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Elvis Graceland and Americas Deep South

10 Day Escorted Tour

USA, North America
7 Meals Included
7 Excursions
Challenging Pace

America's Civil Rights Movement, music heritage and space exploration all came to a head in the explosive and exuberant atmosphere of the 1960s. Our tour encompasses the highlights and tragic lows of this era through the country music of Nashville, the rock 'n' roll and jazz of Memphis and the rhythmic blues of New Orleans before concluding at the Houston Space Centre.

Highlights

  • Explore all things country and western at the Johnny Cash Museum and Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville
  • An audio tour of Elvis Presley's home, Graceland
  • Experience an evening of Southern food and music in Nashville
  • Visit the moving National Civil Rights Museum
  • Enjoy a cooking demonstration and meal at New Orleans School of Cooking
  • Tour a local whiskey distillery in New Orleans
  • Marvel at Moon rocks and lunar samples at the home of NASA, Space Centre Houston. Learn about the past and exciting future of America’s human space flight program
  • Explore the famed French Quarter and Bourbon Street in New Orleans

Map Key

Train
Coach
Boat
Airplane
Walking
1
Number of nights

Itinerary

Day 1
UK to Nashville

Depart London on your scheduled direct flight to Nashville. On arrival, you will be met by a local tour director and transferred to your hotel. Enjoy the evening at leisure in Nashville, 'Music City USA', a city set amidst rolling farmland and known worldwide as the home of country music.

Day 2
Nashville

This morning, embark on a tour of Tennessee's rhythmic capital, Nashville, whose energetic ambience is characterised by its vibrant music scene, neon-lit avenues and bustling honky-tonks. For music lovers, your tour begins with a visit to Studio B, Nashville's oldest surviving recording studio regularly used by stars such as Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and The Everley Brothers, to name just a few . You will then head to the Country Music Hall of Fame; a huge museum of all things country and western and home to films, videos, costumes and Elvis Presley's solid gold Cadillac, continue to the Johnny Cash Museum to admire historical documents, awards and costumes before delighting in the chance to visit one of Nashville's famous honkytonks playing live country music, as well as the impressive Parthenon - the only full-scale replica of the Greek Parthenon and the reason behind Nashville's nickname 'Athens of the South'. Finish the day at the amazing Grand Ole Orpy Show.

Day 3
Nashville

Dinner

Having seen the highlights of Nashville spend a day at leisure to further explore one of the world's great musical cities. This evening, have dinner at Ole Red Nashville for a great night of Southern food, musical sounds and hospitality.

Day 4
Nashville to Memphis

Dinner

The tour will head for Memphis, yet another highlight of this Southern Musical Medley tour. Travel through central Memphis and admire architectural landmarks such as Court Square Fountain, the Lincoln American Tower and Calvary Episcopal Church whilst your guide entertains you with tales about this rowdy riverside town and its inhabitants. This afternoon, take a trip to the National Civil Rights Museum built on the spot where Martin Luther King was assassinated in 1968. Telling the story of the fight for freedom from slavery through to the Civil Rights Movement of the early fifties and sixties, prepare yourself for an emotional and unforgettable experience. In the evening, head to the old-school Blues City Cafe for blues music and soul food.

Day 5
Memphis

Experience another first for the music lover - a visit to Graceland, the iconic home of Elvis and final resting place of The King. Enjoy an audio tour through the decadent and quirky rooms including the 'jungle den' where he used to watch football games and kung-fu movies. This afternoon visit Sun Studios, where Elvis recorded his first hit and where Jerry Lee Lewis's piano still stands. Tonight, is at leisure for you to explore and experience the many bars, restaurants, and music scene of Memphis.

Day 6
Memphis to New Orleans

Dinner

Today the tour leaves Memphis and follows the path of the mighty Mississippi River and travels deep into the heart of the Mississippi Delta via Jackson before crossing the border into Louisiana. Driving across Lake Pontchartrain on the longest causeway in the world you will arrive in New Orleans, a melange of European style and Caribbean flavours and a city full of flamboyance, festivities and a whole lot of soul. We've arranged to take you to the New Orleans School of Cooking this evening for an entertaining demonstration from one of their Creole/Cajun experts with dinner included and the chance to try a New Orleans speciality such as gumbo, jambalaya or pralines.

Day 7
New Orleans

Breakfast

In the morning, visit some of New Orleans' highlights including the famous French Quarter taking in Bourbon Street, the art galleries and antique shops of Royal Street and Jackson Square with its many artists, museums and fortune tellers. From here you will take a visit to a local distillery and savour the tastes of up to three different spirits. The rest of the day and evening are for you to enjoy at your leisure, but make sure you live the New Orleans' motto 'Laissez les bons temps rouler' - let the good times roll!

