Tracks of the Deep South 2012 

We fly from London to Atlanta and transfer into Tennessee, where we stay for two nights at the Holiday Inn Chattanooga Choo Choo, once the town's thriving railway station, a century old landmark building and now a railroad themed hotel.

Today we experience a ride on two of Chattanooga's railways, trundling through the countryside on the restored heritage Tennessee Valley Railroad before experiencing 'America's Most Amazing Mile', the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway. Built in 1895 to service a hotel at the top of the mountain, part of the track has an incline of 72.7%, giving it the distinction of being the world's steepest passenger railway.

Our coach takes us through Tennessee to Lynchburg, capital of Moore County. Moore County has been 'dry' since the days of prohibition, which makes its main attraction all the more extraordinary - it is the home of Jack Daniel's Distillery! After a tour of the distillery we continue to Nashville, staying for two nights at the Sheraton Hotel, Downtown, within easy reach of Broadway's honky-tonk bars and live Country music scene.

Since the 1940s Nashville has been synonymous with Country Music, with its collection of recording studios and record labels on 'Music Row' and the landmark Ryman Auditorium, home of the Grand Ole Opry for three decades. A morning guided sightseeing tour introduces you to the sights before we visit the Country Music Hall of Fame, the largest music museum in the world, for an amazing 'who's who' in the world of Country music.

Our journey through Tennessee continues to Memphis. En route we stop at Tupelo to visit the birthplace of Elvis Presley. A fascinating insight into the humble beginnings of Elvis, the birthplace features a museum, the Presley family's two-room house and the restored church building where Elvis's love of Gospel music was formed. On arrival in Memphis we check into the Holiday Inn for a three night stay.

Day 6 introduces the sights of Memphis's extraordinary musical history. We visit Sun Studios, which lays claim to being the birthplace of rock 'n' roll, with a roster featuring Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash. By contrast, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music covers another of the city's musical phenomena. Founded in the neighbourhood known as Soulsville USA, Stax was responsible for launching the careers of great soul artists such as Isaac Hayes, Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett. In the afternoon we visit Graceland, Elvis's 14 acre mansion, and view his preserved living quarters, private aircraft and car collections.

Today you are free to explore Memphis independently. Beale Street's live music is a must as the evening draws in. It is here that Blues from the delta found a home before moving on to influence the world's musical tastes.

This morning we board Amtrak's City of New Orleans service, heading through Mississippi to Louisiana. It is claimed that the Blues spread along this route by rail. The pretty, floral towns of Brookhaven and McComb lead into the exotic Cajun swamps of the Louisiana Bayou. Following our arrival into the city of New Orleans, we transfer to our hotel for three nights, the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel.

A morning guided sightseeing tour on Day 9 provides an introduction to this fascinating city. The afternoon and the following day are spent at leisure. The 'Big Easy' boasts unique architecture, influenced by Spanish, French, Creole and American styles, representative of the cultural melting pot that the city has become. On the evening of Day 10 we enjoy a dinner jazz cruise on board the paddlewheeler, SS Natchez, one of just a handful of steamboats still navigating the mighty Mississippi.

Departing from New Orleans, we join the Crescent service to Atlanta. The Crescent crosses part of Lake Pontchartrain, the largest body of water in Louisiana. Cutting through the De Soto National Forest, we reach the lumber centre of Hattiesburg, before passing through swamp country. Towards midday we reach Meridian, birthplace of Jimmie Rodgers, the father of country music. Our route passes through Tuscaloosa, Birmingham and into Georgia for an evening arrival in Atlanta. We stay for two nights at the Courtyard by Marriott Atlanta Buckhead.

A morning guided sightseeing tour takes the American Civil War as one of its themes. Entrance is included to the Cyclorama & Civil War Museum, which features the world's largest oil painting and the historic locomotive, Texas. The tour continues to Margaret Mitchell House, where the author wrote her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, 'Gone with the Wind'. Your afternoon and the following morning are then free to explore Atlanta.

In the afternoon of Day 13 we transfer to Atlanta Airport for our flight home to London, arriving in the morning of Day 14.

Our February departures spend time in New Orleans during its superb Mardi Gras Festival. The festival runs for two weeks, building up to its climax on "Fat Tuesday" (celebrated on the same day as Shrove Tuesday in the UK). Throughout festival season, the streets are fi lled with daily parades of brightly dressed dancers and elaborately decorated fl oats. Join in the party as New Orleans celebrates Mardi Gras in style.