North America

Day 1 : Arrive Memphis

Arrive Memphis Airport and transfer to hotel. In the evening there’s still a chance to sample the musical delights of Beale Street, but don’t worry you’ll have two more nights in Memphis to truly experience the Birthplace of Rock’n’Roll and Home of the Blues.

Day 2 : Memphis to Clarksdale

Distance: 74 miles

Drive south on historic Highway 61 – known as the Blues Highway – to Clarksdale in the heart of the Delta. A hundred years ago, this was a dark, swampy land populated by poor sharecroppers. Clarksdale has a rich Blues heritage. Names like Muddy Waters, Charley Patton and Robert Johnson dot the musical landscape here. Their legacies continue to inspire and entertain millions of people worldwide. Clarksdale's historic Blues Alley is home to the Delta Blues Museum, dedicated to both the preservation and interpretation of the Blues. Clarksdale has a thriving live music scene with clubs open every weekend and festivals scattered throughout the year. Local Hollywood actor and star, Morgan Freeman, owns the popular Ground Zero Blues Club.

Day 3 : Clarksdale to Greenwood

Distance: 57 miles

Continue south on Highway 61 then west to Indianola for the new B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center. He started life as Riley B. King in one of America’s most impoverished places, the Mississippi Delta. Now he’s an international music icon, and music lovers everywhere want to know more about the man who became B.B. King.

The B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Centre tells the story of King’s life, his career, and stories of the Delta – its history and music, social mores and race relations, literature and legends, adversities and successes.

Day 4 : Greenwood to Tupelo

Distance: 120 miles

Historic Greenwood has a special relationship with the blues – the music was born of field hollers used back when cotton was picked by hand. Explore the Mississippi Blues Trail and blues musician Robert Johnson’s gravesite.  Legend has it that at the crossroads of Highways 61 and 49, Johnson sold his soul to the devil so he could play the Delta blues.

Continue west and near Starkville join the Natchez Trace Parkway, which dates back over 8,000 years when it was used as an Indian trade route. By the 1800s, it was the busiest highway in what was then the American Southwest. Extending from Nashville, Tennessee, to Natchez, Mississippi, the Trace offers a scenic drive through pristine forests and lush countryside – without a billboard in sight.

Day 5 : Tupelo to Nashville

Distance: 180 miles

Elvis Aaron Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, on January 8, 1935, to Vernon and Gladys Presley. He was born in the two-room house built by his father, grandfather and uncle. Did you know that Elvis was one of twin brothers?  Sadly,  Jessie was stillborn and buried nearby.  Birthplace visitors can tour the home, museum, memorial chapel, Fountain of Life, story wall and visit the actual Assembly of God Pentecostal Church where the Presley family attended services.

The city of Tupelo itself is chock full of Elvis footprints. 
Ask your Bon Voyage consultant to share the self-guided driving tour link to ensure you see them all.  
If time is limited, we suggest a cheeseburger and RC Cola at Johnnie's Drive-In.  It was one of Elvis' favourite places and you can sit in the Elvis booth and sign the guest book.  The other must is a stop at Tupelo Hardware Store where Elvis' mum bought him his first guitar. 

Day 6 : Nashville

Welcome to Music City!  It's all about the tunes here. Must-sees include the legendary Grand Ole Opry, the Country Music Hall of Fame and RCA Studio B where the Nashville Sound was created by Chet Atkins, Dolly Parton, the Everly Brothers, Elvis and many others. 

You will be spoilt with live music options.  Nashville's main drag - Broadway is one amazing honky tonk after another.  Ask your Bon Voyage consultant to recommend their favourites!  

Day 7 : Nashville to Memphis

Distance: 210 miles

Heading back to Memphis, follow the 210-mile stretch of Interstate 40 between Memphis and Nashville which the Tennessee Legislature officially proclaimed the "Music Highway" in 1999. 
Make a stop in Jackson - the home of Carl Perkins, the Godfather of Rockabilly. The International Rockabilly Hall of Fame & Mural Museum in the historic downtown area is worth a look.  The Old Country Store at the Casey Jones Village is a good lunch and souvenir shopping spot.  

Take a slight detour from Jackson and drive through Nutbush – the birthplace of Tina Turner and the title of one of her greatest hits – before continuing to Memphis.

Day 8 : Memphis

Renowned as the birthplace of rock ’n’ roll and home of the blues, Memphis more than matches its myth. Pilgrims flock from all over the world to find a vibrant city that cherishes its past, but remains very much alive.

Visit Graceland, Elvis’ beloved mansion plus all of the exhibits at Elvis Presley's Memphis. Sun Studio, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music as well as the Smithsonian’s Rock’n’Soul Museum all need to be on the list too!  Then eat your weight in BBQ and dance the night away on historic Beale Street. 

Day 9 : Memphis to UK

Just enough time to have breakfast at Arcade - Memphis' oldest cafe (and Elvis haunt) and stop at the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.  

Not ready to go home?  No problem, we've only just got started!  Call us today to discuss your greatest hits holiday!