Rhythms of the Road 2026 - 10 days from Chicago to New Orleans

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Rhythms of the Road 2026

10 days from Chicago to New Orleans



Tour Description:

Take a musical journey through America’s Heartland featuring locations that have played a role in the evolution of American music. This fun vacation starts with two nights in the vibrant city of Chicago, then travel south via St. Louis to the capital of country music, Nashville. Take a city tour that includes seeing Centennial Park with its reproduction of the Parthenon, then that evening, enjoy reserved seating at a show at the Grand Old Opry where country music legends like Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, and Willie Nelson have graced the stage. Have time to take an optional excursion to RCA Studio B, birthplace of the “Nashville Sound”, and explore the Country Music Hall of Fame, filled with the stories and memorabilia of country’s biggest stars. Continue on to Memphis, the city known as the “Home of the Blues” and the “Birthplace of Rock ‘n’ Roll”, stopping along the way in Brownsville to visit the Tina Turner Museum, housed in the one-room schoolhouse that a young Anna Mae Bullock (a.k.a. Tina Turner) attended. Arrive in Memphis and take an orientation tour that includes historic Beale Street and learn about its role in the birth and development of blues music. Join an optional excursion to legendary Sun Studio and stand in the same spot where Elvis first recorded. Tour Graceland, Elvis’ lavish home and see his favorite cars, custom jets, and the memorial garden where he and his only child, Lisa Marie, are laid to rest. Then on to Indianola, MS to the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center which tells the story of this music legend and the region that gave birth to the Blues. Spend time in New Orleans, where you’ll enjoy guided sightseeing of all the major sites in “The Big Easy”. Enjoy free time to explore the French Quarter, try some of the culinary treats that New Orleans is famous for, like beignets, po’boy sandwiches, and gumbo, and perhaps join an optional swamp or plantation tour. And what better way to complete your musical journey than on an optional Mississippi River paddleboat dinner cruise with live jazz! The perfect ending for this music-filled, value-minded vacation!

Map for Rhythms of the Road 2026 - 10 days from Chicago to New Orleans
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Dates & Pricing

Monday 06 Apr 26 — Wednesday 15 Apr 26Starting at $2,769Check Mark Icon SPECIALGet a Quote
Monday 13 Apr 26 — Wednesday 22 Apr 26Starting at $2,769Check Mark Icon SPECIALGet a Quote
Monday 04 May 26 — Wednesday 13 May 26Starting at $2,769Check Mark Icon SPECIALGet a Quote
Monday 25 May 26 — Wednesday 03 Jun 26Starting at $2,769Check Mark Icon SPECIALGet a Quote
Monday 15 Jun 26 — Wednesday 24 Jun 26Starting at $2,769Check Mark Icon SPECIALGet a Quote
Monday 13 Jul 26 — Wednesday 22 Jul 26Starting at $2,769Check Mark Icon SPECIALGet a Quote
Monday 31 Aug 26 — Wednesday 09 Sep 26Starting at $2,769Check Mark Icon SPECIALGet a Quote
Monday 28 Sep 26 — Wednesday 07 Oct 26Starting at $2,769Check Mark Icon SPECIALGet a Quote
Monday 12 Oct 26 — Wednesday 21 Oct 26Starting at $2,769Check Mark Icon SPECIALGet a Quote
Monday 02 Nov 26 — Wednesday 11 Nov 26Starting at $2,729Check Mark Icon SPECIALGet a Quote
Check Mark Icon Disclaimer: Prices listed are per person, based on double occupancy, and in USD. All promotions are valid for new bookings only, capacity controlled and valid on select dates and departures. Individual Terms and Conditions will apply to all promotions. Any promotion can be withdrawn at any time without notice. Please speak with your Pavlus Travel Planner for complete vendor terms and conditions, including eligible tour and cruise dates.


Destination & Sightseeing

The world is within reach with everything you need for perfectly affordable touring. Cosmos includes hand-selected accommodations, guided sightseeing, and seamless transportation between destinations—with value-minded travel lovers in mind. Explore with expert Cosmos Tour Directors and Local Guides, and private, first-class, air-conditioned motorcoach with free Wi-Fi (where available). Enhance your free time to explore like a local with your CosmosGO mobile app!

