The Blues Highway
From $1649 (was $1949)
Per person, double occupancy, excludes roundtrip airfare
11 Days
View Dates and PricesThis program is currently sold out but new dates are coming soon! Call 877-332-6185 for more details.
Introduction
The mournful, joyful, soulful notes of the blues are the true heartbeat of America—and this tour celebrates every chord that created America’s signature sound. Immerse yourself in music as you visit the cities that defined the blues, from Chicago down to the Big Easy!
Tour Includes
Sightseeing- Chicago
- St. Louis
- Nashville
- Memphis
- Clarksdale
- Natchez
- New Orleans
- 10 Nights
- Moderate hotels based on twin/double occupancy
- 8 Breakfasts and 1 Lunch
- A professionally trained local tour director who is knowledgeable of the area and will provide you with a wealth of information. Their friendly service will make your trip a memorable experience.
- To and from your hotel room throughout your land tour for one piece of Checked Baggage per person.
Activity Level
Click here for full details.
Tour Highlights
- Included Chicago and Nashville City Tours
- Backstage tour of the famous Grand Ole Opry House
- Admission to Sun Studio, one of Johnny Cash’s favorite places in Memphis to record
- Visit Graceland, the legendary home of Elvis Presley
- Visit St. Louis’ National Blues Museum and Mississippi’s B.B. King Museum
- Enjoy live jazz music and an authentic southern lunch at B.B. King’s Club Ebony
*Web prices reflect Instant Rebate pricing. Offers valid for new bookings only and subject to availability. Offer may be cancelled at any time.
Please follow the steps below to price your vacation with YMT Vacations. When you complete all the steps, click “Reserve” next to the date on which you would like to travel.
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| Depart | Base Price | Taxes & Fees | Single Supplement | Triple Reduction | Quad Reduction | Flight Cost | Total Price per person | ||||||
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(Click the map to enlarge)
The Blues Highway
The Blues Highway
Tours Starts: Chicago, IL
Tours Ends: New Orleans, LA
Day 1
Arrive in Chicago
Welcome to Chicago! If you purchased airline tickets from YMT Vacations, a friendly YMT representative will greet you at the airport and transport you to your centrally located hotel. This first day is yours to enjoy however you wish. Chicago has some of the best food, shopping, museums, and live music in the country, and there is never a shortage of excitement here in the Windy City.
Hampton Inn Magnificent Mile or similar
Day 2
Chicago City Tour
Spend the morning touring America’s third largest city. Your bus tour will include all of Chicago’s highlights, including the Magnificent Mile, the Wrigley Building, downtown Chicago including The Loop, the shoreline of Lake Michigan, and Millennium Park, home of iconic public art works including the stainless steel Cloud Gate, nicknamed “The Bean” because of its shape. Finally, visit the Chicago History Museum for a guided tour of the institution founded in 1856 to study and interpret Chicago's history. The afternoon is yours to enjoy at your leisure, or you can take part in an optional Chicago River Architecture Tour. (B)
Hampton Inn Magnificent Mile or similar
Day 3
St. Louis
Your next stop is St. Louis, Missouri, with its own distinctive piano-heavy style of the blues. After lunch on your own, visit the National Blues Museum in downtown St. Louis. Learn about the genre that makes up the foundation of modern American music in an entertaining environment that includes high tech experiences, a state-of-the-art theater, and exhibits. (B)
Drury Inn & Suites or similar
Day 4
Nashville
Today’s main stop is the Country Music Hall of Fame in the heart of Nashville’s Music Row. It has been called the “Smithsonian of country music,” and is celebrated for its broad cultural impact, educational mission, and unrivaled collection of historically important artifacts. (B)
The Inn at Opryland or similar
GRAND OLE OPRY SHOW:
See the Grand Ole Opry, the show that
made country music famous, which
features a dynamic line-up of new stars,
superstars, and legends of country
music. Balcony seating just $55 p/p.
Please add this option at time of booking. Please note that
artists and schedule are subject to change without notice.
Day 5
Nashville
Discover the best the legendary Music City has to offer. Experience Nashville’s landmarks and sites on a city tour including the Historic Downtown District and “Honky Tonk Row,” Riverfront Park, the Tennessee State Capitol, Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, the Parthenon, Vanderbilt University, and Music Row. After lunch on your own, head to the Grand Ole Opry House, which debuted in 1974. Experience a fully guided backstage tour and see where the world’s longest-running live radio show is still performed. Walk in the footsteps of country music's legends and get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at this world-famous show.
