Day 1 Travel Day / Dixie Stampede (D)
Enjoy the scenery as you venture to the Deep South. Be introduced to the South with a rip-roarin’ friendly battle between the North and the South at the famous Branson show “Dixie Stampede” on our first night out. Overnight in Branson.

Day 2 Ozark Mountains / Clinton Museum and Library (CB)
The beautiful Ozark Mountain scenery will entice you today as you travel to the Clinton Museum and Library, a museum dedicated to William Jefferson Clinton, our 42nd president.

Day 3 Vicksburg National Military Park and Battlefield / Natchez (CB, D)
Tour the Vicksburg National Military Park and Battlefield where so many lives were laid down for the War Between the States. Natchez, Mississippi is dressed up in its splendor during its Natchez Pilgrimage and Azalea blossom time. Enjoy the Natchez Pageant that tells the story of the South during the Civil War. The pageant is presented by local performers in elaborate costumes from Southern Belle gowns to Civil War uniforms, and is sponsored by the Natchez Garden Club and the Pilgrimage Garden Club.

Day 4 Natchez City Tour / Antebellum Homes / French Quarter / Creole Cooking School (CB, L, D)
Start the day with a city tour of Natchez with a local guide. Learn the history of this fascinating city along with touring some of Natchez’s beautiful antebellum homes. Then, encounter the “city that care forgot”- New Orleans. Absorb the sights and sounds of the famous French Quarter in the historic “Hotel Provincial” right in the French Quarter. This evening, discover the fun, flares and flavors of cooking Louisiana style at a New Orleans Cooking School. Learn step-bystep preparation of a Creole/Cajun menu, a full meal is served – so bring your appetite!

Day 5 New Orleans City Tour / Creole Queen Luncheon Cruise / Mardi Gras World (CB, L)
A city tour of New Orleans by a local guide presents the history, landmarks, legends and splendid architecture that made New Orleans famous. Enjoy lunch on the Creole Queen on a voyage up the Mississippi River to Mardi Gras World. Nowhere else can you watch the artists of Blaine Kern Studios—the world-renowned masters of Carnival sculpture and float building—at work in their shops, weaving spells of wonder. Since your hotel is only a block from Jackson Square and only 2 blocks from Bourbon Street, there’s time to explore the French Quarter, the very historic district of New Orleans this evening on your own.

Day 6 World War II Museum / Swamp Boat Ride / Court of Two Sisters Dinner (CB, D)
Today, visit the World War II Museum. Dedicated in 2000 as the National D-Day museum, now designated by Congress as the country’s official World War II Museum, this remarkable attraction illuminates the American experience during the WWII era with moving personal stories, historic artifacts and powerful interactive displays. Then, venture to the swampland of Louisiana. See alligators and swamp life up close from the comfort of a swamp boat through the heart of South Louisiana’s swamplands, hosted by a native guide. After returning to your hotel, it’s time for dinner at the famous “Court of Two Sisters” restaurant.

Day 7 Gulf Coast / Bellingrath Gardens and Home / Southern Belle River Cruise / USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park (CB, L)
Enjoy the coastline through Biloxi as you drive by “Beauvoir”, Jefferson Davis’ Home and Presidential Library. The white sands are beckoning us as we travel along the Gulf Coast towards Mobile, Alabama. A visit to Bellingrath Gardens and Home is not complete without a cruise aboard the Southern Belle River Cruiser. A self-guided tour of the USS Alabama and the submarine USS Drum will show the important role that each had during the Pacific Campaign of World War II.

Day 8 Palestine Gardens / Natchez Trace Parkway / Kosciusko, MS City Tour (CB, L)
This morning, stop in Lucedale, Mississippi, at Palestine Gardens, a replica of the Holy Land built in a peaceful and serene garden setting. Travel the Natchez Trace Parkway that commemorates an ancient trail used by animals and people that connected southern portions of the Mississippi River in Alabama to salt licks in today’s central Tennessee. Travel a portion of the Natchez Trace to Kosciusko, Mississippi, the birthplace of Oprah Winfrey. A guided tour of the city brings you to her birthplace and the Boys and Girls Club that Oprah built.

Day 9 Graceland (CB)
Travel on to Memphis this morning and visit Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley. This oneof- a-kind experience will take you on Elvis’s fascinating journey to superstardom through exciting videos, displays of authentic clothing, artifacts, personal mementos and amazing showcase of Elvis’s gold and platinum awards and more.

Day 10 Travel Day (CB)
What a great spring getaway! Return home today having had a wonderful time exploring the beauty of the Deep South and Gulf Coast Region.