USA Southern Flavours + Carribean Cruise

A FABULOUS EXPERIENCE
The structure of each tour is very flexible, so you can follow the tour leader and stay with the group and you can depart and arrive at your own pace. We understand that some guests have already visited some of the areas we visit and would prefer on occasion to pursue individual interests so should you wish for us to make additional sightseeing arrangement please contact us before departure.

Day 1
ORLANDO - FLORIDA
Arrive in Orlando and transfer to your hotel resort. Your cars will be waiting for you at the resort and tonight you will meet your fellow travellers at the Welcome Dinner in the hotel.

Today’s Inclusions: Accommodation - Breakfast - Welcome Dinner

Day 2
PANAMA CITY BEACH - FLORIDA
An easy day’s drive today to familiarize yourself with the car as we head west on the turnpike towards Florida’s Panhandle and our overnight stop at Panama City Beach on the Gulf of Mexico. Central to the resort coast of North West Florida, Panama City Beach has 27 miles of stunning beaches and you’ll have time in the afternoon to enjoy the beachfront resort.

Today’s Inclusions: Accommodation - Breakfast Driving Distance: 373 Miles Driving Time 4:40

Day 3
NEW ORLEANS - LOUISIANA
We continue west through Alabama and Mississippi into Louisiana and New Orleans. Our hotel for the next three nights is on Bourbon Street in the heart of the French Quarter and just steps from the antique and eclectic shops of Royal Street. The original settlement of New Orleans, called Vieux Carré, French Quarter or simply The Quarter, is the oldest neighborhood in the city. Established by the French in 1718, the district is a National Historic Landmark and boasts a storied history of international influence with cultural contributions from the French, Spanish, Italians, Sicilians, Africans, Irish and others. It's a neighborhood full of surprises and magic.  Dinner tonight is at a Cajun & Creole restaurant near the hotel with ample time after to explore the nightlife of this unique city.

Today’s Inclusions: Accommodation - Breakfast - Dinner Driving Distance: 297 Miles Driving Time 4:20

Day 4
NEW ORLEANS - LOUISIANA
This morning we take a guided walking tour centered on New Orleans' most famous landmark, Jackson Square. The square is flanked by historic structures such as the St. Louis Cathedral and the Presbytere and Cabildo and the Pontalba Apartments (the oldest apartment buildings in the U.S.). Walk the beautiful gardens inside the square and take that iconic New Orleans photograph. A collection of fortunetellers, artists and musicians
surround Jackson Square and just across the street is the famed Café du Monde, serving up beignets and café au lait 24 hours every day. Every street
in the French Quarter has something to offer from classic restaurants, music venues, boutique shopping to voodoo temples and no trip to the Quarter is complete without a visit to the historic French Market. The rest of the day is free to continue to explore life in the Quarter and this evening a tasting tour of the French Quarter will immerse you in the history of New Orleans learning how its unique cuisine evolved. We tour select historic restaurants while discussing their culinary contributions – including the two oldest (Antoine’s and Tujague’s, established in 1840 and 1856, respectively). We learn to appreciate the differences between Creole and Cajun cuisine, and hear of the varied ethnic influences that contribute to New Orleans cuisine.

Today’s Inclusions: Accommodation – Breakfast – French Quarter Walking Tour – French Quarter Tasting Tour Dinner. Driving Distance: 0 Miles Driving
Time 0:00

Day 5
NEW ORLEANS - LOUISIANA
After a leisurely breakfast, we walk through the quarter to board the trolley car for a guided walk through the Garden District. Tradition, opulence and beauty can all be used to describe the historic Garden District with its well-preserved collection of antebellum mansions, pristine gardens and southern charm it stands out as one of the country's most lovely neighborhoods and has long been the home of New Orleans elite society. The Garden District has been featured in countless movies and film projects and has attracted many celebrities to live in the area. Anne Rice, Nicholas Cage, and most recently, Sandra Bullock are just a few of the notable names that have chosen to call the Garden District home. Our tour leads us to the Lafayette Cemetery #1 and this is not your average everyday burial ground! Dating from the 1700’s the tombs and mausoleums have been built above ground to escape the ravages of the frequent floods and the cemetery has also been a location for many movies over the years. We return by trolley and the afternoon is yours to explore the French Quarter at your leisure. This evening there’s the option of The New Orleans School of Cooking class held in a renovated molasses warehouse built in the early 1800s in the heart of the French Quarter. You’ll learn the basics of Louisiana Cooking in a way you’ll never forget with Creole/Cajun experts teaching New Orleans specialties such as Gumbo, Jambalaya and Pralines, seasoned with history, trivia and tall tales. Dinner tonight is your choice.

