This website uses modern construction techniques, which may not render correctly in your old browser. We recommend updating your browser for the best online experience.
Take a musical journey through America’s Heartland featuring locations that have played a role in the evolution of American music. This fun vacation starts with two nights in the vibrant city of Chicago, then travel south via St. Louis to the capital of country music, Nashville. Take a city tour that includes seeing Centennial Park with its reproduction of the Parthenon, in the evening, enjoy reserved seating at a show at the Grand Old Opry where country music legends like Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, and Willie Nelson have graced the stage.
Have time to take an optional excursion to RCA Studio B, birthplace of the “Nashville Sound”, and explore the Country Music Hall of Fame, filled with the stories and memorabilia of country’s biggest stars. Continue on to Memphis, the city known as the “Home of the Blues” and the “Birthplace of Rock ‘n’ Roll”, stopping along the way in Brownsville to visit the Tina Turner Museum, housed in the one-room schoolhouse that a young Anna Mae Bullock (a.k.a. Tina Turner) attended. Arrive in Memphis and take an orientation tour that includes historic Beale Street and learn about its role in the birth and development of blues music. Join an optional excursion to legendary Sun Studio and stand in the same spot where Elvis first recorded. Tour Graceland, Elvis’ lavish home and see his favorite cars, custom jets, and the memorial garden where he and his only child, Lisa Marie, are laid to rest.
Then on to Indianola, MS to the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Centre which tells the story of this music legend and the region that gave birth to the Blues. Spend time in New Orleans, where you’ll enjoy guided sightseeing of all the major sites in “The Big Easy.” Enjoy free time to explore the French Quarter, try some of the culinary treats that New Orleans is famous for, like beignets, po’boy sandwiches, and gumbo, and perhaps join an optional swamp or plantation tour. And what better way to complete your musical journey than on an optional Mississippi River paddleboat dinner cruise with live jazz! The perfect ending for this music-filled, value-minded vacation!
Multiple departures from May - November 2026 & April - November 2027
*Advertised price is based on 2 November 2026 departure, inclusive of savings and is correct as of 24 March 2026. Pricing is subject to change and availability at time of booking. Offer is valid until 30 May 2026, unless sold out prior.
Inclusions
Hand-selected accommodations
Guided sightseeing
Transportation in a private, first-class, air-conditioned motorcoach
Tour Directors and Local Guides
Wi-Fi (where available)
Guided city sightseeing in Chicago, Nashville, and New Orleans
Visit to Gateway Arch National Park
Orientation tours of St. Louis and Memphis
Tickets to a musical performance at the Grand Ole Opry
Visit to the Tina Turner Museum
Admission to Graceland, including audio tour and access to private jets
Admission to B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center
Itinerary
Day 1 | Chicago
Welcome to the “Windy City.” Your Tour Director is on hand from 3-6:00 p.m. to answer any questions.
Once settled into your hotel, perhaps start exploring the city via the 1.25-mile Riverwalk along the Chicago River or do some shopping at the many well-known stores along Michigan Avenue, better known as the Magnificent Mile.
Day2| Chicago
Chicago is known for its iconic architecture, world class museums, and beautiful lakefront. Sightseeing includes landmarks like the Wrigley Building, Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower), and Navy Pier followed by an afternoon at leisure. Consider a visit to the extraordinary Art Institute of Chicago or enjoy an optional river cruise to take in the Windy City’s amazing architecture. Then perhaps go for a slice (or three) of iconic Chicago deep-dish pizza!
Day3 | Chicago–St. Louis
Travel across the fertile Illinois farmlands to St. Louis, “Gateway to the West.” An orientation tour includes Gateway Arch National Park, which commemorates the city’s key role in westward expansion and a visit to the museum under the Arch, which celebrates Lewis & Clark’s famous expedition 200 years ago.
Day4 | St. Louis–Paducah-Nashville
Recross the Mississippi River and roll southeast to Paducah, Kentucky on the Ohio River. Have time for lunch there and perhaps pay a visit to the National Quilt Museum to view quilts that truly are works of art. Late afternoon arrival in Nashville.
Meals: breakfast
Day 5 | Nashville
Take a sightseeing tour of Nashville, the Country Music Capital of the World, and visit the famous landmarks like Centennial Park with its reproduction of the Parthenon and see the recording studios on Music Row. Consider joining an optional excursion to tour both historic RCA Studio B, birthplace of the 1960s “Nashville Sound” where stars such as Dolly Parton, Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson, and the Everly Brothers recorded many of their biggest hits and the Country Music Hall of Fame to see glittering costumes, rare instruments, and Elvis Presley’s “solid gold” Cadillac. Tonight, enjoy reserved seating for a toe-tapping show at the world-famous Grand Ole Opry, a mecca for country musicians.
Day 6 | Nashville–Brownsville–Memphis
Depart Nashville and visit the Tina Turner Museum in the one-room schoolhouse attended by a young Anna Mae Bullock (a.k.a. Tina Turner). See the collection of the “Queen of Rock’s” memorabilia, including costumes, gold records, and even her high school yearbook! Arrive in Memphis, “Home of the Blues” and a city with a distinct Southern flavor. Enjoy an orientation tour on arrival featuring Beale Street and the Lorraine Hotel where Martin Luther King was assassinated. Later, consider an optional excursion to Sun Studio where Elvis first recorded, as well as other music legends like B.B. King, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis, followed by dinner.
Day 7 | Memphis–Visit to Graceland
Enjoy time today at Graceland, Elvis Presley’s beautiful estate. Your guided audio tour focuses on the opulent 15,000-square-foot mansion and the Meditation Garden where Elvis, and his daughter and grandson, are laid to rest. Go inside Elvis’ custom jets and see his favorite automobiles. Return to Memphis mid-afternoon and, if you haven’t done so already, perhaps get a real taste of Memphis with some southern barbecue and live music on Beale Street.
Day 8 | Memphis–Indianola–New Orleans
Today, make your way through the state of Mississippi to Indianola, birthplace of B.B. (Blues Boy) King. There, you’ll visit the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center that tells his life story, from his humble beginnings to his big break on Beale Street and also learn about the impact the Mississippi Delta had on the birth of American Music. Early this evening, arrive in New Orleans with time to start exploring the ‘Big Easy’ on your own.
Day 9 | New Orleans
A full morning is dedicated to the sights and sounds of New Orleans, featuring a guided tour that includes the French Quarter landmarks, St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson Square, and a visit to a unique above-ground cemetery. This afternoon, continue exploring this lively city on your own or join an optional excursion to tour one of the many plantation homes in southern Louisiana. The architecture and beauty of these homes alone is impressive and the stories that go with them are even better. Or cruise down bayous with moss-draped cypress trees to seek out alligators on an optional Louisiana Swamp Tour. This evening, enjoy an optional Mississippi River dinner cruise, complete with live jazz—the perfect finale to a memorable touring adventure of the South.
Day 10 | New Orleans
Your vacation ends this morning. You may choose to extend your vacation with extra nights and explore the “Big Easy” further.
Booking terms and conditions apply.
*
Term and conditions apply: All pricing subject to change and availability. Advertised prices are per person twin share unless stated otherwise. Offers may be withdrawn at any time. Itineraries are subject to change. Booking Conditions and Phil Hoffmann Travel Schedule of Professionalism* applies. Please speak to your Phil Hoffmann Travel Consultant for more information.
