The Grand Deep South

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Civil War History • Cotton Plantations & Antebellum Mansions • Cajun Country • The French Quarter

Day 1 – Home to Kansas City

Today we begin our journey to exciting Cajun Country and the deep south. Overnight in Kansas City this evening.

Hotel: Drury Inn

Day 2 – Kansas City to Little Rock

Take a scenic drive with sweeping vistas of the lovely Ozark Mountain country. We’ll stop for a light lunch in Branson before our afternoon journey to Little Rock, Arkansas.

Included Meals: Light Breakfast, Lunch

Hotel: Hampton Inn

Day 3 – Little Rock to Natchez

Travel deep into the south to Vicksburg, steeped in ambiguous history. Tour the Vicksburg National Military Park , one of the best preserved Civil War Battlefields in America. It’s here that one of the Civil War’s most devastating battles took place. Tour the historic monuments, miles of reconstructed trenches, the restored Union gunboat USS Cairo, and the Vicksburg National Cemetery. Make our way to historic Natchez, featuring immense plantations and magnificent mansions from the booming days of the cotton industry. Experience true southern hospitality this evening at dinner at The Castle Restuarant. This evening the history of the South will come to life at the Confederate Pageant performance.

Included Meal: Breakfast, Dinner

Hotel: Hampton Inn

Day 4 – Natchez

A local guide joins us for the Natchez Pilgrimage Tour of Homes as we tour some of the beautiful antebellum mansions, which are more plentiful here than anywhere else in the United States. Tour Hawthorne, built in 1814 boasting outstanding architectural features including four doorways with identical elliptical fanlights and unusually high ceilings. Later explore Rosalie, built in 1820, located on the Mississippi Bluff. Rosalie was the headquarters of the Union Army during the War Between the States. Lastly we will visit Elms Court, built between 1835-1840 and noted for being one of the most outstanding suburban villa residences in Natchez. Cross the Mississippi River and tour Frogmore Plantation, a 1,800-acre working cotton plantation from 1790. Experience slave culture, sharecropping, & more. Tonight enjoy a presentation called “Southern Exposure”.

Included Meals: Breakfast

Day 5 – Natchez to Lafayette

Today motor deep into the heart of Cajun Country, an area first settled by French Acadian farmers. Visit Avery Island, a unique feel of the South Louisiana marshes and bayous to the nature preserve inhabited by indigenous plants and animals, a true Avery Island experience. See how we age TABASCO® Sauce in white oak barrels and ship it all over the world. Stroll through Avery Island’s 250-acre Jungle Gardens and see, in season, a variety of azaleas, camellias and bamboo. You might even spy some alligators, deer, and raccoons that live in the hills and marshes around the gardens. And then there are thousands of snowy egrets who nest on the island each spring on specially-built, pier-like structures in a pond nicknamed “Bird City”. This evening R & J Tours has arranged for a local couple to accompany us to Randol’s, a cajun dance hall, for a delicious dinner and dancing. Enjoy live entertainment, good friends, and great conversation.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Hotel: Drury Inn & Suites

Day 6 – Lafayette – New Orleans

Travel the Old Spanish Trail, with mossy trees, swamps, and the misty, moody basin of the Atchafalaya River. Visit the beautiful Houmas House Plantation and Gardens on Louisiana’s historic river road. Experience the original French provincial house, the mansion and carriageway to the grand home, described as “The Sugar Palace.” Enjoy a delicious lunch and some time to walk through the beautiful gardens. Later, we will make our way to New Orleans. Your hotel is close by the French Quarter giving you opportunity to truly experience this exciting area.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Hotel: Drury Inn

Day  7 – New Orleans

Our guide circles the sights of the French Quarter, including St. Louis Cathedral and its adjoining Cabildo, Bourbon Street Jazz District, French Market Place, Garden District, and the bustling harbor front. This afternoon we’ll step on board the Steamboat Natchez for a lovely two hour cruise from the heart of the French Quarter back in time to when life was as slow and graceful as the current on the Mississippi. Along the way we’ll enjoy a delicious creole lunch as we cruise along the river. The remainder of your day is at your leisure.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 8 – New Orleans

Experience a jazz brunch served at the famous Court of Two Sisters, where the food is great and the entertainment is grand. This afternoon we will take our swamp tour down the river and bayou area. Your captain is a native of the swamps and fully narrates your tour. Later in the day, you may have the option at your own cost to visit the WWII Museum or take a relaxing carriage ride through the French Quarter. Stop in at historic Cafe Du Monde for the famous cafe au lait and beignet’s. Later stroll along Bourbon Street as the wonderful sounds of jazz and Dixieland music, and the delightful aroma of Creole and Cajun cooking fill the air.

Included Meals: Brunch

Day 9 – New Orleans to Biloxi

This morning we make our way along the sparkling Gulf Coast of Biloxi a resort city famous for it’s shrimp and fishing fleets. Our step on guide will join us, bringing this charming town to life. Following lunch on our own, we are off for an unforgettable shrimping expedition. We will cruise along the scenic coastline and learn first hand the art of shrimping. Drive past picturesque harbors and the Biloxi Lighthouse. Tonight, stay at the Beau Rivage, perfectly placed on Biloxi’s sparkling beachfront.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Hotel: The Beau Rivage Resort

Day 10 – Biloxi to Memphis

We’ll check into the Comfort Inn in downtown Memphis and freshen up for an exciting evening. Tonight visit famous Beale Street for a delightful dinner featuring southern delicacies.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Hotel: Comfort Inn Downtown Memphis

Day 11 – Memphis to St. Louis

Our Step On Guide will take us on an exciting tour of Memphis, with a stop at famous St. Jude’s Hospital . View beautifully restored mansions, breathtaking views of the mighty Mississippi River, and parkways lined with expertly sculpted trees. Imagine the music of Beale Street, Historic Entertainment District, with its enticing “Red, Hot, and Blue” rhythms. Along the way, our guide will tell of the adventures and tragedies that have made Memphis what it is today…and infused it with all its good old-fashioned Southern Charm. Tour Graceland, the beautiful estate of the “King of Rock-n-Roll,” Elvis Presley. We’ll make our way to St. Louis for the evening.

Hotel: Drury Inn

Included Meals: Breakfast

Day 12 – St. Louis to Hannibal, MO

This morning following breakfast, we’ll discover St. Louis with our terrific local guide, bringing St. Louis to life. You’ll learn and discover so much more than you ever imagined about St. Louis! Motor through Missouri enroute to Hannibal, where we will check into our hotel.

Included Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Holiday Inn Express

Day 13 – Hannibal to Home

After breakfast we make our final stretch home.

Included Meals: Breakfast