In case you love reside music, nice meals, and cities that don’t consider in early nights, this Deep South Street Journey Itinerary is for you. In just some stops, this itinerary will take you thru locations that formed total genres of music, every with its personal soundtrack from jazz to blues to rock ‘n’ roll and nation.
Constructed round legendary music cities, this highway journey runs from The Huge Simple (New Orleans) to Elvis’ Memphis and on to Music Metropolis (Nashville, Tennessee). Whereas it really works to take this deep south highway journey itinerary in both path, we selected to begin in New Orleans and end in Nashville, saving the late nights and energetic bar scene for the tip.
For these simply beginning their Deep South Street Journey itinerary analysis, the Deep South refers to a particular area deep within the southeastern a part of america. Historically, the Deep South contains: Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. Typically components of Tennessee and Florida are included as effectively.
Okay, let’s get into planning your Deep South Street Journey Itinerary…
Attending to/from New Orleans and Nashville
Most travellers getting into the U.S. will want an Digital System for Journey Authorisation (ESTA), which could be utilized for on-line and is often processed inside 72 hours. Be sure you do that effectively upfront of your flight departure.
British Airways flies direct between London Heathrow and each New Orleans and Nashville. In case you’re wanting to save cash in your Deep South Street Journey Itinerary, it’s often cheaper to attach by way of cities like New York, Chicago, Orlando, Miami or Dallas. We spent just a few nights in New York as a result of it was the most cost effective direct flight from the UK to the U.S., after which flew to New Orleans with United Airways for underneath £100.
Renting a automobile in your Deep South highway journey
We rented a automobile with Avis by way of Reserving.com, choosing it up in New Orleans and returning it in Nashville. Though we had no points on this journey, we have now since discovered it higher to guide insurance coverage straight with the rental firm, as Reserving.com’s supplier reimburses you after you pay any prices upfront.
At first, I used to be intimidated by our seven-seater Kia Telluride, however I’m glad we selected a big automobile. Most automobiles on the highway are huge, and I felt a lot safer driving in it than in a smaller automobile.
When to go to the Deep South
We visited in July, and the warmth and humidity had been intense. We struggled strolling wherever for too lengthy, particularly in Memphis and Nashville, and had rain showers in New Orleans.
For extra snug temperatures, I’d advocate travelling through the shoulder seasons of April to Might or September to October. Remember occasions like Mardi Gras in New Orleans (the Tuesday earlier than Ash Wednesday) or CMA Fest and Bonnaroo in Nashville (often in June) could make the cities a lot busier.
Day 1 Deep South Street Journey Itinerary
Rise and shine, it’s your first day in NOLA! Begin your journey at Café Du Monde, New Orleans’ iconic espresso stand well-known for its chicory espresso and powdered-sugar-covered beignets.
Prime tip: Carry money! Cafe Du Monde is strictly cash-only, and because it’s open 24/7, you’ll need to be prepared at any time when a beignet craving strikes. Money can be helpful for jazz bars, the place it’s customary to tip the musicians (usually $10 to $20 per particular person).
When you’re fueled up, it’s time to start exploring the historic coronary heart of New Orleans. Be certain that to go to:
- French Market
- Jackson Sq.
- St Louis Cathedral
- Royal Avenue
- Outdated Ursuline Convent
You’ll want to cease for a drink on the Vampire Cafe and check out their novelty Blood Bag Cocktail.
For dinner, we headed to Coop’s Place, a Decatur Avenue favorite and the right pit cease earlier than exploring the jazz bars at Frenchman Avenue. This native staple serves up basic New Orleans delicacies with a facet of angle – assume Karen’s Diner, however with a Creole twist and strictly over 21.
We then headed to The Noticed Cat Music Membership, open seven days per week, 2pm to 2am, with native musicians taking part in their hearts out.
Day 2 Deep South Street Journey Itinerary
No Deep South Street Journey Itinerary is full with no swamp tour. We booked via Cajun Encounters Swamp Tour and might extremely advocate it. Our 12:15 PM tour included a ten:15 AM pickup from considered one of six places. The hour-long coach experience flew by because of our entertaining information.
Upon arrival, we boarded small, flat-bottomed boats captained by locals, recognizing alligators, raccoons, spiders, grasshoppers and crawfish whereas studying about swamp life and the affect of Hurricane Katrina.
