Best of the South: Charleston to New Orleans

Welcome to Charleston. Your adventure begins with a welcome meeting at 6 pm tonight. If you arrive early, maybe go for a walk in the Historic District, where cobblestone streets wind through ornate homes, walled gardens and the pastel facades of Rainbow Row. Learn about Charleston’s complex Civil War history and the role of nearby Fort Sumter, then browse the local market for Gullah Geechee crafts, including the iconic handwoven sweetgrass baskets. Tonight, maybe sit down with your fellow travellers at a local restaurant for she-crab soup or shrimp and grits.

After breakfast this morning, join your group for a Black history tour with an expert guide. This insightful experience explores Charleston’s Black history, going beyond landmarks and reframing the city through the people who shaped it, including Black builders, artisans, enslaved people and free Black residents. The afternoon is yours to explore Charleston at your own pace. Perhaps book a food tour to discover more flavours of the South. Or, if you didn’t have time yesterday, maybe visit Fort Sumter, duck over to the Charleston City Market or walk through the Historic District with a new point of view after your morning tour.

Depart Charleston in the morning and make a stop at the Angel Oak – one of the oldest living trees in the eastern United States. The enormous tree, with its branches draping all the way to the ground, has long been admired as a symbol of endurance. Then, continue to St Helena Island in the Carolina Sea Islands. Gullah Geechee traditions, language and culture are well preserved here, and you’ll learn about the historical transition from enslavement to land ownership and community building. Join a local guide at the Penn Center – one of the first schools in the South for formerly enslaved people, which later became a key site in the Civil Rights Movement. Dr Martin Luther King Jr drafted his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech here, which he delivered during the 1963 March on Washington. After, have lunch and some free time in nearby Beaufort. Maybe walk in the historic district, visit the waterfront park or browse the shops, galleries and cafes. Later, head to Savannah, where the evening is yours to stroll, have dinner and explore.

Take it easy this morning before meeting up with your group for a walking tour that blends the city’s history with some of its best and most delicious eats. You’ll visit a not-so-ordinary pub, an award-winning honey store and a traditional British pie shop highlighting dishes that were eaten by some of Savannah’s earliest settlers. This afternoon is all yours, so make the most of it! Maybe visit the famous Bonaventure Cemetery, widely regarded as one of the world’s most beautiful. Take in its Southern Gothic charm as you learn more about this famous spot that has inspired everyone from poets to nature lovers and filmmakers.

Today, make the drive through the Blue Ridge Mountains to the charming town of Asheville. Home to the country’s best breweries and some of North Carolina’s finest barbecue, Asheville also boasts an incredible folk music scene. When you arrive, you’ll join your leader for a guided walking tour of the downtown area, packed with galleries and artist studios. For dinner, your leader will be able to suggest some of the town's boutique brew houses.

Enjoy an easy start to the morning, then join your group for a visit to Biltmore House and Garden. Tour the opulent Gilded Age mansion, famous for being America’s largest home, and perhaps stop in for lunch and a glass of wine at the on-site winery. With the afternoon free, you can then choose to keep exploring the extensive property or head back into town. Tonight, there’s also the chance to join your group for an optional dinner.

Depart Asheville this morning, hitting the road headed for Nashville – the country music capital of the world. Check into your accommodation, then join your leader for an orientation walk around the famous ‘Music City.’ After, you’ll visit Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery for a whiskey tasting. Sample some of the award-winning Tennessee whiskey that’s brewed using a family recipe passed down from the late 1800s, with notes of brown sugar and vanilla. Tonight, join your group for a farewell dinner at a restaurant on Broadway – this street is the beating heart of live music in Nashville. Listen to some live tunes over dinner, then you’ll be perfectly located if you’d like to spend the rest of the night exploring the honky tonk bars that line this jam-packed music strip (and it’s highly recommended you do!).