Deep South USA Plus Texas

14 Days - Classic Escorted Tours

Take one of America’s classic ‘road trips’ exploring the Deep South, renowned for its gracious hospitality, its charming southern drawl, its unique Creole and Cajun cuisine and the most popular music genres of the 20th century – jazz, rock n’ roll, the blues and country. Flying into Atlanta, Georgia, site of the 1996 Olympic Games, which really put the city on the map. In Memphis visit The National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel, an engaging cultural attraction of America’s historical milestone. Atlanta has a laid-back southern charm and is the perfect start to a fascinating tour. We then travel through the rolling rich farmland of Tennessee, past the cotton fields of Mississippi to Louisiana’s moss-covered bayous and the vast South Texas plains. You’ll stay in some of America’s most fascinating cities: Austin, Nashville, Memphis, the amazing New Orleans, as well as Houston, San Antonio and Dallas. We drive through state capital city of Texas, Austin, an inland city bordering the hill country.

Highlights

Delve into the sounds of The South with visits to places synonymous with iconic moments in music history. Tour studio B and visit the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville and tour Graceland, home of Elvis – King of Rock and Roll.
See where President John F Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, and tour the fascinating museum dedicated to that fateful day
Experience a ride on Amtrak’s renowned train service from Memphis to New Orleans, where we’ll enjoy a walking tour with a local guide through the iconic French Quarter
Enjoy a guided tour of Houston’s NASA Johnson Space Centre, from where the Apollo Moon landings were controlled
Visit the Alamo in San Antonio, where the settlers fought for Texas’ independence from Mexico
The Signature Tour option includes all of the above as well as:
Walk in the footsteps of country music superstars on a memorable visit to the Grand Ole Opry
Explore the South’s complex history on a visit to the historic Oak Valley Plantation whose grand opulence was facilitated by the institution of slavery.
Wander through television history with a visit to Southfork, the set of the famous TV show Dallas – one of the longest lasting full-hour prime time dramas in America history. (2024 only)
Step into the soul of San Antonio on a vibrant, eco-friendly electric river boat and delve into the history and culture of San Antonio. (2025 only)

Inclusions

The price of this holiday is per person, based on two people sharing a twin room with single rooms available at the relevant supplement. Price includes:
Scheduled return flights to Atlanta
All transfers
Journey on Amtrak ‘City of New Orleans’ rail service from Memphis to New Orleans
Domestic flight from Dallas Fort Worth to Atlanta
Twelve nights in three-star and three-star superior accommodation
All tours as mentioned
All flight and accommodation taxes
Hotel porterage of one item of luggage per person
The services of a Riviera Travel tour manager

1

Arrive at the airport for your direct flight to Atlanta.

2

Driving into Tennessee to Lynchburg, this quintessential little town is a true slice of unspoilt 50s America, with its red-brick courthouse, general store and one traffic light. It’s a great place to just browse the shops and get a bite to eat before we visit Lynchburg’s claim to fame: the Jack Daniel Distillery. Obviously it’s where Jack Daniel’s whisky is made, since 1884 and a tour is a great experience. Interestingly, the county is ‘dry’ and locals are not allowed to consume the product they are most famous for. Continuing acrossTennessee’s rolling green hills we soon arrive at ‘Music City USA’, Nashville.

3

In downtown Nashville we visit the Country Music Hall of Fame. A huge museum of all things ‘Country and Western’, it has floors of fascinating exhibits from the earliest days of country music to the megastars of today. There are films and videos of music’s greatest, with their life-stories and costumes. The famed Music Row is close by, lined with studios and record company offices, where we visit the legendary RCA Studio B, where Elvis recorded many of his greatest hits, followed by a ‘who’s who’ of recording superstars such as Roy Orbison, the Everly Brothers, Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson. Lower Broadway is Nashville’s nightlife centre, with stupendous live music in famous honky-tonk bars like Robert’s Western World and The Stage on Broadway and many more. There’s a fantastic atmosphere along the entire street and an evening here is a real ‘must’! Experience a country music show at the Grand Ole Opry. 'Pre-book only' SignatureExpereince Get up close to where musical legends make history and walk in the footsteps of country music superstars on this truly memorable visit to the Grand Ole Opry. In the company of a knowledgeable Opry insider take an exclusive look behind the scenes, visiting backstage areas and the dressing rooms of the stars. Hear entertaining tales of country music greats, past and present and discover some of the Opry’s most memorable musical moments. We may even have the chance to step into the famed wooden circle on the Grand Ole Opry stage – an unforgettable experience.

