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Southern Culture & Spring Pilgrimage
April 6-14, 2003 Most of our group of 18 arrived a day early in Memphis where we took a private historical walking tour that included the famous Peabody Ducks. We also experienced Graceland, Beale St, Civil Rights Museum, Sun Studios, Rock 'n Soul Museum and some of that famous BBQ at Rendezvous before boarding the American Queen. On our southbound journey, our first port-of-call was Helena AR. Though still a depressed town, its Delta Cultural Center has a great history of the Blues and its historic district had a number of interesting buildings. Those in our group who took the Gospel tour raved about the music and the soul food. In Vicksburg MS, in addition to touring the battlefields, there were churches and several museums to see, including Coca Cola's. Natchez MS, center of the Antebellum south, had mansions to tour and some of us visited the home of the riverboat's chef, Regina Charboneau. She graciously gave us the run of her house and shared tips on entertaining Southern style. She served scrumptious hors d'oeuvres and cocktails then presented each of us with a CD of the recipes as we departed. St. Francisville LA, with over 140 buildings on the National Register, was a window to the past. We dodged some rain to browse Main St shops where few of us escaped Grandmother's Buttons, Victorian button museum and jewelry boutique, without a purchase. A gorgeous sunny day greeted us next in Baton Rouge. Most of us felt it was Huey Long City. From the Old Governor's mansion that he constructed as Louisiana's White House to the state capitol building, we learned about his ambitions, questionable tactics and numerous accomplishments. Further down the river in Houmas House, we toured an historic plantation and its grounds. Some of us visited an additional plantation in the vicinity. On board, we enjoyed lovely accommodations and lots of good meals, many prepared with a southern flair, along with free-flowing wine at dinner. Each afternoon a lot of us could be found on the Front Porch of America enjoying a drink and chatting about the day. In the evening we watched top notch entertainment in the grand Saloon and danced until the wee hours to the sounds of Jackie and Bobby in the Engine Room Bar. And then there was our group's farewell champagne party on the top deck. We disembarked in New Orleans and most of us stayed on for two nights. There we did another private walking tour, of the French Quarter, with our informative 5th generation guide, Etienne. It was the last day of a music and food festival so we listened to jazz and blues throughout the Quarter and sampled dishes from some of the finest restaurants in town. A number of us also took a cocktail tour where we were "forced" to sample hurricanes, Pimm's Cup, and local martinis. Our last full day we toured the Garden District, with one beautiful home after another. We wrapped up with a grand finale dinner at GW Fins before bidding adieu to the South. |