11-Day Journey
Includes 7-Night Cruise On American Queen Steamboat
Tauck and the award-winning filmmaker Ken Burns have crafted a new 11-day
cultural exploration of the Mississippi River that will launch early next year
as part of the company’s “Ken Burns American Journeys” collection. The new
“Life on the Mississippi” itinerary begins with an overnight stay in Memphis,
followed by a 7-night Mississippi River cruise aboard the newly re-launched
American Queen paddlewheel steamboat, and it concludes with a two-night stay in
New Orleans. Along the way, guests will be treated to a number of unique
cultural experiences and a diverse array of Tauck-exclusive shore excursions.
Tauck will offer both northbound
and southbound versions of the itinerary, with the 7-night cruise on the
American Queen bookended by an overnight stay at the famed Peabody in Memphis
and two nights at The Roosevelt in New Orleans. Both city stays will be
highlighted by Tauck-guided sightseeing, and all of the shore excursions enjoyed
by guests during the cruise will also be exclusive to Tauck (and, like the city
stays, included in the cruise price).
TAUCK-EXCLUSIVE EXPERIENCES ALONG
THE MISSISSIPPI
While in Memphis and New Orleans,
and during Tauck-exclusive shore excursions throughout the cruise, Tauck guests
will enjoy an array of unique experiences that are unavailable or virtually
unknown to the average traveler. In Memphis, Tauck travelers will enjoy a
private lecture on the city’s history and culture from a local historian. In
Helena, Arkansas, guests will be immersed in local music during a private
performance by the Greater First Baptist Church Choir, and during a blues
performance at a honky-tonk roadhouse. In Natchez, Tauck travelers will enjoy a
fascinating progressive lunch at three unique homes, and they will also tour the
city’s historic Zion Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church and its African
American History Museum.
Near St. Francisville, Louisiana,
Tauck guests will visit Catalpa Plantation, a private home set in a grove of
century-old oak trees, and meet a member of the family that has lived on the
plantation since the 1800s. Within St. Francisville itself, Tauck travelers
will learn about local history and trace the city’s Spanish and English
architectural influences during a walking tour. And in New Orleans, guests will
learn about the city’s unique geographical setting and the impact of (and
recovery from) Hurricane Katrina during a private lecture, while meeting with
local relief experts, and during a tour of the Lower Ninth
Ward.
Tauck-exclusive experiences are
also included aboard the American Queen, from special lectures by local
authorities, to a private Bloody Mary cocktail party, to a “behind the scenes”
tour of the ship that reveals its inner workings. The preferential treatment
begins the moment Tauck guests first board the ship; having registered with the
ship in advance, they’ll board without needing to wait in line to check in.
Finally, Tauck guests will have their experiences along the Mississippi enhanced
by Ken Burns and his longtime collaborator Dayton Duncan, who will share
insights on local history and culture in a series of video vignettes that will
be shown throughout the Tauck itinerary.
Tauck’s “Life on the Mississippi”
is priced from $4,790 per person, double occupancy, plus air. Included in
Tauck’s pricing are all shore excursions and sightseeing, lectures by local
experts, entertainment, complimentary wine and beer with onboard dinners,
airport transfers, gratuities for ship and hotel staff, most meals, and much
more. Tauck will operate departures of the new itinerary from February through
June, and in November and December with special Christmas and New Years
departures as well.
Those interested in learning more
can visit their local travel professional, call Tauck at 1 800 468 2825, or
visit www.tauck.com.
“Short flights from Canada and the US to such cruise
destinations as Hawaii, Baja and Belize mean more ship-and-shore time,” said
Todd Smith, AdventureSmith founder and director. “Plus, while North America is
locked in a deep chill, it’s nice to escape to the sun-drenched
tropics!”