Today’s Inclusions: Accommodation – Breakfast - Garden District Walking Tour – New Orleans Cooking School Driving Distance: 0 Miles Driving Time 0:00

Day 6
LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA
Leaving New Orleans we drive northwest to Avery Island to tour the Tabasco Pepper Sauce factory, its beautiful jungle gardens and Bird City before lunch at a Cajun restaurant in nearby New Iberia.New Iberia was founded on the banks of Bayou Teche in 1779 by a group of Spaniards from Malaga. It is the only town in Louisiana to be founded by Spaniards during the Colonial Era and we have time for a stop at Shadows-on-the-Teche a plantation house built in 1834 before following Bayou Teche north to our overnight in historic Lafayette. Dinner tonight is at the world famous Prejeans Cajun restaurant just north of town. Taking the world by storm since their first culinary competition some 20 years ago, Prejeans now holds the record for the most medals captured by any culinary team in the South. "Big Al," the fourteen-foot alligator once a native of the Louisiana’s Grand Chenier swamp, sits in the middle of the dining room guarding the culinary medals and a live Cajun band playing Zydeco music completes the picture.

Today’s Inclusions: Accommodation - Breakfast -Tabasco Factory – Shadows-onthe- Teche – Dinner Driving Distance: 183 Miles Driving Time 3:45

Day 7
NATCHEZ - MISSISSIPPI
An early start this morning for the Atchafalaya Experience! Louisiana's answer to the Grand Canyon, the Atchafalaya is North America's largest river swamp and ranks among the top 10 wilderness areas in the United States. Run by the father and son team of Coerte and Kim Voorhies, the expedition has been featured on the Discovery Channel, BBC and Getaway on Australian TV, is rated as one of the top 10 adventures in North America and is certain to be one of the highlights of the tour. Lunch today is at a seafood eatery on the banks of the bayou known for it’s Cajun menu then it’s north to Mississippi and historic Natchez.

Today’s Inclusions: Accommodation - Breakfast - Atchafalaya Experience - Dinner Driving Distance: 146 Miles Driving Time 2:45

Day 8
VICKSBURG - MISSISSIPPI
Discovered by La Salle, settled by the English, developed by the Spanish and capitalized by the cotton barons, Natchez was handled with kid gloves by the Union Forces and today has the country’s largest collection of Antebellum Homes. Once home to half of America’s millionaires, our time here is unfortunately limited but we tour the cream of these fabulous homes before heading north on the Natchez Trace Parkway to Vicksburg. The Trace, now a National Park running 445 miles to Natchez following the route of the first settlers, is a leisurely drive with a speed limit of 50 mph but takes us directly to lunch, which today is a genuine southern home cooked experience. The restaurant is housed in a building dating from 1880 and is strictly a family affair, no professional staff, no graduates of the Culinary Institute of America, just good old-fashioned Southern cooking served in the “family” style on large round tables.

This afternoon we tour the Vicksburg Military Park that commemorates the campaign, siege, and defense of Vicksburg during the Civil War. The city's surrender on July 4, 1863, after the loss of 17,000 lives split the South, giving control of the Mississippi River to the Union. The 16-mile road through the park features over 1370 monuments and a restored Union gunboat the USS Cairo, an ironclad that struck two underwater torpedoes sinking in less than 12 minutes with no loss of life. Preserved by mud and silt, Cairo sat on the bottom of the Yazoo River for 102 years before it was raised in 1964.

