Old South, Mississippi & Florida

Panoramic tour of Georgia's capital, including Downtown and its skyscrapers, the State Capitol, the World of Coca Cola (the famous drink was invented in Atlanta at the end of the 19th century as a medicinal remedy), CNN headquarters, the Georgia Dome, and Centennial Olympic Park. The Peachtree Center skyscrapers, Oakland Cemetery, the house where Margaret Mitchell wrote 'Gone with the Wind', and Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King preached between 1960 and 1968. He is buried there.

Drive toward Tennessee. Lunch at leisure in Chattanooga before reaching Nashville, nicknamed 'Music City USA', capital of country music. 

Orientation tour of the city including Bicentennial Park, the Tennessee State Capitol, Music Row, Broadway, 2nd Street Historic District and Fort Nashborough, birthplace of Nashville on the Cumberland River. The Ryman Auditorium is a major country-music venue that has hosted the genre's biggest stars, such as Johnny Cash, but also Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis. 

Dinner. Overnight in Nashville (out-of-town hotel).

In the morning, visit the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum, tracing the history of country music, its artists and its different styles (bluegrass, honky tonk...). Drive to Memphis, on the banks of the Mississippi. Stop in Brownsville to visit the small museum dedicated to the 'Queen of Rock and Roll', Tina Turner, set in her former school. Lunch. 

In Memphis, visit the Lorraine Motel and the National Civil Rights Museum, where Martin Luther King was assassinated in 1968. You will see his room and the balcony where he stood when he was shot. 

Late afternoon orientation tour of Memphis including the Riverwalk on Mud Island, the legendary Sun Records studio, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, Aretha Franklin's home, and vibrant Beale Street, the nightlife heart of Memphis with its blues clubs. 

Dinner at leisure. Optional: evening in a blues club on Beale Street. 

Overnight in Memphis.

In the morning, visit Graceland, the home where Elvis Presley, the King, lived, worked and died. You can admire his car collection, his airplanes, and the new 'The Entertainer Career Museum' complex. 

Cross the rural state of Mississippi. Clarksdale, on Highway 61, is considered the birthplace of Delta Blues. It is here, between the Mississippi River and the Yazoo River, that the blues was born. 

This music style, born in the cotton plantations, is still very present in Mississippi and throughout the southern United States. Lunch. 

Drive to Indianola, hometown of bluesman B.B. King, and visit the museum dedicated to him, housed in a former cotton-processing plant. Arrive in Natchez. Orientation tour of the city, which has preserved many 'antebellum' mansions, dating from before the Civil War.

Dinner at leisure. Overnight in Natchez.

Depart for St. Francisville, an adorable little town nestled in a peaceful, rolling countryside. It features fine old homes in colonial and Greek Revival styles.

Visit a plantation, Rosedown or Greenwood. Then drive to Baton Rouge, the capital of Louisiana. 

Orientation tour, including the State Capitol, an Art Deco building. It is the tallest capitol in the United States. 

Lunch at leisure. 

Head to Lafayette, in the heart of Cajun country. Visit Vermilionville, a living museum where you'll learn about the Cajuns, or 'Acadians', and their eventful history, traditions and crafts. 

Short visit of downtown Lafayette, including St. John the Evangelist Cathedral. 

Dinner. Overnight in Lafayette.

In the morning, depart for St. Martinville, officially the most francophone (small) town in Louisiana. Discover the Catholic church of St Martin-des-Tours, considered the heart of Cajun culture. 

Drive to Avery Island, home to the historic factory where bottles of Tabasco are made. 

Visit the factory, then explore the Jungle Gardens. The area is a bird sanctuary, but it also shelters turtles, raccoons, alligators, and other residents. Lunch. 

Boat ride through the bayous, a must to discover Cajun country, with its great cypress trees draped in Spanish moss. You'll see herons, ibises, turtles and very likely alligators, living here in their natural habitat.

Head to New Orleans. 

Dinner at leisure. Overnight in New Orleans.

In the morning, guided walking tour of the French Quarter, or Vieux Carré. You will discover the history of this district laid out by a French architect, the style of its old houses, and enjoy the lively atmosphere of its streets.

Visit St. Louis Cathedral, Jackson Square, planted with trees and bordered by fences where many artists hang their paintings, giving the riverfront a little Montmartre feel...

