underground Atlanta still has great shopping and trendy restaurants.

Day 3: Atlanta to Nashville

Chattanooga is a must stop on the way from Atlanta to Nashville. Bandleader Glenn Miller put the city on the map with Chattanooga Choo Choo, the first million-selling hit to be given a gold record. Other firsts in Chattanooga include the mile-long Incline, the world’s steepest passenger railway, 145 foot high Ruby Falls, the nation’s longest underground cascade at Rock City, and the Walnut Street Bridge, America’s longest pedestrian span. Moon Pies and Little Debbie cakes made their debut here too.
Standard Hotel: BW Music Row
Deluxe Hotel: Union Station Hotel

Day 4: Explore Nashville

Even though country music started in southwestern Virginia and Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings once tried to take it to Austin, Nashville has been the Capital of Country Music since 1925 when the Grand Old Opry began as a barn dance in the studios of WSM Radio. The must sees in Nashville include the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Historic RCA Studio B, Ryman Auditorium and the Second Avenue Historic District. Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge is the only remaining honky tonk on Lower Broadway. Authentic Nashville sound can still be heard in Printer’s Alley.

Day 5: Nashville to Memphis

Plan to dash across the 200 interstate miles that separate Nashville and Memphis and spend your time getting to know Tennessee’s largest city. Your first stop has to be Beale Street. The complete two block restoration coupled with the new baseball stadium has the area jumping. By early evening, live music and food are available all up and down the street. Hard core Elvis fans will want to visit Graceland, although the house itself is not historic. Get some great southern food before you retire for the evening.
Standard Hotel: BW Galleria Inn and Suites
Deluxe Hotel: The Peabody

Day 6: Explore Memphis

If there’s music in your blood, visit the Center for Southern Folklore and Cafe, a microcosm of music lore and exhibits related to music in Memphis and the Memphis Rock and Soul Museum, an affiliate of the Smithsonian. Sun Studio, where Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and B. B. King recorded is “The Birthplace of Rock and Roll.” Memphis’ newest museum, Soulsville: Stax Museum of American Soul Music celebrates greats from the 1960s and 1970s, like Otis Redding, Booker T. & the MGs, Issac Hayes, Aretha Franklin, Earth, Wind and Fire and more. To explore beyond music, visit the Mississippi River Museum on Mud Island Park, the National Civil Rights Museum and the famous ducks at the Peabody Hotel that parade around the lobby everyday.

Day 7: Memphis to Natchez, Mississippi

Today, you’ll be passing through the serene, broad, rich landscapes of the Mississippi Delta, the vast, immensely fertile plains that produce a good part of the country’s cotton and rice. Most every afternoon you can watch the power of a summer storm form in front of your very eyes. Vicksburg, located on a bluff high above the Mississippi River has a 15 mile driving tour. Natchez is everything you pictured in a true southern city. Moss dripping off the trees and the weather porch-sittin’, fan-waving hot. Here, the hospitality is delivered like honey rolling off the tongue.
Standard hotel: Eola Hotel
Deluxe hotel: Monmouth Plantation

Day 8: Explore Natchez

Be thrilled that General Sherman and General Grant spared Natchez, since today the city has the largest collection of antebellum historic homes in the United States. The incredibly well preserved structures that line manicured streets are absolutely worth every minute of exploring. Rosalie, Monmouth Plantation and the Shields Townhouse, all open for touring, present three distinct snapshots of life before the Civil War. Natchez National Park operates Melrose on 133 acres covered with live oaks, and the William Johnson House, built by a freed African American slave who became a very successful businessman.

Day 9: Natchez to Lafayette LA

It’s time to meet the Cajuns in Lafayette, LA. Before that, visit the top of the Louisiana State Capitol where the views are magnificent. The old State Capitol, which resembles a Moorish castle, also warrants a visit to learn more about the colorful history of this state.
Standard Hotel: BW Posada Anna
Deluxe Hotel: Bois des Chenes Bed and Breakfast

Day 10: Explore Lafayette

Cajuns swing to a different beat and as soon as you hear the music, you’ll be hooked. Enjoy these fun loving people who put aside the cares of the world to celebrate life every chance they get. The Acadian Cultural Center is a must see to learn the story of incredible travail of the Acadians before reaching Louisiana. Right next door, Vermilionville, is a living recreation of early Acadian life. Take the half day Atchafalaya Swamp tour to get out into the swamp. Enjoy yourself, this is a one of a kind place.

Day 11: Lafayette to New Orleans

Settled in 1718, early on, New Orleans was considered the most northern port of the Caribbean accounting the multitude of West Indian descendants. In New Orleans, you’ll hear the terms Cajun and Creole and soon learn they are very different cultures. Authentic Cajuns are always of French descent. Creoles are generally multi-cultural in descent. Tour the French Quarter on a free ranger led walk that starts at the Visitor Center. It’s a great introduction to the city.
Standard hotel: BW St. Christopher Hotel
Deluxe hotel: Hotel St. Pierre

Day 12: Explore New Orleans

If you didn’t party too late in the Quarter last night, there’s a lot to see and do today. The Historic New Orleans Collection illustrates the story of the city. Commander’s Palace, considered by some to be one of the finest dining experiences in the world is back in business. Longue Vue House and Gardens in the Garden District has 20 rooms filled with a massive number of treasures, open for touring. This evening, try the Maison Bourbon Jazz Club or the House of Blues and check for performances at Preservation Hall. Get messy at the Cafe Beignet, eating those wonderful just-made powdered sugar covered doughnuts and dine at Antoine’s, Brennan’s or the Cafe Du Monde. Magazine Street is a great place for shopping, including antiques.

Day 13: New Orleans to Mobile

Founded in 1702 as the original capital of the Louisiana Territory, few cities can boast such rich history Mobile. You’ll marvel at the sheer beauty of this very southern city. Remember when you talk to the locals the city’s name is “Mo-beel” given the soft emphasis on the second syllable by its French founders. Having lived under six flags, culture, “cul-cha,” as they call it here, is a rich conglomeration of influences. Try the goodies of Tiny Diny, Pollman’s Bake Shop Brownies, Bailey’s Restaurant and Wintzell’s Oyster House has been serving them “fried, stewed or nude” since 1928. Fort Conde, right next to the tourism bureau is a must see, along with Bellingrath Gardens.
Standard hotel: BW Battleship Inn
Deluxe hotel: The Battle House Hotel

Day 14: Mobile to Montgomery, AL

You’ll find Montgomery, Alabama, a bustling city of the New South with much contradictory history. Visit the Alabama State Capitol where Jefferson Davis took the oath of office as President of the Confederacy and where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. made his stand at the end of the Selma-Montgomery March. Visit the Rosa Parks Library and the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church. Old Alabama Town, one of the South’s premier history villages. And don’t forget the Hank Williams Museum.
Standard hotel: BW Hope Hull
Deluxe hotel: Embassy Suites Hotel

Day 15: To Atlanta

Travel a part of Georgia’s Antebellum Trail on your way to the airport in Atlanta.