The Rhythm of Reflection: The Southern U.S. By Design

Full Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive in New Orleans

Welcome to New Orleans! At 6pm, meet your Tour Director and travel companions for a welcome drink.

Day 2:  New Orleans 

NEW ORLEANS City sightseeing with Local Guide this morning.
YourChoice Excursions include one of the following activities of your choice:

DELVE: Homefront Heroes

Explore the National World War II Museum in downtown New Orleans.

SAIL: Rollin' On the River

Take a 2-hour cruise aboard the last authentic Steamboat sailing the Mighty Mississippi River on The Steamboat Natchez.

FLOAT: Loved Bayou

Float through the swamps and bayous of Louisiana with a seasoned Airboat pilot to spot alligators, raccoons, snakes, turtles and native birds. ***This excursion must be pre-booked.

Day 3: New Orleans-Waveland-Bay of St. Louis-Biloxi

WAVELAND Visit the Ground Zero Hurricane Museum
BAY OF ST. LOUIS Free time
BILOXI Afternoon sightseeing includes a guided tour of Jefferson Davis’ home and presidential library, Beauvoir. This evening, enjoy dinner at one of Biloxi’s most popular and historic restaurants.

Day 4: Biloxi-Monroeville-Montgomery

MONROEVILLE Sightseeing in the hometown of authors Truman Capote and Harper Lee includes the Old Courthouse Museum in the “Literary Capital of Alabama.” Learn how Monroeville served as the inspiration for Lee’s 1961 Pulitzer-Prize-winning “To Kill a Mockingbird,” examining the historical prejudice of the deep South and loosely based on the life of the author’s father—a state legislator and county lawyer who defended two black men accused of murdering a white storekeeper.

MONTGOMERY Free time this evening.

Day 5: Montgomery

MONTGOMERY The capital of Alabama, Montgomery plays an important role in history in the fight for voting rights, with the Alabama State Capitol Building having served as the ending point of the third march for voting rights from Selma. See the sights with a Local Guide this morning, including the State Capitol Building, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, the Civil Rights Memorial, and the Rosa Parks Museum. Take a docent-led tour of the courthouse where Judge Frank M. Johnson Jr. first legalized the desegregation of buses in 1956 and ruled the march from Selma was a legal protest to be allowed in 1965 (based on availability). Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant.

YourChoice Excursions include one of the following activities of your choice:

STROLL: Memory Lane

Walk through Old Alabama Town on a guided tour of restored and refurnished 19th- and 20th-century homes and structures of Montgomery.

DELVE: Moving Memorials

Get a deeper understanding of America's Civil Rights Movement with a visit to the National Memorial for Peace and Justice and the Legacy Museum.

CLAP: Hey, Good Lookin'

Visit the Hank Williams Museum on a guided tour for a glimpse into this country-music legend's life and legacy.

Free time this evening.

Day 6: Montgomery-Selma-Birmingham-Florence (Muscle Shoals)

MONTGOMERY Travel the National Historic Trail of 1966 between Montgomery and Selma, which served as the route of Dr. Martin Luther King’s 1965 Voting Rights March.
SELMA Walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge—a National Historic Landmark and site of the infamous “Bloody Sunday”—where over 600 non-violent marchers, led by the late Freedom Rider and Congressional Representative John Lewis, were brutally attacked by police while attempting to cross the bridge.
BIRMINGHAM Visit Kelly Ingram Park and see the 16th Street Baptist Church, a famous Civil Rights landmark.
FLORENCE (MUSCLE SHOALS) Free time this evening.

Day 7: Florence (Muscle Shoals)

FLORENCE (MUSCLE SHOALS) Join in a guided sightseeing tour of Florence—“the gem of the South”—and learn about the “Muscle Shoals Sound” produced here since the 1960s with state-of-the-art recording studios for iconic artists and producers. See the old town and the home of W.C. Handy—the “Father of the Blues.” See the original Muscle Shoals Sound Studios building and tour the Alabama Music Hall of Fame with a docent. Enjoy free time this afternoon.
YourChoice Excursions include one of the following activities of your choice:

GAZE: Symmetry in Motion

Visit the Rosenbaum House on a guided tour of renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

DELVE: A Miracle in the Making

Take a guided tour of Helen Keller's home and setting for her autobiography-turned-film, "The Miracle Worker."

CLAP: Laying Down Tracks

Tour the Florence Alabama Music Enterprise (FAME) with a guide. See where Rick Hall created a blend of Southern soul music, which became hailed as The Muscle Shoals Sound.

Farewell dinner featuring live music.

Day 8: Florence-Nashville

FLORENCE This morning, depart for Nashville and enjoy a sightseeing tour, including Centennial Park with its full-size replica of Athens’ Parthenon, the recording studios of Music Row, and famous Honky Tonk Row. Enjoy your afternoon at leisure.

Day 9: Nashville

Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. You may also choose to extend your time in Nashville and explore more on your own. Extra nights are available for purchase.