New Orleans, Mississippi Delta, Memphis and Chicago, 9 days
On this Blues Highway tour you follow the music north the way the musicians went: from Congo Square and Preservation Hall, up Highway 61 through the Delta to Memphis, and on the train in the song to Chicago, where the blues plugged in at Chess Records.
From $4,590per person in a double room
The Great Migration route in nine days: from New Orleans jazz up through the Delta and Memphis, then overnight on the City of New Orleans train to the Chicago blues.
Categories: Blues Trail, Jazz & New Orleans. Destinations: New Orleans, Mississippi Delta, Memphis, Chicago. Getting around: tour van, amtrak train. Tour leader: Celeste Arceneaux or a colleague from our team.
The whole road of the blues and jazz, south to north.
Overnight in a sleeper roomette from Memphis to Chicago.
A juke joint at the crossroads.
Soul and blues in Memphis.
Dinner and the blues on the last night.
After dark
New Orleans clubs, a Clarksdale juke joint, Beale Street and three Chicago blues nights. The only quiet night is on the train.
Your tour leader
Celeste Arceneaux, based in New Orleans. Grew up in the Seventh Ward of New Orleans and has gone to Jazz Fest every year since she was six.
5 live shows in the price
Show nights follow the club and theater calendars; your tour leader confirms each evening the day before.
Pickup at the airport and a welcome dinner in the French Quarter, then Frenchmen Street with the tour leader.
A morning in Tremé and Congo Square with a local musician, the afternoon free, and seats for a set at Preservation Hall in the evening.
The van leaves early for the long drive north through Jackson and up into the Delta, with lunch on the way. In Indianola, the B.B. King Museum, then on to Clarksdale for a juke joint night.
The Delta Blues Museum and the crossroads in the morning, then Highway 61 north to Memphis in the afternoon. Evening on Beale Street.
The Stax Museum in the morning and a free afternoon. After dinner the group boards the City of New Orleans at Memphis Central Station, in sleeper roomettes, for the overnight run north.
The train reaches Chicago Union Station in the morning. After a rest at the hotel, a walk through Grant Park and Millennium Park, and dinner and the blues at Buddy Guy's Legends.
The morning at 2120 South Michigan Avenue, the old Chess studio, now Willie Dixon's Blues Heaven. Afternoon free. In the evening, a South Side blues bar when one has a band, or the Green Mill for jazz.
A free day in Chicago, with the Art Institute or an architecture boat tour. The farewell dinner is followed by two stages of blues at Kingston Mines.
Transfers to O'Hare or Midway from the morning.
Hotels within walking distance of the clubs, or a short ride away, or similar of the same class. Breakfast is included every day.
New Orleans
4-star2 nights
Clarksdale
3-star1 night
Memphis
4-star1 night
Chicago
4-star3 nights
Loading the map
Tour vanAmtrak trainRiverboatShort flight Map tiles: © Esri, HERE, Garmin © OpenStreetMap contributors. Lines join the stops in tour order in simplified form.
8 breakfasts and 5 dinners4 studio and museum entries5 live shows in the price
Pace. Moderate. Two to three hours on foot on city days, standing at some shows, and late nights.
Good to know. One long road day north from New Orleans and one night on the train in a small sleeper roomette with shared space. The train is often an hour or two late, so the first Chicago morning is kept free. Chicago is cold from December to March.
Weather and changes. Shows and studio visits run in all weather; if a venue cancels, we replace it with one of the same kind and tell you in writing.
Most of our guests fly in on their own, drive, or use miles, and the tour price does not include flights. If you would rather we handle it, we book round-trip economy flights on scheduled airlines into New Orleans and home from Chicago, and the airport pickup on the tour dates is already included.
| Fly from | Airport | Add-on from |
|---|---|---|
| New York | JFK, LaGuardia and Newark | $450 |
| Atlanta | Hartsfield-Jackson | $450 |
| Dallas | DFW and Love Field | $450 |
| Washington DC | Reagan National and Dulles | $490 |
| Boston | Logan | $510 |
| Philadelphia | PHL | $490 |
| Denver | DEN | $510 |
| Los Angeles | LAX | $560 |
| San Francisco | SFO | $560 |
Fares change daily; the add-on is confirmed when you book. Other US airports on request.
7 dates from to . "Guaranteed" means the group has reached its minimum and will run.
| Dates | Status | Tour price | With flights from New York |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deal, save $250 | Few seats left | $4,340 | $4,790 |
| Guaranteed | $4,590 | $5,040 | |
| Guaranteed | $4,790 | $5,240 | |
| Few seats left | $4,790 | $5,240 | |
| Few seats left | $4,790 | $5,240 | |
| Available | $4,790 | $5,240 | |
| Guaranteed | $4,790 | $5,240 |
Single room supplement $1,090. Deposit $300 per person; the balance is due 60 days before departure. All dates, booking terms.
A small private compartment with two seats that become two berths, one above the other. Meals in the dining car are included. A bedroom with its own bathroom is available for a supplement.
It often is, by an hour or two. The Chicago morning is kept loose for that reason.
Our group dates run north. Private tours can go south, ending with jazz.
Only the third day is long. After that the drives are short and the train does the rest.
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See the tourAsk about a date
Email a travel advisor with the date you like and whether you want flights to New Orleans. We answer within one business day with seats and the exact price, and hold your places for 72 hours while you decide.
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