Deep South Discovery

On arrival collect your car and head to your hotel.

A bustling city with a glittering skyline and charming neighbourhoods. At the Centennial Olympic Park you’ll find the World of Coca-Cola, CNN’s global headquarters and the National Centre for Civil and Human Rights all within steps of each other. When it’s time to refuel, choose from upscale gourmet cuisine to Southern staples and international fare.

Hit the road and head for Chattanooga in Tennessee, a friendly walkable city with plenty of unique things to do. Make sure you take in the revitalised riverfront district and see the Chattanooga Choo Choo Terminal Station Complex, a 1909 railway station made famous by the song Chattanooga Choo Choo (118 miles).

On your way out of the city, we recommend visiting Lookout Mountain for a ride on the Incline Railway, one of the world’s steepest passenger railways. You can also descend into the mountain to see thundering Ruby Falls and, if time allows, walk along the Enchanted Trail at Rock City. Continue to Nashville (134 miles).

Explore Music City at your leisure. Its many attractions include the legendary Grand Ole Opry, world-renowned Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum, historic RCA Studio B and the Johnny Cash Museum. We recommend dropping into the Bluebird Cafe to catch a performance.

Drive to Memphis, where music of a different beat reigns supreme: blues, soul and rock ‘n’ roll (212 miles).

Wander along Beale Street, where greats like WC Handy and BB King performed, head to Sun Studio where musical giants such as Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash got their start. Visit the Memphis Rock ‘n’Soul Museum, Stax Museum of American Soul Music and Graceland, the most famous address in rock ‘n’ roll. Beyond the music is the National Civil Rights Museum, sited where Dr Martin Luther King Jr lost his life.

Today’s route takes you south and into Mississippi for the river city of Vicksburg. During the Civil War, Vicksburg was a hotbed of activity and you can find out more at the Vicksburg National Military Park. (224 miles).

Louisiana beckons next and its most famous city, New Orleans where the sound of jazz and Creole aromas fill the air (208 miles).

Spend the day getting to know the Big Easy, being sure to take in the sights of the French Quarter, including Jackson Square, Bourbon Street and the French Market. See also Royal Street, a shopper’s paradise with grand antique shops and fine art galleries. After dark, see why New Orleans is one of America’s top food cities and if you can, pop into one or more of the many music venues.

Travel onwards along the coast into Alabama and the city of Mobile. Founded in 1702 by the French, Mobile has seven unique and nationally designated historic districts which you can easily walk around. Heritage architecture aside, the city has an abundance of cosmopolitan restaurants, lively bars, locally-owned shops and fascinating museums (144 miles).

Continue your journey northwards to Birmingham, which has the foothills of the Appalachians as a dramatic backdrop. The city has had a prominent role in the USA’s Civil Rights Movement which is commemorated at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. Equally impressive is the Civil Rights District, whose important sites include the 16th Street Baptist Church (257 miles).

Your final drive has you heading back to Atlanta where your tour concludes at the airport for your onward journey (147 miles).