Southern Adventure (NO to LA)

More Information About This Tour:
Tour Type:	Escorted Tour
Tour Category:	Regional North America
Tour Operator:	Contiki Tours
Tour Code:	CONTIKI24

Cities Visited:
See Description

Featuring: Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, California
Starting In New Orleans and ending in Arrive New OrleansMeet up with your fellow travelers and Tour Manager in swinging New Orleans. A meeting point of European style and Caribbean flavors, this town is busy with soul, flamboyance, festivities and a whole lot of jazz! To learn more about local flavors, sign up for the New Orlean’s Cooking School optional and have a go at making classics like gumbo (a type of stew), shrimp Creole and bread pudding. Experience the stunning French Quarter, made up of hidden courtyards, soul-kitchens and jazz clubs. Hang out in Jackson square and watch musicians, fortune tellers and artists. Later, join an optional excursion on a traditional Mississippi riverboat and head out along the famous river. With a live Dixie jazz band and loads of Creole cooking, you’ll soon get into life in the “Big Easy”. Then turn the energy levels up with a visit to Bourbon Street. Humming night and day, it is all about music and bars. So make your first night on tour one to remember by living the New Orleans’ motto “Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler” - let the good times roll!Meet up with you Contiki Crew and simmer in the warm and soulful culture of “The Big Easy” – meander in the French Quarter, feast on Creole cuisine, fall under the spell of voodoo, and come evening, get dancing! Hotel11New Orleans to MemphisHome of the Blues and the King. Say goodbye to the home of jazz and Dixieland as we head for the Mecca of Rhythm and Blues… Memphis, Tennessee. Join us for a night out on the street that made it famous, Beale Street.HotelBreakfast, Dinner12MemphisJump start the day with a tour of Graceland and pay homage to the King of Rock’n’Roll. Your Tour Manager will tell you Elvis’ story before you tour his 70’s style mansion and get up close to his lifestyle, gold records and jumpsuits. After Graceland, you’ve got free time to explore Memphis. If you’re keen, we’ll drop you at the Civil Rights Museum. Housed in the Lorraine Motel, this is where Dr Martin Luther King was assassinated. You can find out more about the American Civil Rights movement and its legacy here. Stop by at Memphis’ signature site, Sun Studios, where Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash all recorded. If you want to find out more about Memphis musical heritage, have a look around and even make your own record! If you’re hungry while your here, make sure you try out some Memphis BBQ, as this place is known for it. Later, head to Memphis’ core and former hub of African American culture, Beale Street. Birthplace of the blues, stomping ground of famous singers like B.B. King and Tina Turner, this historic street is a major landmark and a great place to listen to live music, kick back with a beer and party.Pay homage to “The King” on a tour of his mansion, Graceland. This afternoon, make your pilgrimage through this musical mecca before partying on Beale Street. * Visit the Civil Rights Museum, Sun Studios, & Beale Street, home of Blues music * Tour GracelandHotelBreakfast13Memphis to DallasStop in Little Rock as you journey through the Deep South to Dallas, where you'll discover why everything is bigger and better in Texas!Stop in Little Rock as you journey through the Deep South to Dallas, where you'll discover why everything is bigger and better in Texas! HotelDinner14DallasWith a day to discover why things are bigger and better in Texas, you’ll get a real feel for this fast moving city. This morning ,get the low down on one of Dallas’ darkest moments at the Sixth Floor Museum. Learn about the background on JKF’s life and assassination and even stand in the “gunman’s nest”(from where Lee Harvey Oswald is believed to have taken aim). In your free time, chalk up a local experience and move around at your own pace on the city’s easy public transport. Check out where Dallas’ elite shop at the landmark Neiman Marcus – an upscale department store complete with 6 stories of luxury items. For something different, head to Deep Ellum, a neighborhood packed with funky clothing stores, up-and-coming galleries and loads of affordable restaurants. Later, we visit Fort Worth and its historic stockyards. Pick up some cowboy boots and keep an eye out for the Texas long-horn steer. There’s a chance to catch some rodeo action in our optional here tonight, where you can see bronco riding, calf-roping and professional cowboys .From big cars to big hair to big belt buckles to big attitude – you’ll see it all as you explore this slick city nicknamed “Big D.” * Visit the John F. Kennedy Sixth Floor Museum * Visit the Fort Worth Stockyards & experience a real Texas RodeoHotelBreakfast15Dallas