Day 8
New Orleans

Breakfast

Today is a free day for you to enjoy New Orleans in your own time. Stroll around the market in the French Quarter, stop for some lunch at one of the many oyster bars and restaurants, shop for antiques and trinkets or book yourself a tour through the Louisiana bayou aboard an airboat. This evening you can take your pick of the many excellent bars, eateries and music venues for which this laidback city, The Big Easy is world renowned.

Day 9
New Orleans to Houston

Breakfast

This morning it's time to leave New Orleans and travel to Houston to catch your return flight to the UK the next day. There will be a stop along the way in Lake Charles for an hour or so for you to stretch your legs and have some lunch. Arriving in Houston in the early hours of the evening there will be a short orientation tour before returning to the hotel.

Day 10
Houston to UK or Extension

Breakfast

The final day includes a visit to Houston's Space Centre, home to NASA and the world's largest collection of moon rocks and lunar samples on public view. The centre features more than 400 space artifacts, exhibits, experiences and theatres related to the exciting future and remarkable past of America’s human space-flight program. Sadly, your southern tour of music, culture and history is at an end and it is time to depart for the airport to catch your return flight back to the UK or continue on to your chosen extension.

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This tour can be booked by calling 1800 804 006

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Accommodation

The hotels listed below are provided for guidance only and final confirmation of your accommodation will be sent to you approximately 10 days before you travel
The Clarion Nashville Downtown Stadium
3 nights
Nashville, USA
More details
Crowne Plaza Memphis Downtown
2 nights
Memphis, USA
More details
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Tour Reviews

Michaela Cadden

14 Oct 19

The Gaylord in Nashville was superb, the Holiday Inn in Memphis was really good, the Royal St Charles in New Orleans was poor, but the Sheraton in Houston was great.

Philip Wilson

14 Sep 19

First class hotels I have never stayed before on any other tour in such nice hotels, with the facilities I want. The people on the tour, we all met at Nashville Airport on arrival with the tour guide, we were all strangers to each other, we all left at the end of the the tour all as friends, I have never been on a tour where every one is so pleasant and kind and we did have a few good laughs and a great cross range of ages which was so very nice.

Brian Cripps

26 Nov 18

We thought all the hotels were extremely good apart from the Holiday Inn Express in Atlanta which was 'somewhat tired' and not to the same standard as the others

Lyn Richards

13 Nov 18

Cannot believe the quality of hotels, absolutely amazing

Extend Your Tour

Elvis Graceland and Americas Deep South with Houston City Stay

3 Day Extension
from

€3,073

pp

Important Information

The order of events and sightseeing may vary according to local conditions or for operational purposes. Your local guide will inform you of any schedule changes as they are informed of them. Some road construction &/or weather conditions may lengthen the driving times. Our intention is to adhere to the day-to-day itinerary as printed; however, order of events and sightseeing may vary according to local conditions.

If booking more than 12 weeks before departure a deposit of €324.50pp will need to be paid at the time of booking with the full amount payable at 12 weeks prior to departure. The deposit applies to adults and children. If you are within 12 weeks of travel then the full balance of the holiday will be payable.

All UK passport holders must have a biometric e-passport and your passport must be valid for at least 6 months from the date you are expected to arrive back in the UK. Important note: if you do not have a bio-metric e-passport, you will be refused entry into the USA.

You will need to obtain an ESTA visa. This must be applied for at least 7 days before you are due to land in the USA. An ESTA can be applied for directly on the website of the Department of Homeland Security. The Fee for application is approximately $21.00 plus a $4 processing fee and is applied for and payable via a Credit / Debit Card online. https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta

Alternatively we work closely with The Travel Visa Company who will be who will be able to arrange the ESTA visa on your behalf. Please call them on 01270 250590 and quote 'Mercury Holidays'. When Calling the Travel Visa Company they will advise you of any changes to the fees or procedure, they will also advise you all of the information they will require in order to apply for the visa.

The US Government enforces a restriction on people who have travelled to Cuba since 2011. These travellers are no longer eligible to apply for the ESTA Visa Waiver program and need to apply for a US visitor's visa (B1/B2) via their nearest US Embassy. This ban includes transit, where you’re flying on to another country.

Please note that final flight details will be confirmed on your e-ticket and final documentation which will be sent to you approximately 21 days before departure. Weight restrictions will be finalized on your final documentation. Should you wish to take additional luggage you will need to pay extra at check-in. Check-in should be at least 3 hours before departure. If you wish to arrange Airport car parking or accommodation at preferential rates, we recommend you book this in advance with Holiday Extras on 0871 360 2000, quoting HX313.

IMPORTANT: A printed E-ticket is no longer required at check-in, all you need to do is present your passport to the staff at the desk and your boarding pass will be given to you. Please note that you should carry your invoice with flight details on it as you will need to show this at the airport.

