Mississippi and More

Day 1

7:00 AM Depart Harrisburg
7:30 AM Depart Mechanicsburg
Begin your journey by making your way to Bristol, TN. A rest/lunch stop on your own will be made en route to the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. An affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, the award-winning Birthplace of Country Music Museum in historic downtown Bristol, Tennessee/Virginia tells the story of the legendary 1927 Bristol Sessions-the event in history scholars refer to as the "big bang" of country music-and their lasting impact on the music of today. You will also enjoy a catered dinner before departing the museum. Check into your hotel for the evening and rest up to continue traveling tomorrow.

Day 2

Start your morning off with a delicious breakfast at the hotel before departing for Chattanooga, TN. Here we will visit the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center which is dedicated to connecting people with the history. Featuring life-sized exhibits that tell the real-life stories of these ordinary people who demonstrated extraordinary heroics under the most difficult circumstances. Each of the immersive exhibits will use innovative technologies to combine the sights and sounds of the Medal of Honor narratives with a vibrancy and immediacy of what happed on that day. Next, see for yourself why visitors rate the Tennessee Aquarium the best aquarium in America for overall guest satisfaction. Enjoy a remarkable journey from the mountains to the sea as you explore above and below the surface in the Aquarium's two buildings. Lunch will be enjoyed on your own today at one of several great restaurants nearby. After lunch we will depart for Montgomery, Alabama to check in at our hotel for the night. Dinner is included tonight at Dreamland BBQ.

Day 3

Enjoy a delicious "kick start" breakfast at the hotel before departing for Laurel, Mississippi. Here we will be joined by a step-on guide who will give a tour of Laurel’s Home Town as seen on HGTV. A stop will be made at Laurel Mercantile Co. This is the flagship hometown store of Erin and Ben Napier, hosts of HGTV's "Home Town". In 2016, not long after HGTV's Home Town began filming Season 2, a partnership was formed between the Napiers, Nowells and Rasberrys, 3 couples made up of family and long-time best friends. Lunch will be included today at Laurel’s best know lunch spot, Café La Fleur before departing for Biloxi. We will check in this evening at your 1st lodging in Biloxi. Dinner on your own this evening.

Day 4

Begin your morning with breakfast before departing for your Gulf Coast Tour and Shrimping Excursion.
Enjoy a 70 minute Living Marine Adventure Cruise, Shrimp Boil Lunch, Tour of the Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum, and City of Biloxi Tour. Dinner tonight will be included at The Reef.

Day 5

Start off again with breakfast before departing for Bellingrath Home & Gardens. Enjoy 65 acres of year-round floral pageantry in a Southern estate garden with blooms and beauties every day of the year. It is their passion at Bellingrath Gardens and Home to preserve and enhance the 65-acre garden and grand estate home of Walter and Bessie Bellingrath. After our visit to Bellingrath Home & Gardens we will make a lunch stop along the way to Fort Payne, Alabama for our overnight stay. Dinner at Santa Fe Cattle Company this evening.

Day 6

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel before departing for Chattanooga, TN. Here we will visit Ruby Falls. Breathtaking Ruby Falls was accidentally discovered by Leo Lambert in 1928 deep within Lookout Mountain. Leo named the waterfall and cave after his wife, Ruby, and opened the iconic Chattanooga attraction to the public in 1929. Today, Ruby Falls welcomes guests to Lookout Mountain from around the world to enjoy underground cave adventures, spectacular views of the Cumberland Plateau, soaring zip lines and award-winning special events! Afterwards we will travel to Knoxville, TN and enjoy lunch on our own in Market Square. From here we will travel to Roanoke, VA for our overnight lodging and dinner.

Day 7

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel before departing for Winchester, VA. We will make a lunch stop here and visit the Patsy Cline Historic House. Located in a working-class neighborhood in the city of Winchester, VA, this modest house was the residence of country music legend Patsy Cline, who lived here from the ages of 16 to 21, when she married Gerald Cline. Patsy resided here from 1948-1953, longer than at any other house associated with her in the Winchester and Nashville areas, and she returned to it intermittently until her singing career began in 1957. From here we will depart for home with many fond memories of our HGTV Hometown and Biloxi Getaway!

B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner