America's Musical Heritage with New Orleans Jazz Festival

Welcome to Music City, USA! At 6 pm, meet your traveling companions for a welcome drink.

Studios, Stages & Stars Start your day with a visit to [LOCAL FAVORITE] RCA Studio B, Nashville’s oldest recording studio. Then, enjoy a sightseeing tour of Nashville with a Local Guide, including Centennial Park’s full-size replica of Athens’ Parthenon. See the legendary recording and performing venues of Music Row and Honky Tonk Row—where music history was made and famous artists got their breaks. We then visit the Country Music Hall of Fame to see its collection of costumes, memorabilia, instruments, and photographs. Tonight, you have reserved seats for an unforgettable show at the world-famous Grand Ole Opry, the mecca for country musicians. (B) LOCAL FAVORITE RECORDING HISTORY The legendary RCA Studio B is a hallowed hall of recording history where legends including Elvis Presley, Chet Atkins, Dolly Parton, and the Everly Brothers laid down classic tracks in Nashville’s oldest recording studio. Between 1957 and 1977, more than 35,000 songs were recorded here, making their mark on the musical landscape of America. Make your own recording for a priceless memory of your time in Nashville.

Singing the Blues This morning, depart for Memphis, “Home of the Blues,” and visit Sun Studio, one of the most famous recording studios in the world and where rock ‘n’ roll was first recorded. Then, visit the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, a celebration of the great Memphis soul music. Enjoy dinner at a local restaurant tonight. (B,D) TOUR HIGHLIGHT MUSICAL LEGENDS Ever since the Father of the Blues, W.C. Handy, coined the phrase, ‘Memphis Blues,’ this Tennessee mecca for American musicians has produced soulful sounds of syncopated rhythms with a blend of early jazz, vaudeville, ragtime, and folk styles with deep roots in the Deep South of the early 1900s. Memphis is also a mecca for rock-and-roll and country music icons throughout history, including artists who’ve recorded at the legendary Sun Studio – by the names of Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Roy Orbison – to name a few. Go deeper into music history with a visit to the Stax Museum of American Soul Music to discover the legacies of iconic artists from Otis Redding to Aretha Franklin.

Goin’ to Graceland! See all the landmarks of Memphis today. A Local Guide will play and sing selections from the city’s rich musical heritage, along with generous amounts of comedy and interaction. We then travel to Elvis Presley’s Graceland for a tour of the King of Rock-n-Roll's estate. The remainder of the day is at leisure. (B) TOUR HIGHLIGHT LEGENDARY LIVES Tour the mansion at Graceland with access to Elvis’ original business office, his vast collection of gold records and awards, and the Meditation Garden, where Elvis and members of his family have been laid to rest. See Elvis’ collection of ornate jumpsuits and capes, the automobile museum, and his collection of airplanes.