Arkansas, Coastal Mississippi and Beyond: Blues, BBQ, Beaches and Baseball

After breakfast at the hotel, explore downtown Bentonville and Walton's 5 & 10 and the Walmart Museum. Then, off to Eureka Springs for lunch at leisure in this beautiful historic town. Next, we'll visit the beautiful nature-inspired Thorncrown Chapel, just outside of town. Before dinner, you can see the awe-inspiring Christ of the Ozarks and then enjoy a delicious buffet before settling into great seats to watch The Great Passion Play.

Bentonville/Rodgers Area Hotel

After breakfast, it's back to Bentonville to visit the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. This 217,000 sq. ft. museum is nestled around 2 creek-fed ponds and forest trails. By the afternoon, we'll be on the road to Hot Springs with a lunch stop at the Wiederkehr Wine Cellar & Weinkeller Restaurant for lunch and tastings. The evening is at leisure to discover historic Hot Springs.

Downtown Hot Springs Hotel

Hot Springs was the birthplace of Spring Training and after breakfast, we will visit several prominent sites in Hot Springs Baseball History. Sites where Babe Ruth, Cy Young, Honus Wagner and Jackie Robinson honed their skills in preparation for the upcoming regular season. By later afternoon, we will be in Little Rock, Capital of Arkansas and tour the Old Statehouse. Dinner and the rest of the evening is at leisure.

Little Rock Downtown Hotel

A full day's worth of activities are in store after breakfast. The William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum, Heifer Village and Urban Farm, Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site round off the day. In the evening, we head just across the Arkansas River to see the Arkansas Naturals at Dickey Stephens Park.

We say goodbye to Little Rock and hello to Memphis. Upon arrival, we'll have leisure time for lunch and to explore the iconic Beale Street in the heart of Memphis. Beale Street is 3 blocks of nightclubs, restaurants and shops and a melting pot of delta blues, jazz, rock n' roll, R&B and gospel. This evening, AutoZone Park is a short walk from our downtown hotel to see the Memphis Redbirds play nine.

Downtown Memphis Hotel

This morning, we visit the National Civil Rights Museum at The Lorraine Motel, where Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated. It's an immersive experience with many interactive exhibits. Next, we visit the birthplace of rock n' roll, Sun Studios. See where the likes of Elvis Presley, BB King and Johnny Cash were discovered and how this studio fits in the history of blues, rock, country and gospel music genres. This evening, we will be in Jackson Mississippi to see the hometown Braves play at Trustmark Park.

Jackson Area Hotel

Upon arrival in Biloxi, we'll visit the Biloxi Visitors Center and Lighthouse. The visitors center fuses the city's architectural heritage with state-of-the-art technology and multi-media exhibits to give visitors a feel for the Biloxi of yesterday and today. Tonight, MGM Stadium is just across the street from our hotel and is home to the Biloxi Shuckers. Enjoy a great AA South League match up.

Biloxi Downtown Hotel

After breakfast, we'll stay along the Gulf Coast and first travel to Ocean Springs and visit the Walter Anderson Museum of Art. Walter Ingliss Anderson is often considered the South's Most Elusive Artist and this museum houses 85 of his works from watercolors, block prints, wood carvings, and other iconic works. Our next stop is about an hour west along the coast in Bay St. Louis, home to the Alice Moseley Folk Art & Antique Museum. Alice was a self-taught idyllic folk artist who began painting at age 65 to maintain her sanity while caring for her Alzheimer’s – afflicted mother. After lunch at leisure, it's off to the "Big Easy", New Orleans. Dinner and the evening are at leisure.

New Orleans French Quarter Area Hotel

This morning, we tour New Orleans and see many of the historic sites such as Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral, The French Quarter and more. The afternoon and evening are at leisure to enjoy!

New Orleans French Quarter Area Hotel

Departures for home.