Prime tip: Carry money to tip each your tour information and driver.
We returned to the French Quarter round 3pm and headed to Napoleon Home, a historic restaurant as soon as meant for Napoleon Bonaparte. We skipped the well-known Muffuletta for Creole Jambalaya, which didn’t disappoint.
Being in considered one of America’s most haunted cities, a ghost tour is a should, delving into the darkish histories of LaLaurie Mansion, Jackson Sq., and the Bourbon Orleans Lodge. As soon as your spooks are happy, unwind at The Carousel Bar in Lodge Monteleone, a rotating 25-seat bar as soon as frequented by Hemingway and Tennessee Williams. Prime tip: It’s first-come, first-served with reside leisure from Wednesday to Sunday.
For a livelier evening, head to Bourbon Avenue for bars, golf equipment, and reside music. Look out for revellers tossing beads from the balconies above, and remember to attempt the well-known “hand grenade” cocktail, and go to the historic (and reportedly haunted) Latiffe’s Blacksmith Store for his or her signature Voodoo daiquiri, aka Purple Drank.
Day 3 Deep South Street Journey Itinerary
As we speak, it’s time to discover one other facet of the town with a experience on the St. Charles streetcar to the Backyard District. This charming Nineteenth-century neighbourhood is thought for its oak-lined streets and gorgeous antebellum mansions. Highlights embrace properties as soon as owned by celebrities such as Sandra Bullock and Nicolas Cage, the long-lasting Buckner Mansion, featured in American Horror Story: Coven, and Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, one of many oldest city-governed cemeteries. You’ll want to stroll down Journal Avenue, shopping boutique outlets and cafes, or go to the long-lasting Commander’s Palace for famend Creole delicacies.
Spend your night aboard the Steamboat Natchez Jazz Cruise. Take pleasure in a two-hour cruise alongside the Mississippi River that blends reside conventional jazz music with fascinating historic insights concerning the river and the town. For one of the best expertise, attempt to time your cruise with sundown for gorgeous views alongside the water.
Day 4 Deep South Street Journey Itinerary
The Deep South Street Journey Itinerary formally begins!
After choosing up the rental automobile, we set off for our first cease: Parkway Bakery & Tavern. Numerous suggestions and deep-dive analysis all pointed to this spot as residence to among the best po’ boys in New Orleans, and it didn’t disappoint. Only a 10-minute drive from Bourbon Avenue, Parkway has been serving up the long-lasting po’ boys because the Nineteen Twenties, and so they’ve really perfected the craft.
What’s a po’ boy?
A sandwich initially from Louisiana. It historically consists of a filling, which is often roast beef, ham, or fried seafood on a New Orleans French bread roll.
With meals sorted, it’s time to hit the legendary Blues Freeway and start the six-hour drive to Memphis, Tennessee. We selected to deal with the journey in a single go. For individuals who desire to interrupt up the drive, nonetheless, there are many worthwhile stops alongside the best way.
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana: historic plantations and Louisiana historical past
- Natchez, Mississippi: Natchez Hint Parkway and historic properties
- Jackson, Mississippi: Civil Rights historical past and museums
- Vicksburg, Mississippi: Civil Battle battlefield historical past
- Tupelo, Mississippi: Elvis Presley’s birthplace (306 Elvis Presley Drive, the place he lived till the age of 13)
After an extended day on the highway, we arrived in Memphis after darkish and opted for an early evening, able to profit from our one full day within the metropolis.
Day 5 Deep South Street Journey Itinerary
Begin your Deep South Street Journey Itinerary, day 5 at Graceland, Elvis Presley’s well-known Memphis residence!
I wasn’t fairly certain what to anticipate, however I actually didn’t anticipate it being situated proper off a serious freeway, with the Graceland Mansion on one facet and the archives and Elvis’ jets on the opposite, linked by a gentle stream of mini-buses ferrying guests forwards and backwards.
We booked the Elvis Expertise on-line, which included a self-guided tour of the mansion, the EPM Leisure Complicated, and Elvis’ customized jets. We spent round three hours exploring, although my dad and mom spent many of the day after they visited just a few years in the past.
Prime tip: In case you plan to go to round Elvis’ birthday (January 8) or Elvis Week (round August 16), remember to guide tickets effectively upfront, as these are highly regarded instances to go to.
