Alabama Music Self-drive

Start your holiday in style with included airport lounge access before your flight out to the city known as the 'Big Easy'. Upon arrival in New Orleans, make your own way to your hotel in the French Quarter where your musical themed adventure begins. The next day is free to see and experience the best of the Big Easy, home to everything from charming riverboats to intimate live music venues and the finest in Creole and Cajun cuisine.

Pick up your hire car and head across the border into Alabama to explore the coastal towns of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach with their 32 miles of soft white sand and sparkling emerald waters. Cast your line for deep sea adventure on a charter fishing trip, take a dolphin watching cruise or visit one of the classic beach bars like The Hangout or Flora-Bama.

Stay: The Lodge at Gulf State Park or Kiva Dunes Golf & Beach Resort (Superior)

The port city of Mobile on Alabama's Gulf Coast is famous for hosting the first American Mardi Gras back in 1703, and the tradition is still alive today. Taste the coast with delicious seafood and enjoy the diverse array of bars, nightclubs and live music venues. Take an eco-tour into America's second largest delta and visit nearby Dauphin Island.

Stay: Battlehouse Renaissance (Superior)

On your way to Montgomery you can stop by Monroeville, home of Harper Lee and To Kill a Mockingbird. Located on the Alabama River, Montgomery is the birthplace of both the American Civil War and the American civil rights movement. Walk this authentic southern city and visit the Alabama State Capitol and the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. preached. The Hank Williams Museum and the Rosa Parks Museum are also known downtown as well as the Alley Entertainment District.

Stay: Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa (Standard)

Birmingham, Alabama's largest city, boasts jazz and dance clubs, theatre and fine dining. Visit the Civil Rights Institute, Kelly Ingram Park and 16th Street Baptist Church to learn about the city's civil rights struggles. Birmingham is also the home of America's largest collection of motorcycles on display at Barber Vintage Motorcycle Museum.

Stay: Redmont Hotel Birmingham (Superior)

This morning, drive to Huntsville, the home of the U.S.Space and Rocket Centre, the world's largest space attraction and America's largest seasonal butterfly house at the botanical gardens. Located at the base of some of the most beautiful mountains in North Alabama, Huntsville offers visitors outdoor activities, such as hiking, biking, horseback riding and fishing along the Tennessee River. You'll then continue to northwest Alabama – the small towns of Florence, Tuscumbia, Sheffield and Muscle Shoals are at the southernmost leg of a music triangle that includes Memphis and Nashville. The 'Father of the Blues', W.C. Handy, was born in Florence where the annual Handy Music Festival is held each summer. Tour FAME recording studio where international superstars like Aretha Franklin, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Percy Sledge and the Rolling Stones recorded some of their greatest hits.

Stay: Hampton Inn & Suites Florence Downtown (Standard)

Head west to the small town of Tupelo, deep in North Mississippi Hill Country and gateway to the Natchez Trace Parkway. Quiet and unassuming it is, on the face of it, a most unlikely place to have played a starring part in the history of modern music. But indeed it did, as this was the birthplace of one Elvis Presley. Later on, continue to Memphis, the birthplace of rock 'n' roll and home of the blues where you drop off your hire car. Dance your way around the Rock 'n' Soul Museum and be sure to visit Graceland, Sun Studio and Beale Street.

Head to the airport for your flight back to the UK, arriving on day 14.