Go West Tours

23 USA Afternoon guided tour of New Orleans , in particular the French Quarter and market as well as the tranquil Garden District where you can take the “Streetcar named Desire” and see a well-preserved collection of historic southern mansions. Dinner (half board) and overnight in the center of town. Optional dinner cruise on the Mississipi. Day 5 : New Orleans - Baton Rouge (185 km/116 miles, 2h30) - Time at leisure in the morning. Morning drive to two plantations in the Greek revival style overlooking the Mississippi River . They give you an excellent idea of the opulence of the region prior to the Civil War: Nottoway, a large, admirable estate, with many innovations for the mid 19th century. Then onward to Oak Alley (a superb mansion) arriving through a canopy of giant oak trees over two hundred years old. Lunch on your own. Continue to Baton Rouge , capital of the state of Louisiana. Dinner (half board) and overnight in Baton Rouge. Day 6 : Baton Rouge - Saint Francisville - Natchez - Jackson (315 km/197 miles - 4h00) - This morning, you’ll enjoy a short tour of the city to discover the Capitol then Louisiana State University, which contributes greatly to the local economy. The Rural Life Museum that you visit depends on this support. This outdoor museum houses collections of furnishings, utensils, tools and farming implements used in pre-industrial Louisiana as well as a typical 19th century working plantation. Lunch on your own. Continue to Saint Francisville for a visit of the magnificent Rosedown plantation with gardens inspired by those of Versailles. Afternoon drive to Natchez in the neighboring state of Mississippi, an attractive Southern city with historical character. The homes in the central part of the city are very well kept and have retained their 19th century charm. Dinner (half board) and overnight in Jackson . Day 7 : Jackson - Vicksburg - Memphis (475 km/297 miles - 4h50) - This morning, make a stop at Vicksburg National Military Park . The park was established by Congress in 1899, to commemorate one of the most decisive battles of the American Civil War: the campaign, siege and defense of Vicksburg. It includes 1,325 historic monuments and markers, 20 miles of reconstructed trenches and earthworks, a 16 mile tour road, antebellum home, 144 emplaced cannons, the restored Union gunboat-USS Cairo, and the Vicksburg National Cemetery. Lunch on your own on the way. Leave for the Deep South. Arrival in Memphis , the home of the blues as well as rock “n” roll, where the greats, from B.B. King to Elvis Presley, made their first recordings. Afternoon visit of Graceland , the last home of the “King,” turned into a museum after his death. Dinner (half board). Optional evening concert in a famous Beale Street club . Overnight in Memphis. Day 8 : Memphis - Nashville (340 km/213 miles - 3h30) - The Delta blues originated in the Mississippi Delta , a region stretching from Memphis south to Vicksburg, Mississippi. Visit of the National Civil Rights Museum . Then see the famous Sun Studio in Memphi s, where several blues and rock “n” roll artists first recorded there in the ‘50s. Lunch on your own. Continue to Nashville. Called “Music City USA” , Nashville is the capital of country music. Tour of the city. Time at leisure. Dinner (half board). At night, you may want to have a drink in a typical bar with country music and dance. Overnight in Nashville . Day 9 : Nashville - Lynchburg -Atlanta (445 km/278 miles - 5h15) - This morning, visit the Country Music Hall of Fame . Continue to Lynchburg. Visit of the Jack Daniel’s distillery. Orientation tour. Lunch on your own. Leave Tennessee and continue to Atlanta . Dinner (half board) and overnight in Atlanta. Day 10 : Atlanta - Atlanta city tour. You will visit Martin Luther King’s birth home (first come first serve basis). You will then discover the famous CNN studios ‘’behind the scenes’’. Lunch on your own. Afternoon at leisure. Optional #1 : Atlanta History Center. Optional #2 : Coca Cola factory. Dinner (half board) and overnight in Atlanta. Day 11 : Atlanta - departure