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From: £3565
Enjoy a fascinating two night pre-cruise stay in The Big Easy, New Orleans, before relaxing on a seven night voyage along the Lower Mississippi. On this leisurely river cruise you will adore discovering Louisiana and Mississippi favourites like Houmas House, Oak Alley, Baton Rouge, Vicksburg, and Natchez.
Bon Voyage offer a full range of American Queen Steamboat Company River Cruises along the Lower and Upper Mississippi ranging from five to ten day voyages, plus festive Christmas and New Year sailings on both The American Queen and The American Duchess. Please call our friendly team of USA experts for details or to order a brochure click here
Savings are now available on the American Queen, American Empress and American Duchess voyages - please do call for further details.
Price per person includes:
Please note: Gratuities for sailings from 2020 will be included in your holiday price.
Steeped in history and the influences of Europe, the Caribbean and Africa, New Orleans is a melting pot of culture, food and music. One of the best ways to experience the city is on foot. So, on your first full day in 'The Big Easy' we've included a two hour leisurely walking tour of the French Quarter. A local guide will lead you through the nooks and crannies of this fascinating place and tell you about the history of this unique part of the USA.
Bon Voyage would be delighted to make suggestions for tours, Cajun cookery lessons and pre-book restaurant reservations for you during your time in New Orleans.
The American Queen will depart New Orleans early evening, so you have today to delve deeper into this southern city's colourful history. Stroll through the past and the present of this city on an intriguing cemetery tour, learn about the queen of Voodoo, Marie Laveau. Discover the birthplace of Jazz in historic Storyville, once the biggest Red Light district in the whole of the USA.
Once aboard the American Queen, you'll enjoy a festive welcome and farewell dinner.
Natchez is the oldest settlement on the Mississippi River and prior to the Civil War, over half of the millionaires in the entire United States lived here. They built elegant mansions unrivalled in size and elegance by any in the nation. Luckily, most of these splendid homes were spared during the Civil War, so today you can enjoy strolling around some of the most well preserved and architecturally stunning antebellum homes in the American South.
Your tour today around this oh-so quaint and refined town will take in Magnolia Hall, Stanton Hall, Rosalie Mansion and the William Johnson House. Before heading back to the American Queen there will be time for shopping opportunities in downtown Natchez, as well as a visit to the Natchez Association for the Preservation of Afro-American Culture Museum.
Next stop along Ol’ Man River is the quaint town of St Francisville located on the bluffs of the Mississippi River. Boasting over 140 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, St Francisville is your window to the past. Here you’ll enjoy a hop-on, hop-off tour of the city which will include visits to unique southern boutiques, museums and the Grace Episcopal Church. There will also be time for a coffee stop in Commerce Street and shopping at Spring Creek.
Your next stop, Baton Rouge, the capital of Louisiana is a seamless blend of the past and the present. On your tour of Baton Rouge, you will see something different at every turn. Start with a tour of the USS Kidd, a WW11 Fletcher-class destroyer. Then a visit to the Old Governor's Mansion, known as Lousiana's White House and on to the beautiful St Joseph Cathedral, built in 1853. Stroll along Main Street Market, where you can sample down-home Southern cooking, deep fried, of course. Be sure to stop by the Louisiana State Capitol building and enjoy a bird's-eye view of the Mississippi from the 27th floor observation deck.
In its day the mighty Mississippi flowed past 400 homes along Plantation Road creating empires of wealth, icons of architecture, bastions or culture and legions of slaves.
Today on your tour, you'll discover living history in some of the most magnificently preserved homes along this lower part of the Mississippi such as Destrehan, Laura, San Francisco, Nottoway and Evergreen.
Disembark the American Queen after breakfast and transfer to the Hilton Riverside Hotel where you can store your luggage and enjoy free time in New Orleans, prior to your early afternoon flight back to the UK.
Your cruise ends here but your adventure doesn't have to. Perhaps you may decide to extend your stay and allow a few more days in Memphis or New Orleans or, if a music fan, maybe head over to Nashville and enjoy the home of Country music.
Call the USA travel specialists at Bon Voyage to discuss your perfect American Queen River Cruise - Lower Mississippi New Orleans Round Trip.
