American Music & Movie Trails
Trip Itinerary
Day 1
Chicago Arrival
Arrive in Chicago. Pick up your rental car at the airport and proceed to your hotel. Enjoy your evening at leisure.
Day 2
Chicago
While exploring this vibrant city located on the shores of Lake Michigan, you will notice many famous landmarks and buildings from films such as My Big Fat Greek Wedding, While You Were Sleeping, and The Road to Perdition, not to mention The Blues Brothers. Try and locate the Blues Brothers Soul Food restaurant on Maxwell Street, and don’t forget to pay a visit to the original House of Blues jazz club.
Day 3
Chicago – St Louis / driving distance: 290 mi / 460 km
“Meet Me in St. Louis” is a summary of today’s journey. Upon arrival, take a tram ride (optional) to the top of the famous St. Louis Arch and get a city view from 630 feet. Then take time to view Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West, a movie produced by the National Geographic Society and viewed on a giant four-story screen at the Gateway Arch.
Day 4
St Louis – Memphis / driving distance: 280 mi / 451 km
Memphis offers a multitude of musical and movie moments, and there are two nights to explore your favorites. Start with a visit to Graceland, home of the late Elvis Presley, then choose between the Rock & Soul Museum, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, the Gibson Guitar Factory, or Sun Studio where musicians such as B. B. King, Elvis Presley, and Jerry Lee Lewis recorded rock’n’roll hits.
Day 5
Memphis
During your stay, check for any outdoor concerts at the Mud Island outdoor amphitheater. Located right on the Mississippi River, Mud Island River Park is a historic and scenic outdoor area. Or, dine in B. B. King’s restaurant on famous Beale Street.
Day 6
Memphis – Vicksburg / driving distance: 146 mi / 234 km
Travel from Memphis to Clarksdale, heart of the Delta Blues. Stop to tour the Delta Blues Museum filled with memorabilia from B.B. King and Muddy Waters. Follow the banks of the Mississippi River along Hwy 1, and take the opportunity to roll the dice in one of the many Mississippi casinos; they never close!
Day 7
Vicksburg – New Orleans / driving distance: 294 mi / 470 km
On to the Big Easy! New Orleans is a jazz lover’s paradise, and the familiar backdrop in a string of successful movies. The jazz & blues clubs are too numerous to mention, but there are two days in New Orleans to check them out!
Day 8
New Orleans
Continue to explore this city of riverboats, jazz, and Creole cuisine. Take time to visit the beautiful botanical garden or journey out to the levees to see how they protect the city from the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. This evening why not board a paddle steamer for a dinner cruise on the mighty Mississippi River (optional).
Day 9
New Orleans – Birmingham / driving distance: 340 mi / 544 km
Sweet Home Alabama! Today, we head to Birmingham, Alabama. For music fans, the highlight would be a visit to the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame. Entrance to this exhibition is free and inside you’ll find a wonderful tribute to jazz greats with ties to Alabama. For movie lovers, try and locate the original Whistle Stop Café, the setting for the novel, and later film, Fried Green Tomatoes. Although scenes in the movie were actually filmed in Atlanta, the original café is located in North Irondale, just outside of Birmingham.
Day 10
Birmingham – Chattanooga / driving distance: 148 mi / 238 km
Returning to Tennessee today, set forth to Chattanooga. Summer travelers should check the dates of the annual Chattanooga Riverbend Festival. While in Tennessee, don’t miss the opportunity to try a “moon pie”, a favorite Southern snack since the early 1900s.
Day 11
Chattanooga – Nashville / driving distance: 133 mi / 213 km
Nashville, “Music City USA”, is the destination today. Visit the Country Music Hall of Fame, a multimedia music shrine including movie theatres, costumes, instruments and other artifacts detailing country music’s colorful history. Don’t miss a visit to the Ryman Auditorium and a night at the Grand Ole Opry.
