Nashville to Memphis is only around three hours by road if you take the most direct route. We think that’s a mistake. If you love music, some of the most interesting places in the American South are waiting for you off the beaten track. Head south from Nashville and suddenly your journey can take you through Lynchburg, Florence and Muscle Shoals in Alabama, then west into the Mississippi Delta and Clarksdale before eventually arriving in Memphis. It’s certainly not the quickest way to get from Nashville to Memphis. But that’s exactly the point. Along the way, you’ll move from country to soul and rhythm and blues, then into the birthplace of the blues before finishing in a city synonymous with blues, soul and rock’n’roll.
Our new 11-day Soundtracks of the South journey follows exactly that route.
Nashville is one of those places where it’s tempting to think a couple of nights will do. We’d give it four – minimum! Yes, there’s Broadway, where the honky-tonks pump out live music from morning until late at night and the energy, atmosphere and sheer buzz are all part of the Nashville experience. But Nashville’s music story goes much deeper than Broadway. Spend an evening in one of the city’s legendary listening rooms, such as the Bluebird Café or The Listening Room Café, where the focus shifts from big stages and neon lights to the songwriters themselves – hearing the stories behind the songs and, quite possibly, discovering tomorrow’s stars. Visit the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, step inside RCA Studio B, explore the neighbourhoods and food scene and leave yourself enough time to simply wander and see where the music takes you.
And make sure one of your nights is spent at the Grand Ole Opry. On our Soundtracks of the South journey, we’ve included both the show and a post-show backstage tour. Once the performance finishes, you get to head behind the scenes and see another side of a venue that has played an extraordinary role in country music history. Four nights also means you don’t need to treat Nashville like a checklist. There’s time for the big-name attractions, but also time for a songwriter session, a long lunch, another honky-tonk or simply following your ears when you hear something good. Then it’s time to pick up the car.
This is where the journey changes. You’re leaving the bright lights of Nashville behind and heading into smaller-town Tennessee, where the drive becomes part of the holiday rather than simply a way of getting from A to B. Sections of the historic Natchez Trace Parkway add another dimension to the journey. This wonderfully scenic road winds through Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi, trading busy highways for forests, countryside and a much slower pace. It’s one of those drives where getting there really does become part of the holiday.
Your first major stop is Lynchburg, home of the Jack Daniel’s Distillery. You don’t have to be a whiskey aficionado to enjoy it. There’s a fascinating story behind one of America’s most recognisable brands, and Lynchburg itself gives you your first taste of small-town Tennessee. From here, continue south and cross into Alabama. And this is where things get really interesting.
If you tell someone you’re going to Nashville or Memphis, they’ll probably know exactly why. Tell a serious music fan you’re going to Muscle Shoals, and you may get a completely different reaction. This relatively small corner of northern Alabama had an influence on American music completely out of proportion to its size. Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Etta James, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones are just some of the names connected to the studios here. But what makes visiting so special is how understated it all feels. FAME Studios and Muscle Shoals Sound Studio aren’t enormous tourist attractions surrounded by flashing signs. They’re places where extraordinary records were made -and in some cases are still being made. You can stand inside these studios and realise that some of the songs you’ve listened to for years were created right there. That’s pretty special.
We recommend two nights in Florence, giving you time to properly explore The Shoals rather than racing through on the way somewhere else. And while music may have brought you here, it doesn’t have to be the only story. Nearby Ivy Green is the birthplace and childhood home of Helen Keller. Her story is remarkable, and visiting her home adds another dimension to your time in Alabama. This is something we love about USA road trips. The big-name destinations might be what gets you on the plane, but once you start driving you discover places you knew very little about before you left home. Sometimes they become the highlights
Leave Alabama behind and turn west towards Mississippi. The landscape changes. The towns get smaller. And the music story gets older. You’re heading into the Mississippi Delta, a region whose influence on American music – and ultimately popular music around the world – is enormous. This is where we’d resist the temptation to simply keep driving towards Memphis. Instead, head for Clarksdale. To get there, you’ll eventually find yourself on Highway 61 – the Blues Highway. And suddenly the road itself is part of the story
Clarksdale isn’t Nashville – it isn’t trying to be! And that’s exactly why we think you should spend a night here. This small Mississippi city sits right at the heart of Delta blues history. Visit the Delta Blues Museum, look out for markers on the Mississippi Blues Trail and learn about the musicians and communities that helped create a sound that would eventually influence rock’n’roll, soul and countless artists around the world. But don’t just learn about the blues during the day. Go out and hear it. Clarksdale’s juke joints and live-music venues are a huge part of the experience. There’s something quite different about hearing blues played at night in the Mississippi Delta after spending the day learning where the music came from. It’s rawer and less polished than the big music cities. That’s the attraction.
After Nashville, Tennessee backroads, The Shoals and the Mississippi Delta, you finally arrive in Memphis. And now much of what you’ve experienced along the way starts coming together. Blues. Gospel. Soul. Rock’n’roll. Memphis has one of the richest musical histories of any city in the USA, so we give you three nights to explore it. Visit Sun Studio, where Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins recorded. Head down to Beale Street and hear live music. Spend time exploring the city and its relationship with the Mississippi River.
And, of course, there’s Graceland. You don’t have to be an Elvis super fan to find the story fascinating. Graceland offers an extraordinary glimpse into the life of one of the world’s most famous entertainers, and we’ve included the Ultimate VIP Elvis Experience in our itinerary. We’ve also included a Mississippi River dinner cruise, giving you the chance to slow things down and experience another side of Memphis. After taking the long way from Nashville, three nights here feels like a fitting finale.
Because the quickest route isn’t always the best route. Drive directly between Nashville and Memphis and you’ll experience two fantastic American music cities. Take the long way and you begin to understand how the music connects. You hear country in Nashville. Discover soul and rhythm and blues in The Shoals. Follow the roots of the blues through the Mississippi Delta. Then arrive in Memphis, where blues, gospel and soul helped give birth to rock’n’roll. Suddenly you’re not just visiting a collection of music attractions. You’re following the story. And in between are the small towns, backroads, conversations, roadside stops and unexpected discoveries that make a great American road trip what it is.
Our Soundtracks of the South itinerary is an 11-day / 10-night journey:
For us, that gets the balance right. You have enough time in Nashville and Memphis to do them justice, two nights to discover The Shoals and a night in Clarksdale so the Mississippi Delta becomes part of the journey rather than somewhere you simply drive through. We’ve also included many of the experiences we think bring the route to life – from the Grand Ole Opry and RCA Studio B to Jack Daniel’s Distillery, Sun Studio, Graceland and a Mississippi River dinner cruise.
This is important. Our itineraries are designed to give you a great starting point, not tell you exactly how you have to travel. Maybe four nights in Nashville isn’t enough. Perhaps you’re a huge blues fan and want longer in Mississippi. You could add more of Alabama, continue south to New Orleans or make this one section of a much bigger USA road trip. That’s where we come in. As New Zealand’s only 100% dedicated USA travel specialist, we spend our time putting together USA holidays for Kiwi travellers. We can help with the flights, accommodation, rental car and experiences, but just as importantly, we can help make sure the journey actually works. Our Soundtracks of the South itinerary can be booked as we’ve designed it or customised around the places, music and experiences that matter most to you.
There are faster ways to travel from Nashville to Memphis. But we reckon this one has a much better soundtrack. Our 11-day Soundtracks of the South journey takes you from Nashville through Lynchburg, The Shoals and the Mississippi Delta before finishing in Memphis – with some pretty special experiences included along the way. Explore our Soundtracks of the South itinerary or contact us talk to our USA travel experts about creating your own version.
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