The Music Road: A Music Cities Road Trip

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This is it: The Road Trip of a Lifetime for nostalgic music lovers everywhere! 

Have you long dreamed of taking a journey like this? Well – Dream no longer! 

Here it is: This is no fantasy. This is the real thing. 

Travel with us to many of the iconic, classic cities that claimed their fame on music. 

Branson – Memphis – Nashville – Pigeon Forge – Dryridge – Shipshewana – Fort Atkinson

Day 1 – Home to Kansas City, MO

Travel day today. Take advantage of the “down time” to preview and prepare for the full and fabulous days ahead. Tonight there will be a manager’s “kickback” reception at the hotel.

Included Meals: Manager’s Reception 

Hotel: Drury Inn (Blue Springs) 

Day 2 – Kansas City to Branson, MO

Great hot breakfast at our beautiful hotel before we continue our journey to Branson. We’ll have a convenient lunch stop on your own just before we arrive in Branson. We will check into our Hampton on the Strip hotel and freshen up for the remainder of the day’s events. An amazing experience is planned at Sight & Sound Theatre. We start with an intriguing Behind the Scenes tour of the Musical Production of “Samson.” Gain fascinating insight into “how it’s done” on this amazing set before you see the show! It will give you an even greater appreciation of this compelling production as we will be immersed in the incredible live performance of “Samson.” Unlike anything you have ever experienced! We’ll enjoy an included dinner at one of our favorite dining places in Branson, McFarlain’s Family Restaurant, with real home cooked Ozark vittles! Tonight, laugh ‘til you think your sides will split and enjoy the great music of Branson’s Hottest Show, Pierce Arrow, featuring the world’s lowest base singer according to Guinness BOWR.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner 

Hotel: Hampton on the Strip 

Day 3 – Branson to Memphis, TN

Breakfast at the hotel before an early start on the day. We are headed to Memphis. Enjoy the beautiful springtime blossoms on display as we make our way through the Ozarks and across Arkansas. Lunch will be on your own. We arrive in Memphis early afternoon and go directly to Graceland, the iconic home of the King of Rock ‘n Roll, Elvis. This has been a pilgrimage for many people over the years and you will totally enjoy the experience! Departing from Graceland, we check into our hotel. We have handpicked the Hampton Inn, downtown Memphis, strategically located one block from Beale street. We will find a “quick” dinner outside our hotel on our own before experiencing a “Jim Witter” Concert at the beautiful and historic Orpheum Theatre located right on Beale Street.

Included Meals: Breakfast 

Hotel: Hampton Inn Memphis off Beale Street (2 Nights) 

Day 4 – Memphis

Eat a hearty hot breakfast at our hotel this morning. You’ll need the energy as you prepare for a bountiful day. We are joined today by a local expert guide who will unveil Musical Memphis like you’ve never heard before. Included will be many famous landmarks such as Sun Studio, Rock ‘n Roll Museum and the incredible Stax Museum. A trip to this city is not official until you have experienced authentic Memphis BBQ, and this we will enjoy as our included lunch at one of Memphis’ most celebrated BBQ cafés. You are on your own tonight to enjoy the authentic sights, sounds and food of this one and only “Home of the Blues,” so designated by an Act of Congress in 1977. Also known as the birthplace of Rock ‘n Roll, waiting to be explored are such iconic and historic places as BB King’s Blues Club, Blues City Café, Miss Polly’s Soul City, King’s Palace, Dyers, Alfred’s, The Hard Rock and Jerry Lee Lewis Café. Relish the experience of this musical & magical evening!

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch 

Day 5 – Memphis to Nashville, TN

This morning we appropriately travel The Music Highway, a portion of Interstate 40 between Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville, so designated by the Tennessee Legislature. We arrive just in time for a wonderful included lunch at Café Fontanella. The Café is located at Fontanel, the incredible former residence of Country Music Hall of Famer Barbara Mandrell. The home is an amazing 33,000 sq ft log mansion situated on beautifully landscaped grounds in Whites Creek just outside of Nashville. Following lunch we are privileged to an inside tour of the home guided by an aspiring musician. The mansion is the biggest log residence of its type in the world and was conceived and designed by Barbara and her husband. Leaving Fontanel, we arrive at The Gaylord Opryland Resort, our home base for the next three days! This world renowned lavish hotel is set under three mammoth glass atriums. Our rooms are all situated on the atrium side, providing amazing views. You’ll have the entire late afternoon and evening to explore this expansive place. You are on your own for dinner tonight to select from many restaurants, grills, bars, delis, etc. The entire tour would be worth it just for this extended stay at this wonderful place!

