Southern Sounds & Elvis (8730)

8 days from New Orleans to Nashville

2025 Tour Details View 2024 Tour Details »

If you are a music fan—don’t miss this Southern Sounds tour! Begin with two overnights in New Orleans, where your expert Local Guide knows the sights and sounds of the Big Easy. From New Orleans, travel to Indianola, Mississippi, the hometown of the legendary musician B.B. King, and visit the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center to learn about his life and 60-plus year career. Stay three nights in Memphis, where your expert Local Guide knows Memphis’ history, like no one else-including the inside, “backstage” stories from the folks who were there. In addition to guided sightseeing, your Memphis experience includes visits to the Stax Museum, dedicated to American Soul music; the Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum, tracing Memphis’ cultural and musical past; and Sun Studio, probably the world’s most famous recording studio where you’ll relive the studio’s history. You’ll also visit Graceland, Elvis’ palatial estate, and walk through the same rooms he did. You’ll even board his private jet! Also visit the Meditation Garden, where Elvis went to reflect on life and where he, and his only child Lisa Marie Presley, is laid to rest. In Nashville, where you’ll spend two nights, visit Studio B, Nashville’s oldest surviving recording studio. As one of country music’s most important recording studios, it is a must for any music fan. You’ll also visit the world-famous Grand Ole Opry, where you’ll see a show. For music lovers, this Southern Sounds tour designed for value-minded travelers is a once-in-a-lifetime vacation!

Adventure is knocking with everything you need for perfectly affordable touring. Cosmos includes hand-selected accommodations, guided sightseeing, and seamless transportation between destinations—with value-minded travel lovers in mind. Explore with expert Cosmos Tour Directors and Local Guides, and private, first-class, air-conditioned motorcoach with free Wi-Fi. Enhance your free time to explore like a local with your CosmosGO mobile app!

Dates & Prices Book Online
800.646.5374
Southern Sounds & Elvis map

 Photo Highlights

 Meals

 Meals & Itinerary

2 breakfasts

 Itinerary

Day 1 NEW ORLEANS

Welcome to New Orleans! Your Tour Director is on hand late this afternoon to answer any questions.

Day 2 NEW ORLEANS

The morning is dedicated to the sights and sounds of this Old World city on a guided sightseeing tour. First, visit the French Quarter to see St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson Square. Next, learn about the city’s unique burial customs at an above-ground cemetery, followed by a leisurely drive down historic St. Charles Avenue to enjoy its stately mansions and clanging streetcars.

Day 3 NEW ORLEANS–INDIANOLA–MEMPHIS

Depart New Orleans this morning for Indianola, hometown of the legendary musician B.B. King. Visit the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center to learn about B.B (Blues Boy) King’s 60-plus year career. Learn about his time as a sharecropper to his big break on Memphis’ Beale Street and the international music star he became. Artifacts, images, and a guitar studio, where visitors can play instruments, bring it all to life. Afterward, journey to Memphis, where you spend the next three nights.

Day 4 MEMPHIS

This morning, experience this amazing city on your guided city sightseeing tour. Your expert Local Guide knows the history of Memphis like no one else and shares the inside, “backstage” stories from the folks who were there. For music lovers, a visit to the Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum, which traces Memphis’ cultural and musical past. End the day with a visit to Sun Studio, arguably the most famous recording studio in the world, where rock ‘n’ roll was first recorded. Hear outtakes from sessions, stand in the very same spot that Elvis first recorded, see memorabilia, and relive the history of the studio that launched the careers of Johnny Cash, BB King, and many other music legends.

Day 5 MEMPHIS. EXCURSION TO GRACELAND

Today is dedicated to a guided audio tour of Graceland. Experience life as Elvis did by walking through the decadent and quirky rooms where he felt truly at home. Finish your tour of Graceland with a visit to the Meditation Garden, where Elvis often went to reflect on life, and where he is now laid to rest along with members of his family. You’ll also be able to board “The King’s” private jet! Tonight, check in to the Guest House at Graceland.