Today’s Inclusions: Accommodation - Breakfast – Vicksburg Military Park - Dinner Driving Distance: 73 Miles Driving Time 1:30

Day 9
MEMPHIS - TENNESSEE
Today we follow the Mississippi low country to Clarksdale, Mississippi long been described as "Ground Zero" for blues aficionados from around the globe. It all started here. The Ground Zero Blues Club was created to celebrate the area's rich blues heritage. We lunch on Mississippi soul food but there’s plenty of options if your not too adventurous on the day. It’s hard to visit the South without the sights and sounds of Memphis and after lunch it’s on to Memphis for fingerlickin’ barbeque, live music, Beale Street and Gracelands. Our hotel for the next two nights is the famous Peabody, a magnificent Forbes Four-Star, AAA Four-Diamond historic hotel in the heart of "Blues City". We arrive in time to witness one Memphis' most popular attractions, The Peabody Ducks marching to and from the Grand Lobby daily at 5 p.m. in a time-honored tradition dating back to 1933. Nothing is quite so quintessentially Memphis as barbeque and blues under the bright lights of Beale Street and your choice for dinner tonight could include down-home delicacies from Dyer’s Burgers, slow smoked ribs from The Pig on Beale or perhaps some green fried tomatoes from the King’s Palace Café. Keep an eye out for the Beale Street Flippers a group of street performers who will blow you away with their acrobatic skills.

Today’s Inclusions: Accommodation - Breakfast Driving Distance: 220 Miles Driving Time 4:15

Day 10
MEMPHIS - TENNESSEE
Our hotel is just two blocks from the world-famous Beale Street entertainment district, Peabody Place and the Belz Museum of Asian & Judaic Art, the
Memphis Museum of Rock & Soul and the Orpheum Theatre. Only minutes away are more Memphis tourist attractions such as the STAX Museum of American Soul Music, Memphis Zoo, and Sun Studios. This afternoon it’s a short drive for our VIP tour of Gracelands Mansion and to see some of the King’s favourite cars and board his private jets. This evening is your choice. Perhaps dine in the refined elegance of Chez Phillipe, the Peabody’s signature dining room or if you hunger for an authentic Brazilian-American Churrascaria that combines the cuisine of Southern Brazil with the
generous spirit of Texas, venture across the street to Texas de Brazil.

Today’s Inclusions: Accommodation - Breakfast – Graceland’s VIP Tour Driving Distance: 0 Miles Driving Time 0:00

Day 11
NASHVILLE - TENNESSEE
A bit of freeway running today to our hotel in Downtown Nashville for the next two nights and we’re just a few minutes walk from the honky-tonks of Broadway and the Country Music Hall of Fame. Whether or not you’re a fan of the Nashville Sound, the Country Music Hall of Fame is an absolute must see and we drop our cars at the hotel and cross the road to tour the facility. The evening is at your leisure but don’t miss the honkytonks of Broadway. You’ll find great food at stalwarts like Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville or take in a show at The Bluebird Café or Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge or maybe some boot scooting lessons at the 5 storey Wildhorse Saloon. Whatever your choice of music you will find it here and don’t ignore the smaller bars such as Layla’s Bluegrass Inn for fabulous good old rock & roll.

Driving Distance: 213 Miles Driving Time 2:50

Day 12
NASHVILLE - TENNESSEE
A free day to explore the city, but to get started we have arranged a private session at the Visitors Information Centre adjacent to the hotel to get you loaded up with the everything you need to know about this great town. Nashville is not just music as galleries, museums, plantations, historic homes and a wide choice of attractions abound. To know the South is to know its food and this morning we explore the deep roots that make the Southern Table renowned throughout the world. We tour an1853 Mansion, participate in cooking Southern food classics in the original Plantation kitchen, explore the Root Cellar, the South’s largest Smoke House, and the family Herb Garden. Dinner and entertainment tonight is your choice.

Today’s Inclusions: Accommodation - Breakfast – Belle Meade Plantation Driving Distance: 16 Miles Driving Time 0:40

Day 13
CHATTANOOGA  TENNESSEE
We leave Nashville this morning and head south on some great country roads to Lynchburg and the Jack Daniels Distillery. Lynchburg is in the smallest county in Tennessee, but don’t anticipate a free sample, as it’s a dry county and has been ever since Prohibition. The tour is mostly out of doors and there’s plenty to see so you’ll work up an appetite for lunch in the Lynchburg Town Square at the end of the tour. Some interesting shopping opportunities here and early afternoon we take the back woods road through Winchester and Sewanee to our stop for the night at Chattanooga.

