Elvis & the Southern Sounds - Elvis' Birthday Celebration + Nashville
B949_121030_061012.JPG "A Birthday tribute")
8th January 2012 marks what would have been Elvis' 77th birthday, and every year fans of Elvis from around the world gather in Memphis to celebrate Elvis Presley Day. Our special departure offers you the chance to be part of this very special celebration. Several fascinating days of events surrounding the anniversary make it a condensed version of Elvis Week in August. The Graceland Mansion hosts the traditional ceremony with special programme hosted by Graceland/EPE officials, featuring a birthday cake cutting and a proclamation of Elvis Presley Day by Memphis and Shelby County officials. Any special guests or special presentations that might become part of the ceremony are to be announced.
Note: This special departure includes all activities on our regular departures, plus the birthday celebration at Graceland, and minus the Grand Ole Opry which is not included. Accommodation in Memphis (all 4 nights) is the Crowne Plaza Hotel (different from the other departures).
Why not take the opportunity to discover more sights and sounds of this lively city.
There is plenty more to see and do with all of Nashville's great restaurants, musical activities, antebellum homes, attractions and entertainment.
On day 8 of your tour remain at your hotel for the next two nights, before transferring to the airport on day 10 for your overnight flight home.
B949_121030_061012.JPG "A Birthday tribute")
A Birthday tribute
Downtown Nashville
The Country Music Hall of Fame
Elvis in the recording studio
B949_121030_061091.JPG "Be part of the celebrations at Graceland")
Be part of the celebrations at Graceland
The Grand Ole Opry
Downtown Nashville
B949_121030_061093.JPG "Meditation Garden, Graceland")
Meditation Garden, Graceland
Rock n Soul Museum, Memphis
Nashville and the Cumberland River
A familiar pose
Beale Street, Memphis
Sun Studio, Memphis
The Trophy Room, Graceland
Nashville, Tennessee
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Your Itinerary
DAY 1: UK - Memphis.
Fly to Memphis where you will be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel for four nights.
DAY 2: Memphis. Included guided city sightseeing, and visit to Tupelo.
Today you will feel like a part of Memphis as you experience this amazing city on your guided city sightseeing tour. Your guide knows Memphis history like no one else, and will show you the hard-to-find, hidden Elvis sites - his Lauderdale Courts apartment, Humes High School, the Overton Park Shell, places where he worked and played, and many others. You'll hear your favorite Elvis songs along with entertaining stories about Elvis, his family, and the city he called home. For music lovers a visit to the Stax Museum of American Soul Music is next. Stax celebrates great Memphis soul music made famous by Otis Redding, Booker T. and the MGs, Aretha Franklin, and others. Afterwards we journey to Tupelo, to visit Elvis' birthplace - a small, two room house built by the singer's father, Vernon Presley. You will also visit the Elvis Presley Museum, featuring "Remembrance of Things Past", an exhibit displaying memorabilia from Elvis' childhood.
DAY 3: Memphis. Included visits to Sun Studio & Rock ?n? Soul Museum.
Start your day with a visit to Sun Studio, probably the most famous recording studio in the world, where Rock 'n' Roll was first recorded. You will be able to hear the outtakes from sessions, touch Elvis' first microphone, see memorabilia and re-live the history of the studio that launched the careers of Johnny Cash, BB King, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and many other music legends. Then it's on to the Rock 'n' Soul Museum, which traces Memphis' cultural and musical past. The remainder of your day is at leisure, so why not shop for souvenirs on Beale Street, visit the National Civil Rights Museum, housed in the Lorraine Motel, site of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. or sample some famous Memphis barbecue?
DAY 4: Memphis. Included visit to Graceland.
Today sees one of the real highlights of your tour - a guided visit of Graceland. Experience life as Elvis did by walking through the decadent and quirky rooms where he felt truly at home. You will also be able to board The King's private jet. Your tour around Graceland ends with a visit to the Meditation Garden where Elvis often went to reflect on life, and where he now is laid to rest along with members of his family. Be a part of the birthday festivities and enjoy birthday cake at the Chrome Grille.
DAY 5: Memphis - Nashville. Private performance with John Carter Cash.
Today head to Nashville, 'Music City USA'. No one told a story quite like Johnny Cash, and that tradition continues as you settle in for a private performance and discussion with Johnny and June's only son, John Carter Cash. John Carter will entertain you with his own original music, as well as a few numbers made famous by his legendary family and even be available for photographs and autographs afterwards. Your day doesn't end here as you get behind the scenes of the music industry by visiting the Country Music Hall of Fame with its glittering costumes, rare instruments, and Elvis Presley's solid gold Cadillac.
DAY 6: Nashville.
Nashville is the ideal destination for all kinds of visitors: music fans, history buffs and southern lovers. Start your day with a visit to Studio B, Nashville's oldest surviving recording studio, and one of the most important in the USA. Between 1957-1977 there were more than 35,000 songs recorded here including 262 Elvis Presley recordings. You will even have the chance to make a recording to take home with you. Afterwards enjoy a sightseeing tour of the city, passing by famous recording studios of Music Row, the centre of the recording industry, which first developed in the 1950's.
DAY 7: Nashville.
Today is at leisure to explore more of this vibrant city. Visit the historic Ryman Auditorium, restored home of the Grand Ole Opry from 1943-1974, the Hermitage, home of Andrew Jackson, seventh President of the United States, or perhaps shop for old and new music along with souvenirs at the historic Nashville landmark, Ernest Tubb Record Shop.
DAY 8 to 9: Nashville.
