The American South

Day 1  Atlanta            
Arrive into Atlanta and transfer to your hotel where you will meet your ATI Tour Director and fellow travellers later in the evening.            

Day 2  Atlanta            
This morning, enjoy a comprehensive city tour of Atlanta, including a visit to the boyhood home of Martin Luther King. You will also learn about another of Atlanta's most famous residents, Margaret Mitchell, who wrote the historical novel that became a masterpiece of American cinema, "Gone with the Wind." Visit the Road to Tara Museum and Stately Oaks Plantation, which was the inspiration for plantation in the film. You will have the opportunity to see memorabilia from the movie including costumes worn by the stars Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh. In the evening, enjoy a welcome reception which will give you the opportunity to meet your fellow travellers.            

Day 3  Atlanta to Charleston            
Leave Atlanta today and head west to Augusta. Augusta is the second oldest city in Georgia and is home to the prestigious Masters golf tournament. In the late afternoon, you will arrive in Charleston one of the most historic and charming cities of the South. For evening activities, you may wish to consult your Tour Director for the possibilities.

Day 4  Charleston to Savannah      
In the morning, enjoy a locally guided tour of Charleston. Walk the streets of Charleston's preserved historic district, the best protected in the nation. Natural disasters, the Revolutionary War, and the Civil War all took their toll on this beautiful city, yet it stands out as a historic gem of the South. In the afternoon, you may wish to participate in an optional excursion to historic Boone Hall Plantation with its famous Avenue of Oaks. The property has appeared in numerous American movies, among them "North and South". En route to Savannah, route stop on Port Royal Island and see Beaufort, South Carolina's second oldest city. Its impressive Antebellum architecture has been the backdrop for many shows and films, including "Forrest Gump."            

Day 5  Savannah            
Today, enjoy the charm of Savannah, once the world's largest cotton port. When cotton was king, Savannah controlled the prices of the world cotton market at her cotton exchange. Founder James Oglethorpe laid out the famed city squares. The Civil War destroyed a large portion of Georgia, but Savannah was spared. Numerous buildings around the tree-shaded squares are hundreds of years old; providing the setting for the popular novel "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil."          

Day 6  Savannah to Montgomery      
Set course west across the state of Georgia and into the heart of the Deep South, Alabama. Upon arrival in Montgomery, Alabama's capital city and a central backdrop of the American Civil Rights Movement, visit the Rosa Parks Library and Museum. Learn about the Montgomery Bus Boycott inspired by Parks, which ignited the Civil Rights movement and changed American history. You may also wish to visit the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King Jr. led the Boycott with his powerful sermons.  

Day 7  Montgomery to New Orleans                        
Depart Montgomery this morning to discover Selma, Alabama, another centerpiece of the Civil Rights Movement. Visit the Edmund Pettis Bridge where the historic March from Selma to Montgomery began and where the brutal events of Bloody Sunday took place. Experience another historic site of the Civil Rights Trail, the Brown Chapel AME Church before heading south through Mississippi to New Orleans, a city immersed in Creole culture. The city today is a unique blend of Spanish, French, Caribbean, African and Anglo-Saxon influences. This is obvious in the food, architecture and of course, the music. Experience this melting pot aboard a Riverboat Dinner Cruise (optional) and enjoy the rhythms of a Dixieland jazz band.                    

Day 8  New Orleans    
The day is yours to explore the charm and excitement of one of America's most unique cities and for you to take in the French flavor and grandeur of New Orleans. May we suggest starting the day with a visit to a working plantation (optional). Explore the French Quarter with its trademark wrought iron balconies overlooking the narrow cobblestone streets.        

Day 9  New Orleans to Natchez    
This morning, we will travel to the capital of Louisiana, Baton Rouge, and conduct a brief city tour. From there, we will travel via the historic Natchez Trace Parkway to Natchez. The parkway is a 444-mile drive through exceptional scenery and years of Native American and European history. Natchez is the oldest European settlement on the Mississippi River. Before the Civil War, wealthy plantation owners from Louisiana built magnificent Antebellum homes here because the area was considered safer from flooding. This afternoon, we will visit one of the homes and learn about the wealth of these 19th century millionaires.      

Day 10  Natchez to Memphis                
Leave Natchez and drive on to Memphis, home of 'Sun Records'. As a large river port, it was one of the most important links in the cotton trade before the Civil War. Memphis is also known as the "home of the blues." A brief city tour will take you to the city's liveliest street, Beale Street, where the blues and other types of music are played nightly in almost a dozen clubs. Travel along historic Front Street, known as Cotton Row in the days when cotton traders and merchants conducted business here. Of course, no visit to Memphis would be complete without a visit to Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley (optional).    

Days 11-12  Memphis to Nashville        
Continue on to Nashville, known as the capital of country music. The city earned its title with the very first airing of the WSM Barn Dance radio program, the forerunner of the Grand Ole Opry. The newly renovated Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville, once home of the Grand Ole Opry, the studios near Music Row, and Opryland itself attest to Nashville's reputation as the most important city in country music. Begin day 11 in this dynamic and thriving cultural and state capital of Tennessee with a morning city tour. While exploring the city's landmarks, perhaps you'll discover a new country music classic before they even hit the charts while visiting one of the many recording studios around town. Perhaps enjoy dinner and a show in the evening as a optional excursion.            

Days 13-14  Nashville to Atlanta              
Leaving Music City, we head to Chattanooga, home to the famous Choo Choo and which has received national recognition for the renaissance of its beautiful downtown and redevelopment of its riverfront. In the afternoon, our trails lead us back to Atlanta where you may want to check our one of the site. On day 14 your tour comes to an end as you transfer to the airport for your onward journey.