Today’s Inclusions: Accommodation - Breakfast – Jack Daniel Distillery - Dinner Driving Distance: 155 Miles Driving Time 3:20

Day 14
ASHEVILLE – NORTH CAROLINA
Today we head into the southern reaches of the Great Smoky Mountains on great driving roads with some spectacular scenery. We take a short break at the Ocoee Whitewater Centre then continue on route 64 through the Chattahoochee National Forest to Asheville and our hotel for the next two nights.
Our hotel is the luxurious Grand Bohemian Hotel, just steps away from the gates of the famous Biltmore Estate. This afternoon there will be time to explore the village created by the George Vanderbilt to house the construction workers during the building of the Biltmore Estate and tonight dinner is in the Red Stag Grill winner of the Diners Choice Award for 2012.

Today’s Inclusions: Accommodation - Breakfast - Dinner Driving Distance: 206 Miles Driving Time 3:40

Day 15
ASHEVILLE – NORTH CAROLINA
Today’s visit to the Biltmore Estate is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the tour. The building of Biltmore was, at the time, one of the largest undertakings in the history of American residential architecture and the results are astounding. Over a six-year period, an entire community of craftsmen worked to build the country's premier home with the estate boasting its own brick factory, woodworking shop, and a threemile railway spur for transporting building materials and workers to the site. The celebrated architect Richard Morris Hunt modeled the house on three châteaux built in 16th-century France. Featuring 4 acres of floor space, 250 rooms, 34 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces, the basement alone houses a swimming pool, gymnasium and changing rooms, bowling alley, servants' quarters, kitchens, and more. The grounds of the 125,000-acre estate were designed by the creator of New York's Central Park and the father of American landscape architecture. He developed acres of gardens and parkland and in his efforts to protect the environment and reclaim over-farmed land established America's first managed forest. The tour of the Mansion and grounds takes most of the day and in the evening we are welcome to stay on and enjoy the Antler Hill Village for dinner or shopping.

Today’s Inclusions: Accommodation - Breakfast – Biltmore Mansion Tour Driving Distance: 0 Miles Driving Time 0:00

Day 16
CHARLESTON – SOUTH CAROLINA
We leave the mountains this morning and head towards the coast and the Lowcountry of South Carolina and Charleston our destination for the next two
nights. Late morning we turn off to the village of Newberry, a carefully and beautifully preserved town rich in history and small town charm. Lunch
is in a converted bank and you won’t be disappointed in your first taste of Southern Carolina cuisine. The She Crab soup and Monte Christo sandwiches
alone are worth the drive. There is time for stroll after lunch then we continue southwest to Charleston. Our hotel is in a meticulously restored 300-year-old building overlooking the historic Charleston market area in the heart of the historic district and dinner tonight is at nearby restaurant.

Today’s Inclusions: Accommodation - Breakfast – Dinner Driving Distance: 271 Miles Driving Time 4:30

Day 17
CHARLESTON – SOUTH CAROLINA
We start the day with a leisurely breakfast on the rooftop terrace overlooking the old town then midmorning we drive 20 minutes to the Magnolia Plantation just north of town. Founded in 1676 by the Drayton family, Magnolia Plantation has survived the centuries, the American Revolution and the Civil War and is the oldest public gardens in America, opening its doors to visitors in 1870. Our tour includes the mansion and gardens and lunch is available on the estate. Your afternoon and evening is free to discover the charms of this quite unique city. Dinner to night is your choice, options are plentiful and it’s easy to sample the Lowcountry Cuisine. Seafood dominates the menus here so don’t miss the fried shrimp and oysters fresh from the bay.

Today’s Inclusions: Accommodation - Breakfast – Magnolia Plantation Tour Driving Distance: 15 Miles Driving Time 0:40

Day 18
SAVANNAH - GEORGIA
A lazy start to the day and we head south through the Lowcountry to Beaufort (pronounced Bewfort) for a stroll down the main street and dock area then a short drive to adjacent St Helena Island for lunch at a traditional Gullah Restaurant. The Gullah people are African Americans who live in the Low  Country region of South Carolina and Georgia. Known for preserving more of their African linguistic and cultural heritage than any other African American community in the United States, the Gullah dialect is rooted in West and Central Africa, combined with English and other languages such as French. The restaurant has been featured by Martha Stewart and Anthony Boudain’s “No Reservations” and the owner and chef Bill Green is nationally recognised as one of the few purveyors’ of authentic Gullah foods. No rest from southern cooking today as dinner tonight is at world famous Vic’s on the River just a  few steps from our Savannah riverfront Hotel.

