Bluegrass, Bourbon & the Blues

Day 1  Cincinnati
Fly to Cincinnati and pick up your car to cross the Ohio River to your hotel in the neighbourhood of Covington, Kentucky, where you can explore attractions on both sides of the state line.

Days 2-3  Cincinnati
Hear the poignant story of slaves in the south and heroes that helped them escape to the north at Cincinnati’s renowned National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. In nearby Newport, find out how gangsters profited from Prohibition and shaped the area’s compelling history.

Day 4  Cincinnati to Louisville      
Head to liberal Louisville, affectionately known as ‘Bourbon City’. Perhaps stop en route in Frankfort, the capital city of Kentucky and discover its historic neighbourhoods with beautiful architecture.

Day 5  Louisville      
Today sample culinary delights in Louisville’s hip ‘NuLu’ neighbourhood, sip your way along the Urban Bourbon Trail, visit the Kentucky Derby Museum or learn about the inspiring life of Louisville’s most famous son at the Muhammad Ali Center.

Day 6  Louisville to Owensboro      
Listen out for the sound of lonesome fiddles as you continue to Owensboro, the ‘Bluegrass Music Capital of the World’. Immerse yourself in the heritage of this distinctive genre at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame.

Day 7  Owensboro to Paducah      
Further down the winding Ohio River sits artsy Paducah, one of only a few UNESCO creative cities in the USA and famed for unbelievably intricate displays at the National Quilt Museum.

Day 8  Paducah to Memphis        
Drive to Memphis, home of blues, soul and rock’n’roll! Dive into the thick of the action on buzzing Beale Street and savour your first taste of tantalising Memphis barbecue.

Days 9-10  Memphis        
Turn up the volume with a multitude of musical attractions on your doorstep. Take a tour of Graceland, the famous home of the decadent mansion that Elvis Presley ‘The King of rock’n’roll’ called home. See how the legend lived, his most iconic costumes and beloved pink Cadillac. Perhaps visit Sun Studio to touch Elvis’s first microphone, head to atmospheric Soulsville for the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, then dance the night away in blues clubs and juke joints.

Day 11  Memphis to Nashville        
Head along the Music Highway to Nashville.

Days 12-13  Nashville        
Explore the many eclectic neighbourhoods of ‘Music City’, from East Nashville’s dive bars and craft cocktail joints to the creative hub of Wedgewood-Houston and the effervescent downtown, where live music reverberates from honky-tonks every day of the year.

Days 14-15  Fly home