This six-day driving tour through the South will take you to some of the most iconic destinations in the history of American music, from Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium to the French Quarter in New Orleans.
Day 1: Nashville
- Fly into Nashville International Airport in (1) Nashville, Tennessee
- Alternative: Connect to Nashville via Chicago O’Hare or Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport
Points of interest: Can’t-miss musical attractions include the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, the Grand Ole Opry, the Ryman Auditorium, the National Museum of African American Music and the “Honky Tonk Highway” on Lower Broadway
Where to stay: Nashville boasts nearly 40,000 hotel rooms, including boutique hotels like The Union Station Nashville Yards
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Day 2: Memphis
- Drive to (2) Memphis, Tennessee – 220 miles (320km); 3 hours, 15 minutes
Points of interest: Explore historic sites connected to rock n’ roll, country, and the blues like Graceland and Elvis Presley’s Memphis, Sun Studio, and the Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum and find live music on Beale Street
Where to stay: The historic Peabody Memphis is known for its resident ducks, who march to the lobby fountain every day
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Day 3: Dyess to Clarksdale
- Drive to (3) Dyess, Arkansas – 50 miles (80km); 50 minutes
Points of interest: See where one of the most important figures country music history grew up at the Johnny Cash Boyhood Home at the Historic Dyess Colony, an agricultural settlement in Arkansas’ Mississippi Delta
- Drive to (4) Clarksdale, Mississippi – 125 miles (200km); 2 hours
Points of interest: Learn about iconic musicians and see historic artifacts at the Delta Blues Museum, take a photo at the historic Crossroads (where Robert Johnson supposedly sold his soul in exchange for his musical prowess), and enjoy a show at the Ground Zero Blues Club or Red’s
Where to stay: Get the true Mississippi Delta experience at the Shack Up Inn, a collection of restored sharecropper cabins
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Day 4: Mississippi Delta
- Drive to (5) Cleveland, Mississippi – 40 miles (65km); 40 minutes
Points of interest: The modern GRAMMY Museum Mississippi features interactive displays, historical memorabilia and more, and interactive exhibits, and nearby Dockery Farms is a former plantation that’s considered the birthplace of the blues
- Drive to (6) Indianola, Mississippi – 25 miles (40km); 35 minutes
Points of interest: The B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center tells the story of the legendary bluesman who was born in 1925 in nearby Berclair
- Drive to (7) Natchez, Mississippi – 165 miles (265km); 3 hours
Points of interest: As you travel south through the Delta, you’ll find markers along the Mississippi Blues Trail in cities and towns like Leland, Greenville, Yazoo City, and Vicksburg
Where to stay: In Natchez, book a stay at an 1800s mansion like the Monmouth Historic Inn & Gardens or the Dunleith Historic Inn
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Day 5: New Orleans
- Drive to (8) New Orleans, Louisiana – 175 miles (280km); 3 hours
Points of interest: New Orleans’ French Quarter is home to many iconic music venues, including Preservation Hall and The Jazz Playhouse, and Frenchmen Street offers a funkier vibe at places like The Spotted Cat Music Club and Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro
The state-of-the-art New Orleans Jazz Museum tells the story of this American art form, and fun events like the French Quarter Fest and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival fill the city’s calendar
Where to stay: New Orleans boasts an impressive array of hotels both historic and modern, like the Hotel Monteleone and the stylish Hotel Saint Vincent
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Day 6 – New Orleans
Fly out of Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport
Points of Interest
1) Nashville, Tennessee
- Country Music Hall of Fame: countrymusichalloffame.org
- Grand Ole Opry: opry.com
- Ryman Auditorium: ryman.com
- National Museum of African American Music: nmaam.org
- Honky Tonk Highway: visitmusiccity.com/things-to-do/music-entertainment/guide-to-honky-tonk-highway
2) Memphis, Tennessee
- Graceland and Elvis Presley’s Memphis: graceland.com
- Sun Studio: sunstudio.com
- Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum: memphisrocknsoul.org
- Beale Street: bealestreet.com
3) Dyess, Arkansas
- Johnny Cash Boyhood Home: dyesscash.astate.edu
4) Clarksdale, Mississippi
- Delta Blues Museum: deltabluesmuseum.org
- Blues Crossroads: clarksdale.com/crossroads.php
- Ground Zero Blues Club: groundzerobluesclub.com
- Red’s:facebook.com/RedsBluesLounge
5, 6, 7) Mississippi Delta
- GRAMMY Museum Mississippi: grammymuseumms.org
- Dockery Farms: dockeryfarms.com
- B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center: bbkingmuseum.org
- Mississippi Blues Trail: msbluestrail.org
8) New Orleans, Louisiana
- Preservation Hall: preservationhall.com
- The Jazz Playhouse: thejazzplayhouse.com
- The Spotted Cat Music Club: spottedcatmusicclub.com
- Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro: snugjazz.com
- New Orleans Jazz Museum: nolajazzmuseum.org
- French Quarter Fest: frenchquarterfest.org
- New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fest: nojazzfest.com
