This morning we begin our tour to the wonderful Old South of pre-Civil War days. We stop in Atlanta where we visit the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Park. While here we can explore the life and legacy this civil rights activist who was an instrument for social change. We continue to Alabama for the night.

We travel to the west bank of the Mississippi River towards New Orleans. On arrival we enjoy a guided tour of New Orleans, including the French Quarter, the Garden District, and Lakefront. We check into our downtown hotel for a 2-night stay. This evening we take a 2-hour cruise down the Mississippi River on our jazz dinner cruise. Enjoy dinner, live music and the beauty of the New Orleans skyline. (D)

We travel out of New Orleans to plantation country. Oak Alley Plantation is located on the west bank of the Mississippi River. We will tour the “Big House” then you’ll have time to see the Gardens, Blacksmith Shop, Slavery exhibit and take in the Sugarcane Theater. A bountiful Cajun style lunch is included before we return to New Orleans. On our tour of Mardi Gras World you can see artists and sculptors as they create floats, costumes and props. This evening is free to enjoy the atmosphere of old New Orleans. For dinner on your own you may want to try a bowl of Cajun Gumbo or Crawfish Etouffee! (L)

We visit the National World War II Museum. From the beaches of Normandy to the sands of Iwo Jima, the exhibits here are a blend of personal accounts, artifacts, documents, photographs and original film footage. The stories of the dozens of amphibious landings and the thousands of men and women who made the Allied victory in World War II possible are told through three floors of exhibit space. In addition, see the show “Beyond All Boundaries,” a unique and powerful 4-D cinematic experience available nowhere else in the world. It tells the tale of the Greatest Generation’s journey from Pearl Harbor into the fire of epic battles to America’s final victory in the “War That Changed the World” in the words of the veterans. We have a late lunch in the heart of the French Quarter at the Court of Two Sisters, one of the city’s oldest and finest dining establishments. We say goodbye to New Orleans and travel into Alabama for our final night. (L)

While in Montgomery, we visit the Legacy Museum which opened to the public in April, 2018. The museum, built on the site of a former warehouse where slaves were imprisoned, uses unique technology that helps dramatize the enslavement of African Americans. We arrive home late this evening, bringing to an end a beautiful tour of New Orleans and the Old South.