The Upper South including Muscle Shoals & Nashville
Some of the charm of the American South may be attributed to the farm-to-table cuisine or the soft drawl of our accent. One of the most influential aspects of this region is definitely the music. Music of the American South includes the genres of Blues, Jazz, Country, and Bluegrass. Rock n’ Roll also has roots in the South due to the rich history of the region. Influences from North America, Europe and African beats brought by African slaves affect each genre. These musical groups began forming in the pre-American Civil War era and managed to evolve into the modern forms of today. Enjoy them all in a trip that features the Muscle Shoals Sound that gives you a taste of everything.
Birmingham – Muscle Shoals, AL – Nashville, TN
Priced at $ per person. 9 included meals. Historic lodging. Unique experiences. Expert guides.
DAY 1 – Wednesday – Birmingham Arrival
Your tour will begin this afternoon at 3:30pm on Wednesdays.
Today, Birmingham is a progressive city with world class restaurants and a lively music scene spread over several entertainment districts. Late this afternoon, leave the hotel for the nearby Perfect Note, a dinning and event venue where you meet and learn about the Carlton Reese Choir. Enjoy a special pre-dinner program which incorporates the importance of song and music in the African American community. From the origins of Negro Spirituals to being known for their mass meeting and freedom songs, the choir leads you in a journey of how they supported the movement and Dr. King on his visits around Alabama. A scrumptious dinner of ‘soul food’ awaits as the evening turns to the featured Jazz event highlighting the music of Birmingham Jazz greats Sun Ra and Erskine Hawkins. (D)
DAY 2 – Thursday- Rock and Blues in Muscle Shoals and Sheffield
This morning you are off to discover a unique part of Alabama which also influenced much of today’s music…..country, jazz, rock, and blues! The Quad-Cities of Alabama are made up the towns of Florence, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield and Tuscumbia and are locally referred to as The Shoals. The Shoals are well known for music but they have even more to show off. Helen Keller’s home, the Coon Dog Cemetery, the Tennessee River and the Frank Lloyd Wright Home are among other interesting places.
From Birmingham, the Shoals are about a two-hour drive north and your first stop is midway at the unique and interesting Ava Maria Grotto in Cullman, Alabama. The Ave Maria Grotto, a 4-acre garden located on the grounds of St. Bernard Abbey, the only Benedictine monastery of men in the State of Alabama. Here discover the quirky “Little Jerusalem’ which consists of a landscaped hillside of 125 small stone and cement structures, the handiwork of the creative genius, Brother Joseph Zoetl, a monk of the Abbey for almost 70 years.
Next, on to Muscle Shoals: “The Hit Recording Capital of the World” and an alfresco southern picnic in front of Cypress Moon Studios. Here take time to absorb the natural beauty of the Tennessee River just out the front door of the studio. Cypress Moon Studios brought in acts like Bob Dylan, Julian Lennon, Bob Seger, Steve Winwood and more to record their hits. Join reenactors as they share the history of this area, its people and the studio.
Afterwards visit FAME Studios, which was started by Rick Hall in the 1950s and owned by him until his death in 2018. Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, the Allman Brothers, Otis Redding, Percy Sledge and numerous others all recorded here. FAME has been involved in recording or publishing records that have sold over 350 million copies worldwide.
This evening check into your lodging for the next two nights at the boutique Stricklin Hotel. Discover why Florence is one of the best small towns in America. Your hotel is located downtown in a thriving area that features many restaurants, shops, and even an old-school soda fountain or two. Your hotel offers the Boiler Room, which contains a restaurant, bar and game room with vintage bowling lanes and arcade. Plus, they offer live music as well. (B,L)
DAY 3 – Friday – Blues, Country and Jazz in Muscle Shoals and Florence
Enjoy a hearty breakfast at the BBB (Big Bad Breakfast) before heading out for the day.