Two extra days to enjoy Nashville.
DAY 10: Nashville - UK.
Transfer to the airport for your flight to the UK.
DAY 11: Home landing in the UK.
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A Birthday tribute
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Downtown Nashville
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The Country Music Hall of Fame
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Elvis in the recording studio
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Be part of the celebrations at Graceland
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The Grand Ole Opry
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Downtown Nashville
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Meditation Garden, Graceland
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Rock n Soul Museum, Memphis
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Nashville and the Cumberland River
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A familiar pose
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Beale Street, Memphis
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Sun Studio, Memphis
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The Trophy Room, Graceland
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Nashville, Tennessee
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Optional Excursions
To help you plan and make the most of your holiday, below is a list of optional excursions available to you.
Beale Street and King's Palace Dinner
Tonight you'll experience a night on Beale Street, the home of Memphis "Rhythm & Blues." Enjoy dinner at the King's Palace Cafe, which offers authentic Southern delicacies and Memphis BBQ. Evening includes dinner, a drink and admission to Rum Boogie Cafe.
$37 (US Dollar)
Nashville Nightlife Dinner Show
Nashville Nightlife is Music City's premier entertainment theater. After a wonderful buffet dinner, you'll hear all the songs that have made Nashville famous worldwide. Enjoy the music of everyone from Hank Williams Sr. and Patsy Cline to the superstars of today like Sara Evans and Toby Keith! The show celebrates today's country and honors tradition. Show and dinner last approximately 2.5 hours.
$42 (US Dollar)
Historic Tennessee
Southern Plantations, Presidential Estates, Nashville, and Civil War History will all be a part of your day. Visit the "Queen of the Tennessee Plantations" Belle Meade, and the stately manor of Andrew Jackson, The Hermitage. Tour duration is 4 and 1/2 hours and begins at 11:00am daily.
$59 (US Dollar)
The Civil War: Battle Of Franklin
The Battle of Franklin was the 5 bloodiest hours of the Civil War. Your tour will take you to the Carter House, a modest farm house that was ground zero for this historic fight between the Union and Confederate Armies. Hear the stories of the soldiers who fought and died in these fields, and walk amongst the buildings still standing while bullet-riddled walls testify to the savage nature of the conflict. You will spend time in the quaint town of Franklin to shop, eat and view historic sites on your own. You will begin to understand how the residents of Franklin, the Civil War town of 750 people, emerged from their homes on the morning of December 1, 1864 to find over 9,500 casualties. You will then journey to the Carnton Plantation, ordered to be a Confederate field hospital by a Southern General: then offered as an eternal memorial to the Confederate soldiers by the Mistress of the house. The McGavocks and their two children were both victims and heroes of the war as told in the New York Times Best Seller, "Widow of the South". The tour of the house and the narrative descriptions of the fateful day and the aftermath of the war will leave an emotional impression on every visitor to this Plantation. Operates on Wednesday year round. Duration is 7 hours and tour begins at 9:00am.
$57 (US Dollar)
Homes Of The Stars
Your tour will include a drive through downtown Nashville, including Historic 2nd Ave., the State Capitol, Fort Nashborough and the Ryman Auditorium.You will enjoy a driving tour through the neighborhoods of the elite Country Music artists who call Nashville their home.While on your tour, you will the homes of Country Music Greats such as Alan Jackson, former home of Vince Gill and Amy Grant, Ronnie Milsap, Dolly Parton, Bryan White, Martina McBride, Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks, the late Web Pierce, the late Hank Williams, Trisha Yearwood, the late Tammy Wynette, Lori Ann Crook and Little Jimmy Dickens. Tour is offered daily at 9:00am and 1:30m and lasts for approximately 3 1/2 hours.
$41 (US Dollar)
Grayline General Jackson Lunch Cruise
The General Jackson Showboat is a four-deck paddlewheeler that brings back the bygone days of riverboat entertainment. The General Jackson cruises the Cumberland River while you enjoy the sights and sounds of the largest showboat in the world. Also included in the tour is admission to one of the Music Valley Drive Museums. Subject to availability. Lunch Cruise is offered on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, March through December. Gray Line will pick you up at most Nashville hotels.
$75 (US Dollar)
Please note that optional excursions and prices are subject to change.
Elvis & the Southern Sounds - Elvis' Birthday Celebration + Nashville 9 nights
Availability and our best prices for all dates
Select the number in your party and departure month, update the calendar then select your holiday.
Elvis & the Southern Sounds - Elvis' Birthday Celebration + Nashville 9 nights
Availability and our best prices for all dates
Select the number in your party and accommodation options. Then select your holiday from the grid.
Elvis & the Southern Sounds - Elvis' Birthday Celebration + Nashville
Price from £1355.00
Holiday Highlights
- Memphis Behind the scenes sightseeing with local guide
- Cash on Cash A private performance with Jonny Cash's son
- Graceland Guided audio Platinum tour & birthday celebration
- Sun Studio Guided tour
- Tupelo Visit to Elvis Presley's birthplace and museum
- Studio B Visit and recording
Departures from
- London Gatwick
- London Heathrow
Departures between
05 Jan 2013 to 05 Jan 2013
NO HIDDEN EXTRAS: All prices shown include ALL compulsory charges (Fuel Supplement, Air Passenger Duty & Flight Supplement where applicable). Book with confidence: We are members of ABTA and all our air-inclusive holidays are financially protected by the Civil Aviation Authority under the ATOL scheme
© Copyright 2012. All rights reserved. All holidays and offers are subject to availability.
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