Day 12
Nashville – Louisville / driving distance: 175 mi / 280 km
From Blue Grass to Brass Bands, Kentucky has popular music for every listener. Today’s destination is Louisville, Kentucky, home of the famous Kentucky Derby which takes place at Churchill Downs the first Saturday each May. Recently featured in the movie Sea Biscuit, Churchill Downs is the mecca of American horse racing and home of the Kentucky Derby Museum. Take a short side trip to Bards town and visit My Old Kentucky Home State Park, the inspiration for Stephen Foster’s anthem of the same name which is sung by the crowds every year at the Kentucky Derby. No visit to Kentucky would be complete without a visit to a bourbon distillery, but remember that many Kentucky counties are “dry,” so often there are no tastings. Baseball fans should ensure they fit in a visit to the Louisville Slugger Museum, an interactive museum honoring many of baseball’s greats.
Day 13
Louisville – Chicago / driving distance: 300 mi / 480 km
Today, your tour returns you to the Windy City, Chicago, having visited seven different states, experienced many popular movie set locations, and heard music ranging from blues to jazz to soul to gospel to country to bluegrass and rock’n’roll.
Day 14
Chicago Departure
A final day in Chicago before you return your car at the airport before your departure flight.
Prices, Dates, Hotels & Conditions
CHANGE CURRENCY
€
£
$
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The final price you will pay for this tour is that displayed in USD. Prices converted in other
currencies are for guidance purposes only and are approximate.
| DAILY DEPARTURES | PRICE FROM (STANDARD) |
PRICE FROM (UPGRADE) |
|---|---|---|
| April, May, June, July, August, September, October | 1012 | 1441 |
| NIGHT | CITY | HOTEL ACCOMMODATION STANDARD |
HOTEL ACCOMMODATION UPGRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | Chicago | Best Western Plus Hawthorne | The Whitehall Hotel |
| 3 | St Louis | Tru by Hilton | Aviator Hotel & Suites |
| 4-5 | Memphis | Crowne Plaza Downtown | Hampton Inn Memphis |
| 6 | Vicksburg | Quality Inn Vicksburg | Quality Inn Vicksburg |
| 7-8 | New Orleans | Wyndham Garden Baronne | Hotel Theo New Orleans |
| 9 | Birmingham | Drury Inn & Suites | Drury Inn & Suites |
| 10 | Chattanooga | Best Western Heritage Inn | Days Inn by Wyndham |
| 11 | Nashville | Days Inn by Wyndham | Hillside Crossing Nashville |
| 12 | Louisville | Howard Johnson by Wyndham | Drury Inn & Suites |
| 13 | Chicago | Best Western Plus Hawthorne | The Whitehall Hotel |
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
+ Gaze at Chicago’s Willis Tower, one of the tallest buildings in North America
+ Explore numerous scene-stealing film located throughout the Windy City
+ Visit the very first House of Blues in Chicago
+ Get a bird’s eye view of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis
+ Travel back in time during the Odyssey Theater’s “Lewis and Clark: Great Journey West”
+ Embark on the ultimate rock 'n roll experience at Elvis Presley’s Graceland
+ Walk down Beale Street for a taste of the music Memphis makes today
+ Visit the Delta Blues Museum and explore the history and heritage of the blues
+ Let the good times roll at one of Mississippi’s 24-hour casinos
+ Enjoy great music & film sites in New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz and Hollywood South
+ Get your jazz on in the French Quarter, New Orleans original neighborhood
+ Immerse yourself in Alabama’s rich jazz heritage at the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame
+ Search out the original WhistleStop Café, the setting for the novel “Fried Green Tomatoes”
+ Taste the south’s favorite snack food, the MoonPie, which originated in Chattanooga
+ Walk Nashville’s Music City Walk of Fame honoring country performers of national reputation
+ Visit the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum located on Nashville’s Music Row
+ Admire the grounds of My Old Kentucky Home State Park, the inspiration for “My Old Kentucky Home”, Kentucky’s state song
Admission fees not included