We strongly recommend that you and all members of your party are suitably insured as soon as you book your holiday. It is a condition of booking that you must have suitable travel insurance. It is important that you purchase travel insurance that suitably covers your participation in whatever activities you may undertake at the time that you make your booking. To assist you with this, we have arranged travel insurance in partnership with Holiday Extras. To arrange your travel insurance with Holiday Extras, please call 0800 781 4237 and quote 'WK830' for preferential rates. Please ensure you provide us with the name of your insurer, policy number and their 24-hour emergency contact number as soon as possible. Mercury Holidays will not be liable for any costs incurred by you due to your failure to take out suitable travel insurance from the date of booking.

It is your responsibility to check any health and vaccination requirements applicable to your booked arrangements. We can only provide general information about this. Health and hygiene facilities and disease risks vary from country to country. You should take health advice about your own needs as early as possible and in good time before your departure. Sources of information include; www.fco.gov.uk, http://travelhealthpro.org.uk/, www.hpa.org.uk, your General Practitioner or a specialist clinic.

This tour is accessible to most people with an average level of fitness and normal mobility. It involves full days of sightseeing, often on foot and includes some climbing of stairs and getting on and off coaches. This tour is not suitable for anyone with walking difficulties.

The currency in America is the United States Dollar (USD). You will be able to change currency both before you travel and whilst you are away. You will also have access to ATMs during your tour where you can withdraw money in local currency. Major Credit and Debit Cards are widely accepted.

As normal practice you may be asked for your Credit / Debit card details on check-in at the hotel in order to cover any extras incurred during your stay. If you do not have a credit card, you may be asked for a cash deposit. MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted in hotels as well as American Express.

You will need to take money with you to cover any personal purchases such as souvenirs, laundry and extra drinks and snacks. Approximately £500-£700 per person will be sufficient for the duration of the tour.

Tipping Tipping is very common practice in America. It is customary to tip your guides and driver. Please allow approx. 8-11 USD per person per day for the Tour Guide and 7-10 USD per person per day for the Driver. (All tips will be collected by your tour director on the last day) Tipping at restaurants, hotel staff etc. is discretionary.

The minimum number of travellers in your group will be 30, and the maximum will be 45. If in the unlikely event there are less than 30 people booked on your tour date, we will endeavour to reduce any disruption to your holiday and try to operate your tour with lower passenger numbers. If we are not able to operate your departure date then you may be asked to change to a different date and a full refund will be made available to you should this alternative not be suitable.

This is a fully escorted tour, meaning that you will be met on arrival and will be accompanied by a guide throughout your stay ensuring that you have first-hand knowledge at all times.

Our standard transport for a USA Tour is an air-conditioned motorcoach with onboard facilities. Motorcoaches included on our USA tours are based on a capacity of 47-55 guests.

Your accommodation is selected for convenience, location, comfort or character, and can range from business hotels to leisure hotels. Hotel accommodation is generally rated as local three to four-star standard, but please note there is no international classification system for hotels, and differences in facilities and quality do exist compared to what you might expect in the UK. All group tours hotels have private bathroom facilities and air-conditioning, where needed. Rest assured that all accommodation used by Mercury Holidays is regularly inspected by our staff and partners to ensure that standards meet your needs. The hotels listed below are provided for guidance only and may vary on different departure dates. The final confirmation of your hotels will be sent 21 days before travel.

In the USA, the Triple or Quad Room will be a double room with two queen size beds in the room. Most hotels don’t have additional space in the room to add any rollaway bed or sofa bed.

Breakfast (when Included) will be of a continental style, and at some hotels will be a “Grab & Go “ style. A Grab & Go will usually consist of Coffee / Juice and Bakery items. If you would like a full service hot breakfast, there are many locally eatery options outside of your hotel.

Dinner (when included) will be taken in local restaurants or at the hotel. A variety of restaurants are visited giving you the chance to experience a range of local of dishes and flavours. Vegetarian and Vegan meals can be catered for.

Please contact Customer Experience for questions about other dietary requirements or allergy information.

It is not recommended to drink the tap water, even in developed counties water may contain unfamiliar elements that can cause upset stomachs. In less developed countries water is not filtered in the same way as the UK. Bottled Water will be available to purchase at Shops, Hotels & Lodges.

On your arrival in Nashville you will be met by a representative from our local agent, Destination America, holding a sign displaying: “Mercury Holidays”. The Mercury Holidays/Destination America representative will show you to your transfer vehicle. Your national guide will be on hand 24 hours a day should you have any queries.

If you need to contact your representative during your stay the details are:

Destination America: 5551 Katella Avenue | Cypress, CA 90630 Email: daoperations@destamer.com

Emergency contact information: Please find below the emergency contact details for Destination America 24 hour telephone number: 001 310 617 6635