New Orleans & the Deep South

Optional Activity

Optional activities need to be booked at the time of reservation to ensure availability. Optional activities cannot be added after the final payment due date or during the trip because they are arranged and pre-paid as a group order. The schedule of optional activities is subject to availability. We reserve the right to make revisions based on show schedules, etc.

Day 1

Sit back and relax as we travel southward to our lodging for the evening near Burlington, NC. Stops for lunch and dinner will be made enroute to the hotel.

Day 2

This morning after breakfast at the hotel we depart for Atlanta, GA. A rest and lunch stop will be made enroute. Upon arrival in Atlanta, we will visit World of Coca-Cola, showcasing the history of the Coca-Cola Company. Our lodging this evening will be located in Atlanta. Following check-in, dinner will be on our own.

Day 3

Following breakfast we visit Atlanta Botanical Garden, a 30-acre botanical garden located adjacent to Piedmont Park in Midtown Atlanta. Later this morning we must continue our journey south. With a lunch stop enroute, we will arrive at our next overnight in Biloxi, for a two-night stay. Following check-in, dinner will be on our own.

Day 4

This morning after breakfast, we will visit the Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum. Established in 1986 to preserve and interpret the maritime history of Biloxi and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. After lunch on our own, we will enjoy a Shrimp Boat Excursion, which will expose us to the spectacular world of sea life! Later we will visit Beauvoir, the Jefferson Davis Home & Presidential Library. The remainder of the day is free to enjoy at our leisure. Dinner is on our own.

Day 5

Today, after breakfast, we will check-out and depart for New Orleans. Upon arrival, a local guide will introduce us to the highlights of New Orleans. After lunch on our own, we will tour Mardi Gras World which will give us an insider's view of how Mardi Gras is made. This evening is free to enjoy the city at our leisure. Dinner is on our own.

Day 6

Following breakfast, we will visit the National WWII Museum. The museum's exhibits encompass the June 6, 1944 invasion of Normandy, the Home Front during WWII, and the D-Day invasion in the Pacific. The remainder of the day is free to enjoy at your leisure. Dinner is on our own.

Optional Afternoon Activity: Visit the St. Louis Cemetery for a guided tour of the oldest cemetery in New Orleans. Established in 1789 and the burial grounds of many historical notables, most graves are above ground vaults constructed in the 18th and 19th centuries. This option includes an additional cost.

Day 7

After breakfast, we'll head to Plantation County. We will explore two of Louisiana's most famous and historic plantation homes along the Great Mississippi River Road and learn about their stories, secrets, and occasionally...spirits. We will enjoy Cajun and Creole food and a thrilling swamp tour. First we will tour Laura: A Creole Plantation including the plantation home, the 200 year old sugar plantation, and a slave cabin. We'll enjoy an included lunch before a tour of Oak Alley Plantation. This quarter-mile canopy of giant live oak trees, believed to be nearly 300 years old, is an impressive avenue leading to the classic Greek-revival style antebellum home. Later we will enjoy a unique journey back to the early days of Louisiana bayou and swamp explorations on a Swamp Tour. We return to New Orleans for our last evening in the city. Dinner is on our own.

Day 8

Following breakfast we'll depart for Birmingham, AL, the location of our lodging this evening. Enroute, we will visit Meridian Mississippi, home to Sela Ward. In Meridian we will have lunch at Weidmann's Restaurant, Mississippi's oldest restaurant before a visit to the Mississippi Arts & Entertainment Experience (The MAX). Opened in 2018, The MAX showcases Mississippi's writers, visual and musical artists, actors, and other creative legends all under one roof. Explore the birthplaces of your favorite artists, like Morgan Freeman, John Grisham, and Jimmy Buffet (to name a few) and learn how their Mississippi roots influenced their artistry. Dinner is at our leisure.

Day 9

After breakfast at the hotel, we will travel northward through Chattanooga and Knoxville to our lodging for the evening in Wytheville, VA. Stops for lunch and dinner will be made enroute.

Day 10

Following breakfast at the hotel, we'll depart for home. With stops for rest & lunch enroute, our arrival home is scheduled for early evening.

Please note

Our intention is to run each tour as originally planned and published. However, if deemed necessary to do so, Perkiomen Tours reserves the right to make changes to tour components, schedules, or itineraries without prior notification.

Tips for Perkiomen motorcoach drivers and tour escorts are not included in the price of this tour. We feel that these gratuities should be extended on an individual basis and dictated by the level of service provided.

Motorcoach seating is assigned at the time of reservation but cannot be guaranteed. Although we do our best to keep each traveler in the seat assigned at the time of reservation, there are times that it is necessary to move seat locations. Please be sure to verify your final seat number(s) with your driver at the time of boarding. Historically, daily seat rotation was practiced on most multi-day tours. We have suspended this practice for a period of time. Seat rotation will be explained by your driver or tour escort if reinstated.

Perkiomen Tours recommends that you consider purchasing Travel Insurance for your tour. Travel Insurance is purchased directly by you from a third-party of your choice. One option is Travel Safe Insurance. You can purchase insurance directly from Travel Safe through our website. www.perkiomentours.com.

To fully participate in this tour may require extended amounts of walking. There may be steps, inclines, uneven surfaces or extended periods of standing. Participants with physical limitations should take this into consideration.

B=Full Breakfast, L=Lunch