For lunch, cease at Gus’ World Well-known Fried Hen, then stroll down Beale Avenue, generally known as the “Residence of the Blues”, and luxuriate in a drink at Rum Boogie Cafe, with its wall of autographed guitars.
A must-see exercise is watching the well-known Peabody Lodge March of the Geese. Day by day at 11am and 5pm, the geese parade alongside a pink carpet from the roof to the foyer fountain and again, guided by the “Duckmaster”. Prime tip: Arrive 15-Half-hour early for a great view.
Dinner at Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous restaurant, a basement BBQ spot, is a Memphis basic. After loading up on ribs, nachos, and beef brisket, we made our means again alongside Beale Avenue, hopping between bars and absorbing the reside music at its iconic venues.
Prime tip: If time permits, go to Solar Studio, “The Birthplace of Rock ‘n’ Roll”, the place legends like B.B. King, Elvis Presley and Johnny Money recorded.
Day 6 Deep South Street Journey Itinerary
To maintain prices down, we rented our automobile for simply 48 hours, which meant returning it to Nashville by 11 am. This required an early begin, leaving Memphis at 7 am to start the three-hour drive to Nashville.
As soon as we arrived and dropped our luggage at our Airbnb, we headed to the Meeting Meals Corridor for a fast lunch earlier than making our means to absorb the wild and fantastic sights of Broadway.
After confirming that, sure, we might completely slot in with our cowboy boots and hats, we checked in and received able to spend the remainder of the day and evening hopping between multi-story honky tonks and rooftop bars, chasing down as a lot reside nation music as we might discover.
Day 7 Deep South Street Journey Itinerary
Begin the day by shaking off final evening’s festivities with brunch at Biscuit Love within the Gulch. Afterwards, take a while to wander round this fashionable neighbourhood, shopping stylish boutiques and snapping images of its many Instagram-worthy murals.
Tonight, expertise considered one of Nashville’s most iconic traditions on the Grand Ole Opry. Residence to nation music legends, rising stars, and the world’s longest-running radio present since 1925, the Opry delivers an unforgettable reside efficiency. Reveals usually run for about two hours and embrace a 15-minute intermission.
Day 8 Deep South Street Journey Itinerary
Kick off day eight with a espresso at Frothy Monkey earlier than heading to the Nation Music Corridor of Fame, sometimes called the “Smithsonian of nation music”. Spend the morning exploring the style’s evolution, from legends like Jimmie Rodgers and Dolly Parton to trendy stars akin to Taylor Swift and Lainey Wilson.
Afterwards, make your option to East Nashville. Identified for its mural-covered buildings, quirky outlets, and artistic spirit, this vibrant neighbourhood is the right place to wander within the afternoon.
When starvation strikes, cease by The Pharmacy Burger Parlour & Beer Backyard, the place the burgers have been described as drugs for the soul.
For a extra intimate reside music expertise than Broadway’s busting honky-tonks, head to The Bluebird Cafe. This legendary 90-seat venue is thought for locating and internet hosting stars akin to Taylor Swift, Keith City and LeAnn Rimes – reservations are extremely really useful, as reveals frequently promote out.
Day 9 Deep South Street Journey Itinerary
We determined to spend the final full day of our Deep South Street Journey Itinerary in Nashville absorbing the solar and stress-free by a pool.
We bought a day cross for Conrad Nashville by way of ResortPass for $30 per particular person, which offered entry to the outside pool and lounge chairs (first-come, first-served) in addition to towels, with meals and drinks accessible for buy. It was the right, stress-free finish to a busy journey.
In case you’re not able to relaxation your legs up simply but, I’d counsel a day journey to a close-by city like Franklin (20 miles/25-minute drive) or Leiper’s Fork (30 miles/40-minute drive).
Day 10 Deep South Street Journey Itinerary
It’s residence time! Earlier than saying goodbye to Nashville, head again to your favorite brunch spot for one final chunk or swing by Meeting Corridor to revisit a favorite meals stall. After absorbing the final of the town’s flavours and environment, make your option to the airport, both with a fast 15-minute taxi experience or by hopping on the WeGo Public Transit Route 18 bus.
Have you ever been to the Deep South?
Thanks a lot for studying! I hope it’s given you all of the inspiration to plan and guide your individual epic Deep South Street Journey.
You may comply with Kirstie’s adventures on TikTok right here.