The Inn at Opryland or similar
Day 6
Memphis
Memphis is a mecca for music fans. Visitors come from all around the world to visit the city that invented the blues, soul, and rock ‘n’ roll. After lunch on your own, take a tour of Sun Studio. This legendary recording studio opened in 1950, and drew musicians including Elvis, Johnny Cash, and Roy Orbison, who would go on to define their generation from this brick building at the intersection of Marshall and Union.
Hyatt Place Memphis/Primacy Parkway or similar
Day 7
Memphis
Spend today on the ultimate rock ‘n’ roll pilgrimage at Graceland, the beloved home of Elvis Presley. Over the 20 years Elvis lived here, Graceland became part of the King’s legend and legacy. Because Graceland was so close to Elvis' heart, it also holds deep meaning to his legions of fans from around the world. As the front door to Elvis Presley's mansion opens, you are taken on an journey into the private world of an American legend. Explore the famous Jungle Room with its green shag carpets, Polynesian feel, and exotically carved woods, the trophy building, meditation garden, and more. (B)
Hyatt Place Memphis Parkway or similar
Day 8
Natchez via Clarksdale and Indianola
After breakfast, your first stop will be the crossroads of Highways 61 and 49, for a photo op at the quirky Crossroads Monument in Clarksdale. This Mississippi photo stop is a towering sculpture of three electric guitars on a pole that marks the spot where, according to legend, the traveling bluesman Robert Johnson sold his soul to be able to play the blues. Continue to Indianola, enjoy live jazz music, chicken wings and catfish at an included lunch at Club Ebony and admission to the B.B. King Museum. B.B. King was one of the pioneers of the technical and highly emotional Delta Blues. The B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center tells the story of King’s life, his career, and stories of the Delta—its history and music, social mores and race relations, literature and legends, adversities and successes. (B, L)
The Natchez Grand Hotel or similar
Day 9
New Orleans via Baton Rouge
Start the day with a visit to the Natchez National Historic Park, where you will discover the history of all the peoples of Natchez, Mississippi, from European settlement, African enslavement, the American cotton economy, to the Civil Rights struggle on the lower Mississippi River. Lunch will be on your own in Baton Rouge, which was founded in 1699 and has the most authentic Cajun food in the state. Enjoy a leisurely evening in New Orleans. (B)
Hampton Inn Suites French Quarter or similar
Day 10
New Orleans
Wake up in New Orleans, and take a tour of "The Big Easy." You'll experience the French Quarter with Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral, and Bourbon Street. Visit one of the famous cemeteries, then continue to Lake Pontchartrain. View the longest bridge in the world and see the new flood gates and rebuilt levees, as well as antebellum mansions. Finally, follow the Mardi Gras route on St. Charles Avenue. Guests are invited to sit down to an optional late afternoon meal at The Court of Two Sisters. Enjoy Cajun and Creole specialties as a jazz trio plays classic New Orleans jazz. (B)
Hampton Inn Suites French Quarter or similar
Day 11
Depart for Home (B)
Please note that this is a proposed itinerary; the actual itinerary may vary due to season, special events, or weather. Because our tour arrangements are often made a year or more in advance, YMT Vacations reserves the right to alter the itinerary. Itinerary changes are made to improve your vacation experience, as well as respond to any unforeseen circumstances that mandate alterations. By their nature, all tours vacations involve a certain level of physical activity. While YMT tours have been designed with our guests in mind and are not physically demanding, this tour does include walking and periods of standing during the sightseeing visits. You will also encounter steps and some uneven ground along the way, particularly at older, historical sights.
YMT Vacations itineraries may contain suggestions for activities for your leisure time; these suggestions do not constitute a recommendation nor an endorsement of any specific service provider and the decision to participate in any such activities should be made independently.
FAQ
Don't see what you are looking for? Check out our general FAQ page here.
You can move travel dates easily and without incurring cancellation fees or penalties. You can change your land tour date anytime up to 45 days prior to departure and your cruise tour up to 95 days prior to departure. See our 2021 Peace of Mind Program for more details.
A worry-free experience for our guests is very important to us. With guest's help and the implementation of a few changes and new protocols such as increased sanitization, responsible social distancing, and enhanced tour director training, you can continue to enjoy peace-of-mind while traveling. For more information on our new safety protocols, please see our Travel Safe Program.
Guests do not need a passport or visa for this tour. Starting October 1, 2021, guests are required to have a REAL ID-compliant identification which includes REAL ID-compliant driver's licenses, US passports, US passport cards, US military IDs, and federally recognized tribal-issues photo IDs.
A full list can be found here:
https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification
Before this date, any government-issued ID, including any state driver's license and any federal ID, will suffice.
You will need U.S. dollars.
No, guests will not need to bring adapters or converters as the U.S. use standard 110V plugs.