Day 6 MEMPHIS–NASHVILLE

Today, we head to Nashville—“Music City USA.” Nashville is the ideal destination for music fans, history buffs, and lovers of the South. Upon arrival, enjoy an orientation tour of the city, passing by famous Music Row recording studios, the center of the recording industry, which first developed in the 1950s. Afterward, perhaps visit the Country Music Hall of Fame with its glittering costumes, rare instruments, and Elvis Presley’s “solid-gold” Cadillac. This evening, join the optional outing where you’ll learn about two highlights of Nashville, music and moonshine!

Day 7 NASHVILLE

Start your day with a visit to RCA Studio B, Nashville’s oldest surviving recording studio and one of the country’s most important. Between 1957 and 1977, more than 35,000 songs were recorded here, including 262 Elvis Presley recordings. Studio B is a “must-see” for any music fan, but especially for those who love Elvis. Tonight, see an unforgettable show at the world-famous Grand Ole Opry, the world’s premier country music venue since 1925 and the setting for the nation’s longest-running music show.

Breakfast Breakfast

Day 8 NASHVILLE

Your vacation ends this morning. You may choose to extend your vacation with extra nights and explore “Music City USA” further.

Breakfast Breakfast

 Tour Director

With COSMOS, there’s no better way to get to know your destination than through the eyes of a Tour Director. We’d like you to meet one of our Tour Directors, who average over a decade of experience and are representative of the type of expert that will be with you on your vacation.

SUSANNAH JONES

Escorting tours for more than 20 years

“Travel, food, music, and laughter bring people together. There is nothing like seeing faces with bright smiles when they taste a local delicacy, hear live regional music, and make lifelong friends while traveling together. I was raised in the South, lived in Germany, and taught Middle School all before beginning my second career as a Tour Director. I love the joy of making unforgettable experiences for guests from East to West. There are the majestic sights of national parks in Yosemite, the surreal landscape of Yellowstone, the haunting beauty of our Wetlands, and the bluish-green hues of the Shenandoah Valley. Tasting Peanut soup, beignets, and Fry Bread lets you taste local culture. Traveling will change you for the better!”

Tour Director - SUSANNAH JONES

 Accommodations

 Optional Excursions

No matter what you’re into: food, wine, history, art, music or anything else, we give you the freedom to personalize your vacation with optional excursions that speak to your interests.

When you book your excursions with us, you can be assured that every optional excursion that we offer coordinates with the free time that you'll have in your destination, so you'll never have conflicts between included and optional activities. Our team of travel experts carefully selects each optional excursion that we offer to ensure that you receive the highest quality at a great value. Our tried-and-true partners have a finger on the pulse of the city in which they operate so they deliver the very best experiences. We offer experiences you cannot create on your own and because you’re booking with us, we coordinate all your transportation and timing needs.

The following optional excursions are examples only for this vacation. These may or may not be offered, and availability is subject to days of operation and seasonality. Please select a departure date to view optional excursions and pricing for a specific date (due to currency fluctuation, pricing shown is subject to change until purchased). Optional excursions are available for purchase on our MyCosmos site 90 days prior to the tour start date.

Price Ranges

$ ($50 USD and under)
$$ ($51 - $100 USD)
$$$ ($101 - $150 USD)
$$$$ (Over $150)


New Orleans
Nashville

New Orleans

Jazz Dinner Cruise on the Mighty Mississippi

Jazz Dinner Cruise on the Mighty Mississippi

Savor the beauty and romance of the New Orleans skyline aboard the authentic Steamboat NATCHEZ-New Orleans only authentic Steamboat! Please note; while the Steamboat Natchez is being referbished the dinner cruise will be on the Riverboat City of New Orleans.

Price Range: $$$

Nashville

Dinner with a Nashville Songwriter

Dinner with a Nashville Songwriter

Nashville music is all about the songwriters and tonight you will get your chance to get up close and personal with a professional tunesmith.

Price Range: $$



The "Starting at" or listed price is based on the lowest price available to book. Price is per passenger based on double occupancy and does not include International airfare; additional fees/charges are not included. If a price is crossed out, the new price includes a limited time promotional offer(s) – please review current promotions or deals for additional information. Some tours require intra-vacation flights (and in some cases intra-vacation segments must be purchased from Cosmos).

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