Tauck is launching a new tour that delves into the rich musical heritage of America, tracing the roots of country, blues, jazz, rock and roll, and more across iconic locations such as Nashville, Memphis, the Mississippi Delta and New Orleans. Debuting in 2025, the Music of America: Nashville to New Orleans tour will be enriched by the expertise of renowned filmmaker Ken Burns, known for his award-winning documentaries Jazz and Country Music, as well as numerous other explorations of American history.
The nine-day itinerary begins with a two-night stay at the Four Seasons Hotel Nashville, followed by two nights at The Peabody Memphis. After an overnight at The
Westin Jackson in Jackson, Mississippi, the tour concludes with a three-night stay at The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans.
Throughout the trip, guests will explore the rich history of American music through exclusive experiences, including a private, pre-opening tour and a presentation by a professional songwriter at Nashville’s renowned Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum, followed by an evening at the legendary Grand Ole Opry. In Memphis, guests will visit the historic Sun Studio, where Elvis Presley made his first recordings, and enjoy a Tauck-exclusive, after-hours tour of Graceland, complete with dinner at the Presley Motors Automobile Museum, home to a collection of cars once owned by Presley, including his famous pink Cadillac.
In Mississippi, guests will tour the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, enjoy a Southern-style lunch and a performance at the historic Club Ebony in Indianola and visit the nearby B.B. King Museum. New Orleans marks the end of the trip with a private jazz performance at Preservation Hall rounding off a three-night stay in “The Big Easy.”
Beyond music, Tauck’s new tour also highlights the South’s vibrant culinary heritage. Guests will enjoy a bourbon tasting and lunch at the historic Belle Meade plantation, a culinary demonstration and lunch at the New Orleans School of Cooking, and dining experiences at renowned establishments such as Tujague’s, known for its traditional Creole cuisine, and Galatoire’s where the farewell dinner will be held.
Additional highlights include a tour of Houmas House and Gardens, guided city tours in Nashville, Memphis and New Orleans, and a visit to the acclaimed National World War II Museum in New Orleans.
Included in the price (from AU$9,540* per person, double occupancy, plus airfare) are 19 meals, airport transfers, service charges and most gratuities, all admission fees, taxes and more. Tauck will offer departures between March and May, and in September and October, including a number of special Small Group departures averaging just 24 guests each.
A 15-Year Partnership with Ken Burns
The new Music of America: Nashville to New Orleans itinerary is being offered as part of Tauck’s Ken Burns American Journeys portfolio of tours presented in cooperation with the acclaimed filmmaker. Regarded by many as “America’s Storyteller,” Burns has been honoured with 17 Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards and two Oscar nominations.
Throughout the Music of America tour, Tauck guests will gain insights from Burns and his longtime collaborator Dayton Duncan as they view a series of exclusive-to-Tauck vignettes, or short videos, featuring anecdotes and personal observations provided by the two filmmakers. Topics highlighted in the vignettes include, among others, the crucial role of the Mississippi River in fostering the spread of America’s musical genres, the birth of country music, the influential roles of New Orleans and Memphis in the development of jazz and rock and roll (respectively), and the life and legacy of Louis Armstrong, “The George Washington of Jazz.”
2025 will mark the 15th season that Tauck and Burns have crafted and offered tours together, with more than a dozen itineraries (and well over 100 vignettes) included in their Ken Burns American Journeys portfolio. Next year’s trips will include two recently enhanced and reimagined East Coast itineraries, In Freedom’s Footsteps: New York to Washington, DC and Southern Charms: St. Augustine, Savannah & Charleston. Both will include vignettes exploring aspects of the American Civil War, and it was the 1990 series The Civil War that firmly established Burns as the country’s preeminent documentary filmmaker.
Other offerings range from tours of the national parks in the American West and Southwest to a wintertime exploration of Yellowstone National Park, while guests on Tauck’s Hidden Gems of New England itinerary enjoy a true “insider” treat; a Tauck-exclusive guided tour of the Walpole, New Hampshire studio where Burns and Duncan have long produced their award-winning films.
Tauck’s Ken Burns American Journeys trips are part of the company’s larger collection of 33 North American tours and cruises, including four Tauck Bridges family adventures in the U.S. and Canada.
For more information on Tauck, email SalesAUS@tauck.com, or see tauck.com.au.
*Fares and special offers are subject to change and availability. Terms and conditions apply.