to AmarilloWe journey across the Texas plains and head into the cowboy town of Amarillo for a night of real Texan culture.We journey across the Texas plains and head into the cowboy town of Amarillo for a night of real Texan culture. HotelBreakfast, Dinner16Amarillo to AlbuquerqueExplore the exotic mix of Native American and Hispanic cultures in artistic Santa Fe before we arrive in Albuquerque.Explore the exotic mix of Native American and Hispanic cultures in artistic Santa Fe before we arrive in Albuquerque. HotelBreakfast, Dinner17Albuquerque to Cortez via DurangoNestled in the Rocky Mountains, Durango provides an absolute paradise for adventure seekers before continuing on to Cortez.Nestled in the Rocky Mountains, Durango provides an absolute paradise for adventure seekers before continuing on to Cortez. HotelDinner18Cortez to the Grand Canyon via Monument ValleyWe leave the Rocky Mountains for Monument Valley's quintessentially 'Wild West' landscape which offers you unrivaled photo ops before arriving to the Grand Canyon.We leave the Rocky Mountains for Monument Valley's quintessentially 'Wild West' landscape which offers you unrivaled photo ops before arriving to the Grand Canyon. CabinBreakfast, Dinner19Grand Canyon National ParkA day here means time to take in the immensity and spine-tingling beauty of the scene-stealing Canyon – it has got a rep for a reason! This morning get up close to this UNESCO World Heritage site on an optional helicopter ride and get another angle on the Canyon as you fly over it. Hike along the South Rim for mind-blowing vistas of the dramatic scenery. See some of the oldest exposed rocks on earth, take in the deep abyss and soak up the wildness of the area. There are trails for all levels of hiking, so take it up a notch or cruise along at your own pace. Wrap up the day with a canyon sunset and take in the stunning changes of light while the sun goes down.Hike, walk, or maybe take an optional helicopter flight for an up close experience with this phenomenal natural wonder. * Hike along the Canyon's South Rim * Watch a spectacular sunset & capture incredible photos with a visit to a panoramic viewpointCabin110Grand Canyon to Las VegasLeaving behind the Grand Canyon, we stop off at Seligman, an historic Route 66 town. Get a feel for the old style as you check out 1940’s shop fronts and motels. Maybe pick up a souvenir for back home. Then following a section of the legendary Route 66, we head north. With down time on the coach, plug in your MP3, catch on some sleep or chat with your friends. Get ready to arrive in larger-than-life Las Vegas – a man-made entertainment oasis smack in the middle of the desert. Often dubbed Sin City, it’s all about glitz, neon lights, and excess. See the bright lights of this city and its world-famous casinos in a first taste of Vegas kitsch as the group heads down the main drag, the “Strip”, and your Tour Manager fills you in on the story behind Vegas. Then cruise downtown to Freemont Street and experience a slice of the spectacular at a light and laser show in a massive pedestrian mall.Get your kicks on Route 66 as you head toward the bright lights of Las Vegas. HotelBreakfast, Dinner111Las VegasWith a free day, you’ve got time to get a real feel for this outrageous town, so keep an eye out for Elvis impersonators and fast-paced chapel weddings! Explore more of the Strip and check out over-the-top versions of international icons, like the Eiffel Tower, Venetian canals and gondolas, a Roman temple or the pyramid, whose nightlight can be seen from the moon. Try your luck at one of the casinos, sit yourself down at a blackjack table and watch the high-rollers or go for a ride at one of the casino’s theme-parks. If you work up an appetite, tuck into an all you can eat buffet, and lunch American style. For something different, discover Las Vegas’ trademark art at the Neon Museum and for a look into this town’s atomic heyday in the 50s, visit the Atomic Testing Museum. If you just want to relax, position yourself poolside back at the hotel and soak up the Las Vegas sun. Tonight, get some pointers on Las Vegas’ hot spots from your Tour Manager and make the most of this towns’ 24/7 action with some of your new friends.It’s all glitz & glamour as you hang out on the ‘Strip’, relax by the pool, or hit up Sin City’s flashiest party hot spots. * Experience some of the world's largest hotels & casinos * Non-stop nightlifeHotelBreakfast112Las Vegas to Los AngelesLeaving behind Las Vegas, we journey through the vast Mojave Desert, with its iconic Joshua trees, into Southern California. Our tour ends once we arrive in Los Angeles, where it’s time to say goodbye to your new friends.Leave the bling of Vegas behind and head through the vast Mojave Desert into California. Your US adventure wraps up when you arrive in Los Angeles where it's time to say farewell to your new friends. * See the famous Joshua TreesBreakfast113