New Tauck Tour, “Music of America,” Includes Ken Burns Insight

In 2025, Tauck will introduce a new nine-day “Music of America” escorted tour from Nashville, TN, to New Orleans, LA. Music lovers can trace the roots of country music, blues, jazz, rock and roll, and more. They’ll also spend time at Memphis, TN, and within the Mississippi Delta.

Marking a 15-year partnership with Tauck, acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns has provided insights for the tour. Burns has been honored with 17 Emmy Awards,
two Grammy Awards and two Oscar nominations. He’s the creator of the films “Jazz” and “Country Music,” as well as numerous American history documentaries.

(Photo above shows downtown Nashville, TN. Photo by Tauck.)

Insight from Burns and Duncan

Throughout the “Music of America” tour, Tauck guests will gain insights from Burns and his long-time collaborator Dayton Duncan. They’ll do that by watching a series of exclusive-to-Tauck vignettes, or short videos.

Both Burns and Duncan will provide anecdotes and personal observations in those videos. Topics highlighted in the vignettes include, among others:

• The Mississippi River’s crucial role in fostering the spread of America’s musical genres.
• The birth of country music.
• The influential roles of New Orleans and Memphis in the development of jazz and rock and roll, respectively.
• The life and legacy of Louis Armstrong, “The George Washington of Jazz.”

New Tauck Tour Highlights

The new “Music of America” itinerary begins with a two-night stay at the Four Seasons Hotel Nashville. As one highlight, guests will enjoy a private “pre-opening” guided tour and presentation by a professional songwriter at Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame.

They’ll also attend a live performance at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. Then it’s a journey by road to The Peabody Memphis for a two-night stay.

In Memphis, Tauck’s travelers will visit the legendary Sun Studio (where Elvis Presley made his first recordings). That precedes a Tauck-exclusive, after-hours tour of the singer’s Graceland home.

In addition, dinner that evening is at the Presley Motors Automobile Museum, home to Presley’s personal car collection. One highlight? Check out the famous pink Cadillac.

Mississippi Delta

Next, guests will overnight at the Westin Jackson in Jackson, MS. They’ll tour the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, MS. They’ll also enjoy a Southern-style lunch and performance at the historic Club Ebony in Indianola, MS.

In addition, they’ll visit the nearby B.B. King Museum. The escorted tour then concludes with a three-night stay at the Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans. Throughout this tour, guests will discover stories of American musical traditions.

While staying in New Orleans, Tauck’s guests will enjoy a private jazz performance at Preservation Hall. They’ll also savor a bourbon tasting and lunch at the historic Belle Meade estate.

And they’ll tour Houmas House Estate & Gardens, an antebellum mansion in Darrow, LA.  Another inclusion is a culinary demonstration and lunch at the New Orleans School of Cooking. Guests will also enjoy an included dinner in New Orleans at Tujague’s, which specializes in Creole cuisine.

Another highlight for Tauck travelers is a tour of the extensive National World War II Museum. Finally, Tauck’s farewell reception and dinner will unfold at the famed eatery Galatoire’s, founded in 1905.

Inclusions Galore

During this escorted tour, guests will also head out for guided city tours in Nashville, Memphis and New Orleans. Included in the tour price are the following features:

• Luxury hotel accommodations for eight nights
• 19 meals
• Airport transfers
• All attraction admission fees and taxes
• Guided tours and highlights mentioned above
• Intra-tour transportation
• Services of a skilled Tauck tour director and local guides
• Service charges
• Most gratuities
• And more!

Tauck’s small group departures typically average just 24 guests. At press time, the tour pricing started at $6,290 per person, double occupancy. Airfare is additional.

Ready to go? “Tauck plans 2025 departures between March and May and also in September and October,” says Shelby Steudle, president, Pavlus Travel.

Other Tauck/Burns Options

If music isn’t your favorite interest, you may opt for one of Tauck’s other Ken Burns American Journeys tours. For these 12+ tour itineraries, the duo has created more than 100 short videos exclusively for Tauck guests.

Next year’s trips will include two recently enhanced East Coast itineraries. One is “In Freedom’s Footsteps: New York to Washington, D.C.” The other is “Southern Charms: St. Augustine, Savannah & Charleston.”

Both will include exclusive viewings of Burns’ videos that explore the American Civil War. Readers will likely remember that the 1990 series “The Civil War” was what initially established Burns as a preeminent documentary filmmaker.

Other Ken Burns American Journeys include:

• The national parks of the American West/Southwestern U.S.
• Winter exploration of Yellowstone National Park.
• The “Hidden Gems of New England”: This tour will include a Tauck-exclusive guided tour of Burns’ and Duncan’s Walpole, NH, production studio.

Tauck’s Ken Burns American Journeys trips are part of Tauck’s larger collection of 33 North American tours and cruises. Those also include four Tauck Bridges family adventures in the U.S. and Canada.

New Tauck Tour Detail

To learn more about these and other new tours, including one in Europe, visit Tauck’s official website. “Then, to get the best deal, any promotions or valued added amenities, as well as superb service in handling your booking, see our contact information below,” says Steudle.

One big plus? “Pavlus Travel is the world’s largest seller of Tauck,” she adds. “So, our highly experienced personal travel planners speak from firsthand knowledge and insight. Tauck escorted tours are excellent. Our team members are all Tauck certified, so they know this vacation product well.”

Important Notes from Pavlus Travel