Today’s Inclusions: Accommodation – Breakfast - Dinner Driving Distance: 126 Miles Driving Time 2:40

Day 19
SAVANNAH - GEORGIA
It’s time to walk off yesterday’s feasting and Savannah is the perfect spot. Since her founding in 1733, Savannah has been one of America’s favorite  destinations. Located in the heart of Coastal Georgia's Lowcountry, Savannah is a city of rare natural beauty lovingly enhanced by two centuries of
manmade splendor. Late morning we are guided through the distinctive park-like squares, cobblestone streets of the old quarter on a walking tour of the magnificent architecture. The afternoon is yours to continue exploring or rest up for another night of southern hospitality.

Today’s Inclusions: Accommodation – Breakfast – Walking Tour Driving Distance: 0 Miles Driving Time 0hrs 0mins

Day 20
St AUGUSTINE - FLORIDA
This morning we follow Route 17 south through historic Midway past the world’s smallest church to our lunch stop just south of Brunswick. Lunch is Georgia road food in a cabin that’s probably over 100 years old where they still cook on an open fire and the ambience is definitely “down home and  rustic”. No more back roads today as it’s back on the freeway to St Augustine for our last two nights on the road. The nation’s oldest city can trace its  roots back to the Spanish explorer Ponce De Leon who first stepped ashore in 1513 and our hotel is right on the waterfront in the heart of the old Spanish quarter. There is time this afternoon to get acquainted with the town and dinner tonight is your choice.

Today’s Inclusions: Accommodation – Breakfast Driving Distance: 187 Miles Driving Time 3:30

Day 21 -
St AUGUSTINE - FLORIDA
St. Augustine also holds the distinction of being one of the nation's most charming. It’s an easy walk around town but a carriage tour will get you orientated and the guide will identify some of the major points of interest. Visit the fort near our hotel, Castillo de San Marcos which took 23 years to build (from 1672 to 1695) is built of coquina, a virtually indestructible limestone comprised of broken sea shells and coral. The walls of the fortress remained impenetrable through 300 years of enemy shelling and pounding by violent storms and the Castillo still fires it’s cannons every day. Don’t miss the Flagler College located in what was once Henry Flagler's first St. Augustine hotel, the Ponce de Leon and was the first hotel in the nation with running water and electric light The college and features the world’s largest Tiffany Glass windows and across the square, the Lightner Museum is quite unique featuring an intriguing array of items, from shrunken heads and mummies to stunning collections of stained glass and crystal. There’s also plenty  to amuse in the alleys with restaurants ranging from an “English Pub” serving fish & chips and Cornish pasties to 4 & 5 Star restaurants and great  outdoor dining venues.

Today’s Inclusions: Accommodation – Breakfast – Carriage tour Driving Distance: 0 Miles Driving Time 0:00

Day 22
ORLANDO - FLORIDA
Our last day on the road as we head south to the Theme Park capital of Orlando. We stop for a quick lunch at the unique Cracker Barrel then on to our  hotel for the last night. The hotel is actually attached to one of the cities largest Malls so it’s a great opportunity for some last minute shopping. With over  1.9 million square feet, 260 stores and possibly the cheapest shopping in the US some self-control is definitely required. Tonight our Farwell Dinner  is in an adjacent Italian Family Restaurant.

Today’s Inclusions: Accommodation – Breakfast – Farewell Dinner Driving Distance: 111 Miles Driving Time 2:00

Day 23
ORLANDO - FLORIDA
After breakfast this morning we return our cars and transfer via luxury coach to Miami for our 5 day Caribbean Cruise aboard Carnival Victory in a balcony cabin.  We visit Grand Turk, Half Moon City and Nassau.

THE CARS
Choose from a fabulous range of American Muscle or European Prestige. Our base cars included in the itinerary are Mustang Convertibles or Coupes. If you want to upgrade to something with a little more muscle choose between Dodge Challenger RT, Corvette Convertible, Chevy Camaro SS, Cadillac CTS 2 door, Ford Mustang GT Premium or a Chevy Camaro SS Convertible. If you prefer European choose from a Volvo C70 Convertible, Mercedes C Class,  or a Mercedes E 350 Convertible.