Deep South Road Trip

DAY 1 & 2

Atlanta

Visit the King Center in the 'Sweet Auburn' historic district, soon to be a stop on the Atlanta Streetcar 'Down Town Loop' and be sure to explore 'Atlantic Station' for a great dining and shopping experience.

DAY 3

145 miles Atlanta to Birmingham

The Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame is located in downtown Birmingham and offers tours and the nearby Carver Theatre is where jazz legends such as Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton once played and local jazz artists and comedy can often be heard.

DAY 4

114 miles Birmingham to Muscle Shoals

Visit The Shoals, the four musical cities in northwest Alabama (Florence, Tuscumbia, Sheffield and Muscle Shoals) where superstars such as The Rolling Stones, Paul Simon, Rod Stewart and Aretha Franklin made this area the 'Hit Capital of the World' in the 1960s and 1970s.

DAY 5

67 miles Muscle Shoals to Tupelo

Drive the back roads of Tennessee to the scenic Natchez Trace Parkway and Tupelo where you can visit the humble two-room birthplace of Elvis and the Elvis Presley Museum.

DAY 6

47 miles Tupelo to Oxford

Oxford is the home of Nobel Prize-winner William Faulkner and the historic University of Mississippi, known as Ole Miss. Its town square is alive with shops, restaurants, bars and galleries.

DAY 7 & 8

75 miles Oxford to Memphis

Drive across north Mississippi to Memphis, home of the blues and birthplace of rock'n'roll. Visit Elvis Presley's Memphis at Graceland, Elvis' beloved mansion and the fantastic Automobile Museum. Don't miss Sun Studio, Stax and the Rock'n'Soul Museum. Dance the night away on historic Beale Street.

DAY 9 & 10

210 miles Memphis to Nashville

Make a lunch stop at the Old Country Store at Casey Jones Village in Jackson. In Nashville see the Grand Ole Opry, the multi-story Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, RCA Studio B and be sure to hear live music at a classic honky tonk like Tootsie's. Or take a cabaret dinner cruise aboard the General Jackson Showboat on the Cumberland River.

DAY 11

223 miles Nashville to Knoxville to Smoky Mountains

Head for Knoxville but make time for the Museum of Appalachia in Norris. Lunch at Volunteer Landing on the Tennessee River and stroll the Cradle of Country Music tour around the old city of Knoxville. Continue the Sevierville, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, all nestled in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains.

DAY 12

The Smokies

Walk, hike or ride a horse in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, America's most visited national park. Visit Dolly Parton's celebrated country music and entertainment theme park, Dollywood and literally shop 'til you drop at the 200+ factory outlet shops in Pigeon Forge and Sevierville.

DAY 13

145 miles Pigeon Forge to Chattanooga

Drive along the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains to Chattanooga and visit the Tennessee Aquarium. Spend time on Lookout Mountain, ride the Incline Railway, explore Point Park and visit Ruby Falls and Rock City Gardens.

DAY 14

114 miles Chattanooga to Atlanta

Make time for last-minute shopping at Warehouse Row in Chattanooga before driving south to Atlanta, for your flight home.