4

Today we say goodbye to Nashville and head to the far west of Tennessee and the city of Memphis and America’s artery, the Mississippi. From its earliest beginnings as a small French garrison, Memphis grew into a magnet for freed slaves after the Civil War and as a cotton trading centre. This afternoon we have a guided tour around the birthplace of Rock n’ Roll – the legendary Sun Studio, where Elvis recorded his first hit. This insignificant, yet iconic 1950s building, was the starting point for Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison amongst others and is a designated National Historic Landmark. You can still see Jerry Lee’s piano and Elvis’ microphone!

5

Today we visit one of America’s biggest tourist attractions, Elvis’ Graceland. The ‘King’ bought the Graceland mansion for $100,000 in 1957 when he was just 22 and it was his main home until his death. From the time it opened to the public in 1982, Graceland has expanded to include Elvis’ private airplanes and his extensive car collection. One of the most iconic houses in America, Graceland’s Meditation Garden is also Elvis’ final resting place. This afternoon we step back into America’s historical milestones visiting the National Civil Rights Museum at The Lorraine Motel. It was here Martin Luther King was shot on 4th April 1968. Five years previous on 28th August 1963 he delivered his famous ‘I Have a Dream’ speech around the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC to a crowd of 250,000 people. The following year in 1964, King won the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through non-violent resistance. In that same year, President Johnson got a law passed prohibiting all racial discrimination. This evening is at leisure to sample the music scene at Memphis’ famous Beale Street.

6

An early departure this morning as we catch the renowned ‘City of New Orleans’ Amtrak train service to New Orleans, a real little piece of America. The double-decker, classic silver coloured train carriages, so typical of the US, feature comfortable reclining armchairs with plenty of legroom, as well as a panoramic glass observation deck and dining car. Our journey takes us through vast forests, farms and the small ‘southern’ towns lining the eastern bank of the Mississippi like pearls on a necklace. Nearing New Orleans, excitement mounts and we cross Lake Pontchartrain, bizarrely it appears like the train is actually travelling over the water itself. In the evening why not step out and try New Orleans’ famed Cajun cuisine – there are plenty of fantastic restaurants.

7

This morning we have a walking tour of New Orleans’ famous French Quarter with an expert local guide. We see the charming art galleries and antique shops along Royal Street, the white stucco St Louis Cathedral and Jackson Square, full of artists, musicians and fortune tellers, and walk up the iconic Bourbon Street, centre of the city’s nightlife. The afternoon is free for you to explore this charming city at your leisure. This evening, you have the opportunity to enjoy an evening jazz cruise with dinner on board the Steamboat City of New Orleans.

8

A free day to relax in the ‘Big Easy’ and explore further afield. Alternatively, you may choose to personalise your holiday with visit some of the most impressive Antebellum Plantations outside New Orleans combined with a fascinating boat tour of the nearby Louisiana swamps, known for their alligators and snapping turtles, and where you can admire the fauna, such as the moss-draped cypresses native to the bayous of Louisiana. Signature Experience: Today we’ll discover Oak Valley Plantation which is a National Historic Landmark, learn about the complex history of the inhabitants that used to live and work here during it’s time as a sugar plantation, including the enslaved men, women and children that built and kept the plantation. Later take a fascinating boat tour of the nearby Louisiana swamps, known for their alligators, snapping turtles and moss-draped cypresses. A mint julep is the Deep South in a glass. This classic cocktail made of mint, sugar syrup and bourbon makes for a refreshing interlude during this splendid day. Later take a fascinating boat tour of the nearby Louisiana swamps - known for their alligators, snapping turtles and moss-draped cypresses - and enjoy a mint julep is the Deep South in a glass. This classic cocktail made of mint, sugar syrup and bourbon make for a refreshing interlude during this splendid day.

9

We leave New Orleans this morning heading ever westwards along Louisiana’s Cajun country towards Texas. As we enter the outskirts of Houston, our first stop is at the world-famous NASA Johnson Space Centre, still a working NASA base from where the international space station is controlled. We visit ‘Mission Control’, now restored to its 1965 look with all the original equipment and furniture – a unique experience. We also see a full-size Saturn V rocket which famously has no on-board computer, they were just too big at the time, plus the huge indoor training facility for the astronauts of the International Space Station.

