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Highlights of the Deep South
This two-week road trip takes you through five Southern states and more than a thousand miles of music, history and culture, tracing a route that captures the depth and variety of the Deep South.
This is a journey for those who want to see as much of the Deep South in two weeks as possible: Alabama’s Civil Rights landmarks, Louisiana’s coastal culture, Mississippi’s blues heartlands, and Tennessee’s famous music cities. Some stops give you time to settle in, others keep you moving so you can experience more of the region’s texture and variety. The drives are comfortable, the sequence is thoughtful, and every stop contributes something meaningful. It is a richly layered adventure through the places that shaped the American South.
Itinerary overview
Arrive in Atlanta and stay the night before the journey south. You could easily spend longer here...
The time difference means you might find yourself rising early with enough time to explore the ci...
Leave Montgomery and make a short run southwest to Monroeville, a small town with a big literary ...
Leave Mobile in the morning and follow the Gulf Coast for about ninety minutes to Bay Saint Louis...
Collect a new hire car and head west into Cajun and Creole country, where Louisiana culture feels...
Continue north for around two and a half hours into Mississippi and choose your overnight base. N...
Head north into the Mississippi Delta for your overnight stop in the landscape that shaped the bl...
Arrive in Memphis for two nights in a city where soul, blues, and rock and roll converge. A Grace...
Leave Memphis for the 200-mile journey to Nashville or turn it into a full day by looping through...
If you want to end on a different note, fly from Nashville to New York for three nights. Harlem’s...
Atlanta
Arrive in Atlanta and stay the night before the journey south. You could easily spend longer here if you want, with major attractions like the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park and the World of Coca-Cola close to hand, but this itinerary is designed to maximise your time in the Deep South, with Atlanta serving as your gateway.
A swish hotel cocooned in a glass skyscraper in a prime position on Midtown Mile, Loews Atlanta promises attentive service, luxurious bedrooms, a top restaurant, and an exc...
The striking architectural glass box that is the W Atlanta brings a landmark buzzy scene to Downtown, with lively social areas that are a magnet to a trendy crowd. The roof...
Leaning on its 60s heritage, The American Hotel in downtown Atlanta has a retro feel without sacrificing contemporary comfort. It’s an ideal base for getting out and about ...
Piercing the skyline of Atlanta, The Westin Peachtree Plaza is a gleaming glass skyscraper. At the very top, a sensational restaurant slowly revolves, treating guests to in...
Montgomery
The time difference means you might find yourself rising early with enough time to explore the city a little before you collect your car and set out on the three-hour drive to Montgomery. The route takes you through Tuskegee, where the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site offers a powerful introduction to the pioneering Second World War pilots who trained there. Two nights in Montgomery give you time to explore its major Civil Rights landmarks at a steady pace. Museums, memorials, and historic sites are thoughtfully presented and create a clear sense of place, past and progress.
A riverfront hotel with a rooftop pool and easy access to Downtown Montgomery.
Mobile and the Gulf Shores
Leave Montgomery and make a short run southwest to Monroeville, a small town with a big literary legacy as the hometown of Harper Lee and the childhood home of Truman Capote. From here, the road turns northwest to Selma, where the Edmund Pettus Bridge stands as one of the most important sites on the Civil Rights Trail and offers essential context before you turn south again. The final stretch takes you toward Mobile and the Gulf Shores, roughly a two-hour drive, where coastal breezes, colourful streets and wide-open beaches mark a welcome change of scene after a day rooted in stories that shaped America.
An elegant hotel with vaulted ceilings, a prime downtown location and a swanky spa.
After time on the road, this is where your shoulders drop and you let out a satisfied ‘aahhh’. Step out onto the boardwalk, feel the Gulf air hit your skin, and suddenly, t...
New Orleans
Leave Mobile in the morning and follow the Gulf Coast for about ninety minutes to Bay Saint Louis, a relaxed little town with indie shops, local art, and a harbourfront that makes an easy midway stretch. From here it’s another couple of hours into New Orleans, where you can drop off your hire car (you won’t need it during your time in the city) and settle in for three nights. An included French Quarter Walking Tour gives you a great introduction to the city’s stories and hidden corners, and after that, you’re free to explore however you like. Drift between jazz bars, wander through courtyards, and dive into the food scene at your own pace. If you want to add more structure, optional experiences such as a jazz-themed walking tour, a visit to Oak Alley Plantation, or a daytime or evening cruise on the Mississippi help you tailor your stay.
A storied hotel whose lobby is said to mark the beginning of the New Orleans’ famous French Quarter, few American hotels can claim such a rich history as the Hotel Monteleone.