Your first visit today is to Muscle Shoals Sound Studio also known as “3614 Jackson Highway” where The Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Cher, and others recorded some of their biggest hits! This small nondescript building is just down the road from where you had lunch here in Sheffield. Recently renovated by Apple/Beats, the facility has become a recording studio once again, in addition to conducting tours of the studio where iconic hits like “Wild Horses” were made. The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, also known as the “Swampers”, created Muscle Shoals Sound Studios which later moved to another location.
Then enjoy a visit to nearby Ivy Green, the home of Helen Keller. Discover the incredible story of Keller and her teacher Anne Sullivan. Keller’s education with Sullivan’s training represent an extraordinary accomplishment in the education of persons with disabilities. Keller, the first deaf-blind person to earn a bachelor’s degree, became a speaker and advocate for the blind and deaf. She also helped to co-found the ACLU. The play/movie The Miracle Worker captures most of Keller’s life at Ivy Green.
Next visit the Alabama Music Hall of Fame and record a song or two if interested, and climb aboard a tour bus used by the supergroup Alabama.
Nearby is The Red Clay Table in the heart of Sheffield for lunch at your own expense.
After lunch and back in Florence, visit the cabin where the Father of the Blues, W.C Handy was born. The museum here houses memorabilia, sheet music and papers.
From here discover Frank Lloyd Wright’s Roesnbaum House. This Usonian designed house is the only Wright home open to the public in the southeast. Discover his ideas for America’s middle class and a home that could grow with the family size.
Return to the hotel for time for time to freshen up before heading for dinner at the Rattlesnake Saloon near Tuscumbia. It is quite unique as it is a real saloon built under a huge rock overhang that shelters it from a waterfall. (B,L)
DAY 4 – Saturday – Nashville
After breakfast, depart for a morning visit to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL, home to the Space Camp and NASA’s Marshal Space Flight Center. The Center is an expansive interactive museum of manned space flight.
Country music isn’t just about cowboys and line dancing in Texas. Country Music covers a wide range of musical styles; bluegrass is a sub-culture of Country Music. Country Music tried out a few different names before settling on Country— it’s been called old time, folk, and hillbilly; which we guess Country ended up being less offensive than hillbilly. Country Music has been around in some form since the 1800s — but a boom in Country singers from the American South came after the Great Depression of the 1930s, with Country legends like Hank Williams, Loretta Lynn and Johnny Cash, all born to southern rural families during the Depression. Today, Nashville, TN. is definitely the place to be for Country Music enthusiasts.
This afternoon arrive in Nashville and check into your hotel to freshen up and get ready for a special behind-the-scenes tour and evening of music at the Grand Ole Opry. The Grand Ole Opry is the show that made Country Music famous. The Opry features a dynamic line-up of new stars, superstars, and legends of country music each Saturday night. Unlike a typical concert, the Opry presents eight or more artists on each show, giving the audience a sample of each artist’s musical style. Only the Opry … there’s nothing quite like it anywhere else! (B,D)
DAY 5 – Sunday – Nashville; Studio B, County Music Hall of Fame
This morning visit Studio B along Nashville’s famed Music Row, which was originally RCA Studios, and the site of thousands of hits which helped to define the “Nashville Sound.” Finger-picking Guitarist/Singer Chet Atkins was one of the originators and Elvis mastered hundreds of songs here. Learn of the many of the peculiarities of this exceptional space where so much history has been created using the pianos, mics, and accessories on site.
Next enjoy a rolling tour of downtown Nashville. See the historic Ryman Auditorium, Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge on Honky Tonk Row, the original Ernest Tubb Record Shop, the Tennessee state capitol building, and more. Nearby is the Centennial Mall Park. Take a drive through to learn about Tennessee’s rich history and see the world’s only exact-scale replica of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece which dates here from 1897.
Enjoy a special lunch and line dancing at the world-famous Wildhorse Saloon.
End the day with a visit to the Country Music Hall of Fame, one of the world’s largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American vernacular music. Chartered in 1964, the museum has amassed one of the world’s most extensive musical collections.
From here the tour concludes with a return to your hotel. Additional nights and extensions are available. (B,L)