As for the famous Bourbon Street, it's a must, especially in the evening, with its many jazz clubs (even if it has become quite touristy). Don't miss St. Charles Avenue and its Streetcar Named Desire...

Jazz cruise lunch aboard a paddle steamer on the Mississippi!

Free afternoon and evening. 

Overnight in New Orleans.

Drive toward Alabama, cradle of the civil rights movement. 

Arrive in Mobile, on the Gulf of Mexico. It is a major commercial port and industrial center, located at the mouth of the Alabama River. Discover its historic downtown and classic Southern atmosphere. 

Continue your journey toward Florida, the 'Sunshine State'. Stop in Pensacola for a walk in the historic Old Pensacola district, with beautiful Victorian, colonial, and Conch-style homes. 

Lunch at leisure. 

Head to Tallahassee, Florida's capital. This pleasant, modest-sized city is home to several universities, an aeronautics center, a planetarium, and the beautiful Mission San Luis, dating back to the 17th century. 

Dinner. Overnight in Tallahassee.

On the way to Homosassa Springs and its wildlife sanctuary set in lush nature.

Upon arrival, you'll board a boat that takes you to the zoo, cruising along a channel surrounded by luxuriant vegetation, a refuge for many bird species.

Depending on the season, you may see the famous manatees, alligators, birds, flamingos, and even a Florida panther.

Not to mention turtles, reptiles, and many other residents. Lunch at leisure.

Head to Orlando, home to the galaxy of famous theme parks: Disney, Epcot or Universal Studios.

Free time.

Dinner and overnight in Orlando.

Depart for Cape Canaveral and visit the famous Kennedy Space Center, NASA's main base for satellite launches and the Space Shuttle.

You'll be guided through this gigantic site, right in the heart of the action: access to a control room, the shuttle assembly building, the crawler-transporter, launch pads, the Saturn V rocket, and astronaut training facilities.

You'll watch a space exploration film on a giant IMAX screen. Lunch at leisure.

In the afternoon, drive to Tampa, the largest city on Florida's west coast. It is an important fishing, trade and yachting port. Quick orientation tour, then a stroll in the historic Ybor City district, with its Cuban atmosphere.

Dinner and overnight in Tampa (hotel outside the center).

In the morning, you cross the Sunshine Skyway bridge, almost 9 km long, over Tampa Bay.

Short stop in Sarasota, home to the most beautiful beaches on the Gulf of Mexico, frequented by pelicans and sea turtles.

Drive to Fort Myers and then to Everglades National Park, a vast subtropical expanse of marshes and mangroves, home to many species including alligators, birds and endemic reptiles.

Airboat ride, an astonishing boat propelled by an airplane-style propeller.

Lunch at leisure.

Drive to Florida City, on the east side of the park.

Dinner and overnight in Florida City.

Depart for the Florida Keys, a chain of small islands (1,700!) stretching like a comma between Key Largo and Key West, the southernmost point of the USA.

You'll take the famous Overseas Highway, crossing the islands via multiple bridges. Lunch upon arrival in Key West.

Key West evokes the gentle spirit of the Caribbean. It's a place rich in history and culture. Ernest Hemingway lived here for nine years. Walking tour through the historic district, where the architecture has kept its colonial feel, with one-story wooden houses.

At Mallory Square, several buildings date from the second half of the 19th century.

Return to Miami in the evening.

Dinner at leisure. Overnight in Miami Beach.

In the morning, guided panoramic tour of Miami, including Miami Beach, a peninsula about 25 km long. The famous Ocean Drive runs through South Beach, immortalized by TV series, with its line of neon-lit hotels. 

Head to Downtown Miami with its superb glass-and-steel skyscrapers, then elegant Coral Gables, home to beautiful neo-Mediterranean residences and a refuge for many celebrities. 

In Little Havana, you'll meet Miami's Latino-Cuban face, even if the neighborhood has become quite touristy... 

The Wynwood district has become an open-air museum, with magnificent murals found in many American cities. Lunch at leisure.

Transfer to Miami airport according to your return flight schedule.

We suggest choosing a Miami stay extension on Miami Beach before flying back to Europe.

Package: 3 nights with breakfast included at the same hotel

• Room for 2: +€590 per person
• Room for 3: +€520 per person
• Room for 4: +€490 per person
• Single room: +€1,050 per person