Nashville, New Orleans & Memphis: One Trip Through the Soul of America

Written by: Maya Hart Published On Aug 28, 2026

{"time":1788530478425,"blocks":[{"id":"XceJDUoUKd","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"There are holidays where you see a place, and holidays where you hear<\/em> one. The Deep South is firmly the second kind."}},{"id":"vpSrM5OWSc","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"This is the part of America where the music didn't arrive \u2014 it was born. Country in Nashville. Jazz in New Orleans. Blues, soul and rock 'n' roll in Memphis. Three cities, three completely different personalities, all within a few hours of each other. Which is exactly why doing just one of them always feels like leaving early."}},{"id":"uHG0MTr0DQ","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Here's what a 10-day journey through all three actually looks like."}},{"id":"fnfPBObuio","type":"header","data":{"text":"Days 1\u20133: Nashville \u2014 Music City, and it means it","level":3}},{"id":"AT_9oNseHc","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Most cities have a music scene. Nashville is<\/em> one."}},{"id":"b_XuBphhF-","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Start on Lower Broadway<\/strong>, where the honky-tonks stack three floors high and every single one has a live band playing for tips \u2014 from midday until well past midnight, seven days a week. Nobody's phoning it in. The guitarist you catch on a Tuesday afternoon might be someone's session player, or someone's future headline act."}},{"id":"4AfL2VXz6X","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Beyond Broadway:"}},{"id":"NHdL17Axpn","type":"list","data":{"style":"unordered","items":[{"content":"The Country Music Hall of Fame","items":[]},{"content":"RCA Studio B","items":[]},{"content":"The Ryman Auditorium","items":[]},{"content":"East Nashville","items":[]}]}},{"id":"13v_6R3sy9","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Don't leave without:<\/strong> trying Nashville hot chicken at least once, and going one heat level lower than your ego suggests."}},{"id":"8vIrS46qpq","type":"header","data":{"text":"Days 4\u20136: New Orleans \u2014 the city that runs on its own clock","level":3}},{"id":"ll9Thn6n2x","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Nashville is loud and forward-facing. New Orleans is something else entirely: humid, layered, French-Spanish-Creole-Caribbean all at once, and completely uninterested in being like anywhere else in America."}},{"id":"OXmfWaMMAU","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The French Quarter<\/strong> is the obvious starting point \u2014 wrought-iron balconies, courtyards you glimpse through open gates, the smell of chicory coffee and beignets from Caf\u00e9 du Monde. But the Quarter is only the opening chapter."}},{"id":"mJC-pB7LCl","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Walk Frenchmen Street<\/strong> in the evening instead of Bourbon: that's where the brass bands and jazz clubs are, and where you'll be surrounded by people who live there rather than people on a stag do. Take a stroll through the Garden District<\/strong> for antebellum mansions and oak-lined streets, and give yourself an afternoon in the Trem\u00e9<\/strong>, the oldest African-American neighbourhood in the United States and the birthplace of much of what became jazz."}},{"id":"CWQmDA5Zdd","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Then there's the food, which deserves its own paragraph: gumbo, jambalaya, po'boys, char-grilled oysters, red beans and rice on a Monday because that's simply how it's done."}},{"id":"nsQAA-8yAf","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Don't leave without:<\/strong> eating somewhere with paper napkins and a queue. That's usually the good one."}},{"id":"hsSbrqIG_o","type":"header","data":{"text":"Days 7\u201310: Memphis \u2014 where it all cracked open","level":3}},{"id":"vOamf8pAv1","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"If Nashville polished American music and New Orleans invented its rhythm, Memphis is where it went electric and changed the world."}},{"id":"jTlTivU2C4","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Graceland<\/strong> is the headline, and it earns it. Elvis Presley's home is smaller and stranger and more human than you expect \u2014 the jungle room, the racquetball court, the plane, the sheer scale of what one man from a two-room shotgun house became. Give it half a day minimum."}},{"id":"Me9GrJlnxO","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"But Memphis has more than Elvis:"}},{"id":"Kxx7SWmFAS","type":"list","data":{"style":"unordered","items":[{"content":"Sun Studio","items":[]},{"content":"Stax Museum of American Soul Music","items":[]},{"content":"Beale Street","items":[]},{"content":"The National Civil Rights Museum","items":[]}]}},{"id":"LUXINJVPmO","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Don't leave without:<\/strong> Memphis dry-rub ribs. No sauce. Don't ask for sauce."}},{"id":"ppvBHlW5Ph","type":"header","data":{"text":"Why these three cities work as one trip","level":3}},{"id":"MC6OGjKRG5","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"They're close enough to link comfortably, and different enough that you never feel like you're seeing variations on the same theme. Nashville gives you energy. New Orleans gives you atmosphere. Memphis gives you history and weight. Together, they tell a single story about how American music \u2014 and a lot of modern culture with it \u2014 actually came to be."}},{"id":"OFXXETmisl","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"That's the whole idea behind a 1TRIP holiday: one trip, more to explore, more to experience, more to bring home."}},{"id":"cGZJM5Z3s1","type":"header","data":{"text":"When to go","level":3}},{"id":"RqcVhm-JUn","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Spring (March\u2013May)<\/strong> and autumn (September\u2013November)<\/strong> are the sweet spot across all three cities: warm days, cool evenings, and none of the heavy summer humidity the Deep South is known for. Autumn also brings a slightly quieter New Orleans between festival seasons \u2014 and lower prices."}},{"id":"hCT5Hm3oB-","type":"header","data":{"text":"The trip, at a glance","level":3}},{"id":"1ggVHZ4NXM","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Our Nashville, New Orleans &amp; Elvis Presley's Memphis<\/strong> holiday covers all three cities across 10 days, currently from \u00a31,599 per person<\/strong> (down from \u00a31,899 \u2014 a 16% saving)."}},{"id":"9isbC9UBxx","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Included:<\/strong>"}},{"id":"wbzHvD-XDZ","type":"list","data":{"style":"unordered","items":[{"content":"Return flights from London","items":[]},{"content":"3 nights at the 4\u2605 Thompson Nashville or similar","items":[]},{"content":"3 nights at the 4\u2605 Hyatt Regency New Orleans or similar","items":[]},{"content":"3 nights at the 4\u2605 Crowne Plaza Memphis Downtown or similar","items":[]},{"content":"All travel between the three cities as per the itinerary","items":[]},{"content":"23kg checked baggage per person","items":[]},{"content":"Full ATOL &amp; ABTA protection","items":[]},{"content":"Reduced deposit and flexible payment plans available","items":[]}]}},{"id":"qjKn63uhAS","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Not included:<\/strong> local resort fees and city taxes payable at hotels, visas and travel insurance, and meals, transfers or attraction tickets unless stated."}}],"version":"2.31.0"}

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