CALL OUR EXPERTS 0800 781 4893
Extension from £319pp
Tour + Extension from £2518pp
To book call us on 0800 781 4893
As Texas's biggest city, Houston is home to some of the finest museums, performing arts and entertainment in the United States. Extend your stay in this sprawling city to further experience the culture or treat yourself on a trip to one of the many shopping malls.
Depart London on your scheduled direct flight to Nashville. On arrival, you will be met by a local tour director and transferred to your hotel. Enjoy the evening at leisure in Nashville, 'Music City USA', a city set amidst rolling farmland and known worldwide as the home of country music.
This morning, take a scenic drive to historic Lookout Mountain with its fabulous views across terrain fought over during the Civil War. Continue onward to Chattanooga and explore this picturesque city, nestled between the dramatic peaks of the Appalachian Mountains and the glimmering waters of Chickamauga and Nickajack Lakes. After time to wander through the city, return to Nashville for tonight's welcome dinner with your group and enjoy an evening at the Grand Old Opry*. (*excludes 2019 departures)
For music listeners, your tour begins with a visit to the Country Music Hall of Fame, a huge museum of all things country and western and home to films, videos, costumes and Elvis Presley's solid gold Cadillac. Next, continue to the Johnny Cash Museum to admire historical documents, awards and costumes. Your group will also have the chance to visit one of Nashville's famous honky-tonks playing live country music and the impressive Parthenon - the only full-scale replica of the Greek Parthenon and the reason behind Nashville's nickname 'Athens of the South'. This evening, after checking into your hotel we've arranged dinner at BB King's for a great night of Southern food, musical sounds and hospitality amongst the lively atmosphere in Nashville.
Begin the day with a visit to Studio B, Nashville's oldest surviving recording studio regularly used by stars such as Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and The Everley Brothers, to name just a few. The tour will then head for Memphis, yet another highlight of this Southern Musical Medley tour. On arrival in Memphis, you will take a trip to the National Civil Rights Museum built on the spot where Martin Luther King was assassinated in 1968. Telling the story of the fight for freedom from slavery through to the Civil Rights Movement of the early fifties and sixties, prepare yourself for an emotional and unforgettable experience.
Today's tour of Memphis' music greats starts with a morning visit to Sun Studio where Elvis recorded his first hit and where Jerry Lee Lewis's piano still stands. Next, experience another first for the music lover - a visit to Graceland, the iconic home of Elvis and final resting place of The King. Enjoy an audio tour through the decadent and quirky rooms including the 'jungle den' where he used to watch football games and kung-fu movies. You'll also watch the famous Peabody Ducks march to and from the Grand Lobby at the Peabody Memphis Hotel, a unique tradition dating back to 1933! Continue on through central Memphis and admire architectural landmarks such as Court Square Fountain, the Lincoln American Tower and Calvary Episcopal Church whilst your guide entertains you with entertaining tales about this rowdy riverside town and its inhabitants. Tonight is at leisure for you to explore and experience the many bars, restaurants and music scene of Memphis.
Today the tour leaves Memphis and follows the path of the mighty Mississippi River and travels deep into the heart of the Mississippi Delta via Jackson before crossing the border into Louisiana. Driving across Lake Pontchartrain on the longest causeway in the world you will arrive in New Orleans, a melange of European style and Caribbean flavours and a city full of flamboyance, festivities and a whole lot of soul. We've arranged to take you to the New Orleans School of Cooking this evening for an entertaining demonstration from one of their Creole/Cajun experts with dinner included and the chance to try a New Orleans speciality such as gumbo, jambalaya or pralines.
In the morning, visit some of New Orleans' highlights including the famous French Quarter taking in Bourbon Street, the art galleries and antique shops of Royal Street and Jackson Square with its many artists, museums and fortune tellers. The rest of the day and evening are for you to enjoy at your leisure, but make sure you live the New Orleans' motto 'Laissez les bons temps rouler' - let the good times roll!
Today is a free day for you to enjoy New Orleans in your own time. Stroll around the market in the French Quarter, stop for some lunch at one of the many oyster bars and restaurants, shop for antiques and trinkets or book yourself a tour through the Louisiana bayou aboard an airboat. This evening you can take your pick of the many excellent bars, eateries and music venues for which this laidback city, The Big Easy, is world renowned.
This morning it's time to leave New Orleans and travel to Houston to catch your return flight to the UK the next day. There will be a stop along the way in Lake Charles for an hour or so for you to stretch your legs and have some lunch. Arriving in Houston in the early hours of the evening there will be a short orientation tour before re
The final day of your main tour includes a visit to Houston's Space Centre, home to NASA and the world's largest collection of moon rocks and lunar samples on public view. You'll also see Mission Control that guided the first moon landings as well as original Saturn, Mercury and Apollo rockets that have been at the forefront of space exploration since the early sixties. Afterwards, return to your hotel and begin your extended stay in Houston.
Spend time at leisure visiting the many sights of Texas' largest city.
After breakfast, depart for the airport to catch your return direct flight back to London.
A visa (ESTA) must be obtained before travel. Please advise if you would like us to arrange this for you.
We strongly recommend that you and all members of your party are suitably insured as soon as you book your holiday. It is a condition of booking that you must have suitable travel insurance. It is important that you purchase travel insurance that suitably covers your participation in whatever activities you may undertake at the time that you make your booking. To assist you with this, we have arranged travel insurance in partnership with Holiday Extras. To arrange your travel insurance with Holiday Extras, please call 0800 781 4237 and quote 'WK830' for preferential rates. Please ensure you provide us with the name of your insurer, policy number and their 24-hour emergency contact number as soon as possible. Mercury Holidays will not be liable for any costs incurred by you due to your failure to take out suitable travel insurance from the date of booking.
If booking more than 10 weeks before departure a deposit of £49pp will need to be paid at the time of booking with the full amount payable at 10 weeks prior to departure. The deposit applies to adults and children. If you are within 10 weeks of travel then the full balance of the holiday will be payable.
Your flight is to Nashville International Airport with British Airways (BA), departing from London Heathrow Terminal 5. Each passenger is entitled to 23kg of hold luggage. There is also an allowance of one cabin bag not exceeding 56cm x 45 cm x 25 cm and one personal bag not exceeding 45 cm x 36 cm x 20 cm that you can take on the aircraft as hand luggage. Weight restrictions will be finalized on E-ticket receipt. Should you wish to take additional luggage you will need to pay extra at check-in. Check-in should be at least 3 hours before departure.
It is your responsibility to check any health and vaccination requirements applicable to your booked arrangements. We can only provide general information about this. Health and hygiene facilities and disease risks vary from country to country. You should take health advice about your own needs as early as possible and in good time before your departure. Sources of information include; www.fco.gov.uk, http://travelhealthpro.org.uk/, www.hpa.org.uk, your General Practitioner or a specialist clinic.
This tour is accessible to most people with an average level of fitness and normal mobility. It involves full days of sightseeing, often on foot and includes some climbing of stairs and getting on and off coaches. This tour is not suitable for anyone with walking difficulties.
There is no minimum number of travellers for this extension however the main tour passenger numbers will apply for the main part of the tour. If in the unlikely event there are less than the required number of people booked on your main tour date then you may be asked to change to a different date. A full refund will be made available to you should this alternative not be suitable.
This is a fully escorted tour, meaning that you will be met on arrival and will be accompanied by a guide throughout your stay ensuring that you have first-hand knowledge at all times.
The currency in America is the United States Dollar (USD). You will be able to change currency both before you travel and whilst you are away. You will also have access to ATMs during your tour where you can withdraw money in the local currency.
You will need to take money with you to cover any personal purchases such as souvenirs, laundry and extra drinks and snacks. Approximately £500-£700 per person will be sufficient for the duration of the tour, depending on how much of a bargain-hunter you are!
It is customary to tip your guide and driver. This is at your discretion but we recommend you allow approximately £4 per person per day
| Depart UK | Arrive UK | Extension Price | Tour Price | Total Price | Book Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 DATES | |||||
| Sheraton Houston Galleria | |||||
| 24 Feb 2020 | 06 Mar 2020 | £319 | £2299 | £2618 | Book Now |
| 09 Mar 2020 | 20 Mar 2020 | £319 | £2389 | £2708 | Book Now |
| 11 May 2020 | 22 May 2020 | £319 | £2529 | £2848 | Book Now |
| 07 Sep 2020 | 18 Sep 2020 | £319 | £2389 | £2708 | Book Now |
| 28 Sep 2020 | 09 Oct 2020 | £319 | £2199 | £2518 | Book Now |
| 05 Oct 2020 | 16 Oct 2020 | £319 | £2389 | £2708 | Book Now |
Please note the hotels given are a guidelines only and may change. If the hotels detailed are not available, alternatives will be used of a similar standard. Please refer to your final documentation for confirmation of your hotels. You will receive this between 7-10 days before departure.
Dollar
8 hours
13 °C / 30 °C
English
Weather can vary throughout the year, so please familiarise yourself with the climate charts below.
First class hotels I have never stayed before on any other tour in such nice hotels, with the facilities I want. The people on the tour, we all met at Nashville Airport on arrival with the tour guide, we were all strangers to each other, we all left at the end of the the tour all as friends, I have never been on a tour where every one is so pleasant and kind and we did have a few good laughs and a great cross range of ages which was so very nice.
We thought all the hotels were extremely good apart from the Holiday Inn Express in Atlanta which was 'somewhat tired' and not to the same standard as the others
Call our experts 0800 781 4893
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