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch 

Hotel: Gaylord Opryland Resort (3 Nights) 

Day 6 – Nashville

Wow! Pinch yourself. Am I really waking up in this splendid place? Breakfast is provided at the resort this morning in your pleasant surroundings. We are joined today by a local Nashville expert who will guide us through our Music City experience. Today we’ll enjoy an insightful city tour that includes such enchanting places as Music Row, historic Ryman Auditorium, and the nostalgic George Jones Museum. We will visit the Johnny Cash Museum or opt to visit the Patsy Cline Museum. We are honored to enjoy lunch together at LuLa’s Cafe attached to the Ryman Auditorium. We are guests this evening at a private dinner show with a local Nashville Songwriter. This will be a memory you will cherish – for a long time!

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Show 

Day 7 – Nashville

Another awesome breakfast in paradise before embarking on another exciting day in Nashville. This will be a hugely informative and entertaining adventure. Lots of “One & Onlys” today. The Country Music Hall of Fame, Historic RCA Studio B where Elvis himself recorded more than 260 songs! Plus a lunch cruise with fabulous Nashville Sound entertainment on the General Jackson Showboat. We think the best musicians in the world are in Nashville! Later on, the day is capped with a live radio show of the Grand Ole Opry. We not only see the show but are privy to a behind-the-scenes, backstage tour to see how it all happens and possibly rub shoulders with some of the music legends themselves. Truly a spectacular day!

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Cruise 

Day 8 – Nashville to Pigeon Forge, TN

No hurry this morning. Take your time for breakfast and absorb the luxurious surroundings before we continue our journey along the Music Highway through Knoxville to Pigeon Forge. This area of the Smoky Mountains is kind of a “new Branson,” with lots of theatres and family entertainment offered. Today we will become part of one of the longest running feuds in history at “The Hatfield and McCoy Dinner Show!” Enjoy a Tennessee country dinner with all the trimmings, served family style. Before our evening event we will check into our lovely and welcoming accommodations at The Music Road Inn. (Appropriately named!) Our highly entertaining show this evening at the Music Mansion Theatre (formerly Smoky Mountain Opry) is a challenge to adequately describe. Amazingly talented singers, dancers, comedians, magicians, acrobats, impressionist, musicians, lighting and much more fills the stage for two full hours of pure delight!

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner 

Hotel: The Music Road Inn 

Day 9 – Pigeon Forge to Dryridge, KY

This tour has it all! Even a morning show! A variety Morning Show has become a Smoky Mountain favorite over the years. This mid-morning show will get our day off to a great start. Next we’ll make the trek through the rolling hills of Kentucky. No hustle and bustle or big bright lights, just down home genuinely friendly folks! We will settle in the small town of Dryridge, KY for our overnight.

Included Meals: Breakfast 

Hotel: Hampton Inn 

Day 10 – Dryridge to Shipshewana, IN

Breakfast at the hotel in our pleasant rural setting will fit us for a short ride to get an opportunity to visit America’s newest amazing attraction, Noah’s Ark Encounter! We are traveling so near this incredible theme park and just can’t pass up experiencing this full-scale model of Noah’s Ark described in the Bible. The Ark is about two football fields long and has three decks of exploration. We will pick up lunch on the grounds, choosing from several food booths outside the Ark. This afternoon we journey on to Shipshewana, an inviting village, the heart of one of the country’s largest Amish communities. Small, modest and rural, just like our stop the day before, it surprises you with its flair, quality and big time offerings. We are staying at the spacious and comfortable Blue Gate Garden Inn featuring its own big time breakfast as well. An Amish family style dinner is served at the Blue Gate Restaurant and Bakery. After dinner, we board the coach a short distance to the Event Center where our evening show is by Chubby Checker, whose “The Twist” was the Billboards first #1 song of all time. Chubby will entertain us for an unforgettable evening. We walk or board the coach to head next door to our comfortable Amish style rooms & beds for the overnight.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner 

Hotel: The Blue Gate Garden Inn 

Day 11 – Shipshewana to Janesville, WI

Big Time Breakfast?!! You agree? We’ll have some leisurely time this morning to experience some Amish shopping. You may want to take a buggy tour of Shipshewana, if you so desire. Find a place to grab some lunch before we part town and head off to Fort Atkinson to take in the Broadway production of “42nd Street” at the Fireside Dinner Theatre. The ambience is wonderful as we experience one of the Midwest’s most popular entertainment destinations. Then it’s a short drive to Janesville for our night’s rest.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner Show 

Hotel: Hampton Inn 

Day 12 – Janesville to Home

The Hampton always provides a great hot breakfast to prepare us for our journey home. We are probably satisfyingly exhausted as we wind down from this Music Road Adventure. What a trip! One we will never forget and likely never duplicate!

Included Meals: Breakfast