Nashville, Memphis & Elvis

Day 1 – Welcome to Nashville!

Optional transfers from our departure points will have us at the Los Angeles International Airport for a morning flight arriving in Nashville, Tennessee this afternoon. Those guests making their own flight arrangements can request the group’s flight schedule to coordinate a flight arrival time that would allow them to be included on the complimentary transfer to the hotel. In Nashville, we’ll board a deluxe motorcoach and continue to Nashville’s “Music Valley” and our home for the next three nights, the awe-inspiring Gaylord Opryland Resort. This sprawling upscale resort features nine acres of lush gardens, sparkling waterfalls, 50 shops and multiple restaurants all under a glass roof.

Day 2 – Nashville

This morning we’ll join a local guide for a comprehensive city tour of Nashville, known as both the “Athens of the South” and the “Country Music Capital.” We’ll see downtown’s historic Broadway Historic District and “Honky Tonk Highway,” the Tennessee State Capitol and Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park. We’ll take a drive down Music Row – home to the recording studios and record labels. This afternoon we’ll visit The Hermitage, President Andrew Jackson’s plantation home and farm. One of the largest and most visited presidential homes in the United States, this 1,120-acre National Historic Landmark features more than 30 historic buildings, beautiful gardens and Jackson’s tomb. This evening we’ll take our seats at the world-famous Grand Ole Opry, to see the show that made Country Music famous. Each Opry show features an array of performances by new stars, superstars and legends of country music as well as bluegrass, comedy and much more! (Breakfast)

Day 3 – Nashville

This morning we’ll tour historic RCA Studio B, considered one of the most important historic recording studios in the world. Here the “Nashville Sound” was created and more than 35,000 songs were brought to life by artists like Elvis, the Everly Brothers and Dolly Parton. We’ll then visit the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, the definitive home of American Country Music. Two expansive floors house priceless artifacts, including countless recordings and photographs, numerous stage costumes, musical instruments, historic cars, and more. This afternoon we’ll visit the historic Ryman Auditorium, one of the most celebrated venues in modern music. Immerse yourself in music’s most iconic stage and the original home of the Grand Ole Opry. Enjoy time at leisure for dinner on your own and browsing along downtown Nashville’s “Honky Tonk Highway,” filled with restaurants, bars, and honky tonks playing world-class live music 365 days a year. (Breakfast)

Day 4 – Nashville to Memphis

This morning we’ll travel west of Nashville to Storytellers Museum & Hideaway Farm, Johnny Cash’s escape for more than 30 years. Built before the Civil War, the “The Man in Black” called this home “the center of my universe.” We continue along Tennessee’s “Music Highway” to Memphis, known as the “Home to the Blues” and “Birthplace of Rock n’ Roll.” Enjoy a three-night stay at The Guest House at Graceland, an extraordinary AAA Four Diamond resort hotel located in the heart of Elvis Presley’s Graceland! (Breakfast)

Day 5 – Memphis, Tupelo

This morning we’ll join a local guide for a Memphis city tour including Beale Street, the Danny Thomas tribute at St. Jude Children’s Hospital and The Peabody Memphis to see the legendary March of The Peabody Ducks down the red carpet to John Philip Sousa’s “King Cotton March.” This afternoon we’ll travel south to Tupelo, Mississippi and join a local guide for a Tupelo city tour to see where Elvis Presley spent his first 13 years. Tour the Elvis’ Birthplace, a modest, two-room house where the King of Rock & Roll was born on January 8, 1935. The house was built by his father with $180 and is now a Mississippi landmark and the centerpiece of the 15-acre Elvis Presley Park featuring the Elvis at 13” statue. Visit the Assembly of God Church where Elvis and his family attended and where Elvis was first exposed to the gospel music that influenced his musical style throughout his career. We return to Memphis this evening. (Breakfast)

Day 6 – Memphis

This morning we’ll visit the legendary Sun Studio, quite possibly, THE birthplace of Rock N’ Roll. In 1954, an unknown Elvis Presley, grabbed a mic and sang his heart out making Sun the most famous recording studio in the world! On a docent-guided tour we’ll experience outtakes from recording sessions, touch Elvis’ first microphone, and hear the real story of the studio that launched the careers of not only Elvis Presley, but also Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, B.B. King, Roy Orbison, and more. This afternoon we’ll experience Graceland, 120 acres dedicated to the life and career of Elvis Presley, the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” Your VIP ticket provides front-of-the-line access and an audio-guided tour of Elvis Presley’s Graceland Mansion, access to Elvis’ custom jets and full access to the all-new, 200,000 square foot Elvis Presley’s Memphis complex featuring the Presley Motors Automobile Museum, Elvis: The Entertainer Career Museum, Making of Elvis Movie Exhibition and so much more. From the Meditation Garden where Elvis and his family members are laid to rest, to his classic cars, gold records, jeweled jumpsuits and the many interactive exhibits, this afternoon you’ll experience Elvis like never before! This evening we’ll enjoy an included dinner with live music at a locals’ favorite. (Breakfast, Dinner)

Day 7 – Memphis, Journey Home

This morning we’ll visit the National Civil Rights Museum, located at the historic Lorraine Motel where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in 1968. Focused on the American Civil Rights Movement from slavery to the present, this Smithsonian-affiliated museum features exhibits that chronicle Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Brown v. Board of Education decision, the Little Rock Nine, Montgomery Bus Boycotts, the famous sit-ins of the 1960s and more. This afternoon we’ll arrive at the Memphis Airport for a return flight arriving in Los Angeles this evening. Those guests making their own flight arrangements can request the group’s flight schedule to coordinate a flight departure time that would allow them to be included on the complimentary transfer to the airport. Back in Los Angeles, those guests with pre-arranged transfers will be returned to their respective drop-offs. (Breakfast)

While we make every effort to operate our tours as outlined in the itinerary, we ask for your patience, understanding and flexibility and to retain a sense of adventure while traveling with us. Situations may arise that necessitate changes to the itinerary. Should we need to adjust the itinerary either prior to or while on tour, these changes will be communicated to you and only done when absolutely necessary.