Your Tour Includes:
• Guided city sightseeing in Chicago, Nashville, and New Orleans
• Visit to Gateway Arch National Park
• Orientation tours of St. Louis and Memphis
• Tickets to a musical performance at the Grand Ole Opry
• Visit to the Tina Turner Museum
• Admission to Graceland, including audio tour and access to private jets
• Admission to B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center

ITINERARY

Day 1
Welcome to the “Windy City.” Your Tour Director is on hand from 3pm-6pm to answer any questions

Day 2
Chicago is known for its iconic architecture, world class museums, and beautiful waterfront. Sightseeing includes landmarks like the Wrigley Building, Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower), and Navy Pier followed by an afternoon at leisure. Consider visiting the extraordinary Art Institute of Chicago or stroll along Michigan Avenue, better known as the Magnificent Mile. Enjoy an optional river cruise to take in the Windy City’s amazing architecture, then go deep with a slice (or three) of iconic Chicago deep-dish pizza!

Day 3
Travel across the fertile Illinois farmlands to St. Louis, “Gateway to the West.” An orientation tour includes Gateway Arch National Park, which commemorates the city’s key role in westward expansion. Visit the museum under the Arch, which celebrates Lewis & Clark’s famous expedition 200 years ago

Day 4
Recross the Mississippi River and roll southeast to Paducah, Kentucky on the Ohio River. Have time for lunch there and perhaps pay a visit to the National Quilt Museum to view quilts that truly are works of art. Late-afternoon arrival in Nashville. This evening consider joining the optional dinner with a Nashville Songwriter and hear their songs and stories about being a professional tunesmith

Day 5
Start the day with a sightseeing tour of Nashville, the Country Music Capital of the World. Visit the famous landmarks and the Music Row recording studios. Then consider joining an optional excursion to tour historic RCA Studio B, cradle of the 1960s “Nashville Sound” where stars such as Dolly Parton, Elvis Presley, Eddy Arnold, Willie Nelson, and the Everly Brothers recorded many of their biggest hits and then visit to the Country Music Hall of Fame to see glittering costumes, rare instruments, and a king-sized set of wheels a.k.a. Elvis Presley’s “solid gold” Cadillac. Tonight, enjoy reserved seating for a toe-tapping show at the world-famous Grand Ole Opry, a mecca for country musicians

Day 6
Depart Nashville and visit the Tina Turner Museum in the one-room schoolhouse attended by a young Anna Mae Bullock (a.k.a. Tina Turner). See the collection of the “Queen of Rock’s” memorabilia, including costumes, gold records and even her high school yearbook! Afterward, cross Tennessee to Memphis, “Home of the Blues” and a city with a distinct Southern flavor. Enjoy an orientation tour on arrival and see where scenes from the movie “Walk the Line” were filmed. Later, consider an optional excursion to where rock-n-roll was first recorded at Sun Studio, followed by dinner on historic and bluesy Beale Street

Day 7
Enjoy time today at Graceland, Elvis Presley’s beautiful estate. Your guided audio tour focuses on the opulent 15,000-square-foot mansion and the Meditation Garden where Elvis, and his daughter and grandson, are laid to rest. Also see Elvis’ custom jets and his favorite automobiles. Return to Memphis mid-afternoon and, if you haven’t done so already, perhaps get a taste of Memphis with some southern barbecue or a visit to the Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum

Day 8
Today, make your way through the state of Mississippi. Visit the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center. Discover the life of B.B. (Blues Boy) King, from his humble beginnings to his big break on Beale Street in Memphis. An evening arrival in New Orleans allows time for exploring this lively city on your own

Day 9
A full morning is dedicated to the sights and sounds of New Orleans, featuring a guided tour that includes the French Quarter landmarks, St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson Square, and a visit to a unique above-ground cemetery. This afternoon, join an optional tour of one of the many plantation homes in southern Louisiana. The architecture and beauty of these homes alone is impressive and the stories that go with them are even better. Or cruise down bayous with moss-draped cypress trees to seek out alligators on a Louisiana Swamp Tour. This evening, perhaps enjoy an optional Mississippi River dinner cruise, complete with live jazz—the perfect finale to a memorable touring adventure of the South

Day 10
Your vacation ends this morning. You may choose to extend your vacation with extra nights and explore the “Big Easy” further.

Accommodations

ChicagoSt LouisNashvilleMemphisNew Orleans
Courtyard Chicago Downtown/Magnificent Mile
First-Class





Check Mark Disclaimer: Prices listed are per person, based on double occupancy, and in USD. All promotions are valid for new bookings only, capacity controlled and valid on select dates and departures. Individual Terms and Conditions will apply to all promotions. Any promotion can be withdrawn at any time without notice. Please speak with your Pavlus Travel Planner for complete vendor terms and conditions, including eligible tour and cruise dates.

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