Arrive in New Orleans, Louisiana today and transfer to your hotel. Meet your Tour Manager and travelling companions at 6:00 p.m. for a welcome orientation. This morning a local guide conducts a tour of “The Big Easy”. You’ll see historic Jackson Square, featuring St. Louis Cathedral, the French Quarter as well as the Garden District.

Then visit the New Orleans School of Cooking. Enjoy lunch and learn about Cajun cooking in a fun and informative atmosphere. Later, board the incredible American Queen, your home for the next seven nights. Tonight, you are welcomed aboard with a dinner. Meals: B, L, D Stop at the exclusive port of Nottoway to visit the historic sugarcane estate. This 1859 Greek Revival and Italianate-style mansion, which is the largest antebellum plantation house in the South. Original furnishings mingle with era-appropriate antiques to create atmosphere that does justice to the home’s original ambiance, an experience that you will not want to pass up. Meals: B, L, D Continue down the Mississippi River to the quaint town of St. Francisville. With over 140 buildings on the National Register, beautiful plantation homes nestled in the rolling countryside, bustling Main Street Shops and an ideal location on the bluffs above the Mississippi, St. Francisville is your window to the past.

Your included tour features Grandmother’s Buttons, Grace Episcopal Church and the West Feliciana Historical Society Museum. Hop aboard the “Steamcoach” which will take you back to the ship. Meals: B, L, D Enjoy a “Hop On Hop Off” day to explore Natchez, Mississippi, the center of the Antebellum South. Your included transportation allows you to hop off at the Old South Trading Post for some shopping and three of Natchez’s grandest Antebellum mansions, Stanton Hall, Rosalie and Magnolia Hall.

You may also visit the Museum of African American History and Culture and explore the quaint downtown shops. One of the optional tours offered here explores the cotton fields and cotton gin of Frogmore Plantation and a visit to beautiful Longwood Mansion. Meals: B, L, D Known as the “Red Carpet City of the South”, Vicksburg, Mississippi perfectly blends Southern culture and heritage with exciting modern-day attractions. Your “Hop On Hop Off” day here features Anchuca Mansion, the Old Courthouse Museum, the Old Depot Museum and Bierdenham Coca Cola Museum.

Optional tour here is to the Vicksburg National Military Park site of the “Siege of Vicksburg” which President Lincoln called “the key to victory” for the union army. Meals: B, L, D The Mississippi Delta is more than a geographical region, it is a way of life. Your “Hop On Hop Off” options today include Greenville History Museum and the Hebrew Union Temple. Also visit the 1927 Flood Museum and the E. E. Bass Cultural Center home to the 1901 Stream Carousel.

Take the optional tour today to visit the B.B. King Museum which honors of the “King of the Blues” as well as the Grammy Museum which spans all genres of music. Meals: B, L, D Today is a full day of leisurely steam boating along the mighty Mississippi. Settle yourself into a comfortable rocking chair and just let the picturesque scenery glide by. Or join in the fun of the numerous activities onboard the American Queen. Meals: B, L, D The American Queen docks in Memphis where a local guide conducts a panoramic tour of the musical city. The afternoon is devoted to Elvis Presley’s Graceland. Tour the mansion and see the living rooms, music room and “jungle” den. You will also see the meditation garden where “The King” is laid to rest.

See Elvis’ two custom airplanes, tour the Car Museum, The Entertainer Career Showcase Museum as well as the new state-of-the-art Visitor Entertainment Complex. Tonight, enjoy some of Memphis’ famous bar-be-que. Meals: B, D After breakfast a group transfer is available to the Memphis International Airport for flights out after 12:00 p.m. Meal: B