10

We continue further into the south Texas plains arriving in San Antonio this afternoon. Originally settled by the Spanish who built a mission station here, the Alamo, whose name was destined to be one of the most evocative words in American history. It was here in 1836 that a seriously outnumbered group of settlers, including Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie, were besieged by the Mexican army for nearly two weeks before they were overrun. Tonight we stay just round the corner from the Alamo and within easy walking distance to the charming Riverwalk area with its many bars and restaurants, ideal for trying out the region’s famed Tex-Mex cuisine.

11

We say goodbye to friendly San Antonio and travel north to Dallas, stopping in Austin for some free time to explore. On arrival in Fort Worth, we visit the historical Stockyard District. This evening you have the opportunity to attend the world’s only year-round rodeo, held in the historic Cowtown Coliseum. See some of the best rodeo athletes perform thrilling feats of bull-riding, tie-down roping, team-roping, barrel-racing, bronc-riding and breakaway roping.

12

This morning we visit the infamous Dealey Plaza, where President John F Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald. The floor in the Texas Book Depository from where thefatal shots were fired has been converted into the excellent 6th Floor Museum dedicated to explaining the background and the events of that fateful day on the 22nd of November in 1963. The rest of the day is free for you to explore Dallas. Signature Experience: For thirteen years the world was a weekly guest at Southfork, the set for the famous TV show Dallas and the ranch the Ewing family called home. This afternoon relive some of the most exciting episodes on an entertaining guided tour. See the gun that shot J.R, Lucy’s elaborate wedding dress and Jock’s Lincoln Continental. As you wander through television history in the beautiful grounds you are sure to be reminded of every ‘must watch’ moment.

13

Transfer to the airport for your return flight via Atlanta.

14

You arrive home this morning after a very memorable tour.

3* Hilton Nasa Clear Lake - Houston

The Hilton NASA Clear Lake overlooks Clear Lake, and is next to NASA Space Centre. The hotel is in a great location for all the local attractions. The hotel has all the facilities you would expect including gym, outdoor pool, a restaurant and bar. All the 242 rooms are large and spacious and have TV, Air conditioning and coffee maker and overlook the lake.

Courtland Grand Hotel By Wyndham

This modern hotel is located in the heart of downtown Atlanta, with plenty of restaurants nearby. The hotel has a garden courtyard pool with a glass atrium ceiling, offering guests a place to relax and unwind. The hotel restaurant serves a selection of American style cuisine and the Market coffee house offers smaller snacks and coffee to go. The 763 air-conditioned rooms have bath/shower, hairdryer, iron/board, cable TV, safe, tea/coffee-maker and complimentary wifi.

3* Courtyard By Marriott – Downtown/blackstone Fort Worth

The three-star superior Courtyard is right in the centre of Fort Worth, with plenty of restaurants nearby. Dating from 1929, this historic art-deco building is a landmark in Fort Worth. The hotel’s casual Deli & Bakery is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and it also has a small seasonal outdoor pool and fitness room. All the 203 air-conditioned rooms have bath/shower, hairdryer, iron/board, cable TV, tea/coffee-maker and complimentary wifi. Buffet breakfast is included.

3* Hyatt Place Opryland - Nashville

The three-star superior Hyatt Place is located close to Grand Ole Opry auditorium, the General Jackson Showboat paddlewheeler and about a mile from the huge Opry Mills Mall. Downtown Nashville is around a 10-minute drive away, but there’s also several restaurants (some with live music) within walking distance. The hotel has a small outdoor pool (seasonal) and a bar which also serves coffee in the mornings, plus there’s a ‘room service’ dinner menu available to order and collect from the bar. All the 125 air-conditioned rooms have separate sitting area, shower, hairdryer, iron/board, mini-fridge, cable TV, tea/coffee-maker and complimentary Wi-Fi. Buffet breakfast is included.

3* Menger Hotel - San Antonio

The three-star superior Menger Hotel is located in the centre of San Antonio, just across the road from The Alamo and within easy walking distance of all the many al-fresco restaurants and bars along the lively River Walk area of the city. This property is the oldest continuously operating hotel west of the Mississippi and as a member of the Historic Hotels of America, the Menger has preserved much of its architecture, as well as numerous antiques and works of art. The impressive three-storey Victorian atrium in the old wing is the centre of the hotel, but it’s heart is the famous Menger Bar, dating from 1887, panelled in dark Cherrywood, it even has the original spittoons! The Colonial Room restaurant serves breakfast and dinner and also offers outdoor seating overlooking the heated seasonal pool. The 316 air-conditioned rooms all feature bath/shower, hairdryer, iron/board, cable TV, coffee-maker and complimentary wifi.