Grandeur and elegance in the heart of New Orleans, Omni Royal Orleans is the perfect retreat for a classic luxury city break.
Artsy-yet-unpretentious, The Old No.77 is close enough to the French Quarter action to get involved but is a pleasingly quieter spot to retreat to once you’ve had your fill.
A red-brick warehouse in New Orleans’ Arts District has been reimagined as a contemporary and convenient hotel without losing a sense of the building’s industrial beginnings.
Baton Rouge
Collect a new hire car and head west into Cajun and Creole country, where Louisiana culture feels distinct, proud, and rooted in food, music, and river life. You can stay overnight in Baton Rouge or continue to Lafayette if you want a deeper dip into the region’s lively food and festival scene. Expect colourful neighbourhoods, historic riverfronts, and landscapes shaped by bayous and sugarcane fields. It is a natural shift from the pace of New Orleans and sets you up nicely for the journey north.
Watermark is a spacious, comfortable choice in Baton Rouge and will help you feel settled, even if you’re here just for a night or two.
A modern riverfront hotel with an outdoor pool and easy access to the city’s major highways.
Natchez or Vicksburg
Continue north for around two and a half hours into Mississippi and choose your overnight base. Natchez offers wide Mississippi River views, grand historic homes and a slower, more reflective pace. Vicksburg brings a compact riverside layout with significant Civil War heritage and a stronger sense of military history. Either choice creates a gentle interlude before the musical heartlands that follow.
A pleasant riverside hotel with an outdoor pool and everything you need within walking distance.
Mississippi Delta
Head north into the Mississippi Delta for your overnight stop in the landscape that shaped the blues. This rural region carries an enormous musical legacy, marked by Blues Trail sites, small museums, and towns that influenced some of the earliest and most important artists. Clarksdale is home to the Delta Blues Museum and the crossroads made famous by the Robert Johnson legend. Cleveland offers the modern Grammy Museum, and Indianola adds the BB King Museum, which honours the man who carried Delta blues onto the world stage. Dockery Plantation, not far from Cleveland, is considered one of the key places where the blues first took form.
Small town pace, wide skies, and a main street define Greenwood, with The Alluvian giving it a fresh, confident edge.
Memphis
Arrive in Memphis for two nights in a city where soul, blues, and rock and roll converge. A Graceland Elvis Experience VIP Tour is included, giving you access to Elvis Presley’s world, from his home and cars to the personal stories behind the music. Explore the rest of the city at your own pace: walk Beale Street’s neon stretch of blues clubs, visit Sun Studio where rock and roll took shape, and spend time at the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel.
This ain’t no Heartbreak Hotel – The Guest House at Graceland embodies southern charm and is woven with an Elvis theme throughout. What’s more, it’s right next door to the Gra
A clean and contemporary hotel with easy access to Memphis’ metropolis of attractions.
Nashville
Leave Memphis for the 200-mile journey to Nashville or turn it into a full day by looping through Tupelo or Muscle Shoals. The Tupelo detour lets you visit Elvis Presley’s birthplace and the hardware store where he bought his first guitar. Muscle Shoals offers legendary studios like FAME and Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, where artists such as Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, and The Rolling Stones recorded era-defining tracks. Arrive in Nashville and make the most of your included Fun Nashville Attraction Pass, covering major highlights like the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Johnny Cash Museum, and city sightseeing tours. With two nights here, you can roam between honky tonks, explore intimate listening rooms, and finish the trip wrapped in the creative energy that defines Music City.
Step out the front door and you’re in the thick of it: neon lights, live music drifting down the street, and that unmistakable Nashville buzz.
Kimpton Aertson Hotel is a design-led base that puts the city’s music, food, and nightlife within easy reach.
The essence of Nashville’s personality is brought into the folds of Omni Nashville thanks to thoughtful touches and design quirks in this large, perfectly located hotel.
A touch south of Nashville’s famous Broadway, the SoBro neighbourhood is home to live music venues, restaurants, and bars. At the heart of it is the Cambria, a hotel that h...
New York
If you want to end on a different note, fly from Nashville to New York for three nights. Harlem’s jazz clubs reflect the Great Migration, when Southern musicians carried blues and gospel north and reshaped the city’s sound. New York’s civil rights history, including figures such as Malcolm X and the NAACP's work, adds another layer to the themes you have explored. Literary landmarks tied to writers such as James Baldwin and Zora Neale Hurston connect to Southern voices that helped define American culture. With skyline views, Central Park, and distinctive neighbourhoods, New York offers a bright and fitting finale that links the Southern story to the wider American one.
Big yellow taxi in NYC
Other Itineraries
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