Day 1 - Kansas City.
Arrive in Kansas City where you will stay for two nights. Experience Kansas City’s most famous traditions—jazz and barbecue—both of which have roots in KC that date back to the 1920s. Sample the heavenly ’cue at some of the city’s 100+ barbecue joints. Then, discover how Kansas City jazz defined an era through KC legends like Charlie Parker, Count Basie and Big Joe Turner. Located in the Historic 18th & Vine Jazz District in Kansas City, the American Jazz Museum showcases the sights and sounds of jazz through interactive exhibits and films, the Changing Gallery exhibit space, Horace M. Peterson III Visitors Center, Blue Room jazz club and Gem Theater. As the only museum in the world solely focused on the preservation, exhibition and advancement of jazz music – the museum is a must for music fans.
Day 2 - Kansas
Explore Kansas City as your leisure. Perhaps visit the Arabia Steamboat Museum or take the Gangster tour which highlights infamous crimes like the Union Station Massacre, shows the locations of speakeasies and gambling halls and explains how liquor flowed freely during prohibition.
Day 3 - Kansas to St Louis, approx 250 miles
Arrive in St Louis where you will stay for two nights. Begin your holiday at the world-famous Gateway Arch. The tallest man-made national monument in the country can be experienced via a 630-foot tram ride to the top. Get a feel for Ol' Man River with a relaxing one-hour sightseeing Gateway Riverboat Cruise. For an overview of St. Louis' past, visit the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park where Lindbergh, Lewis & Clark, and the Louisiana Purchase come to life. Visit the Anheuser Busch Brewery, the single largest brewing complex in the world, where you can see the famous Clydesdales and a taste of the variety of brews.
Day 5 – St. Louis to Branson, approx. 250 miles
En route to Branson, to explore Meramec Caverns, one of the largest caves in the country, the oldest stop on Route 66 and the reported hide out of outlaw Jesse James. Boasting more theatre seats than Broadway, Branson offers entertainment to please everyone. Country music, gospel, magicians, comedians and well-known favorites such as The Hughes Brothers and the Oak Ridge Boys entertain groups in first-class fashion.
Stay two nights in Branson
Day 7 – Branson to Memphis, approx. 300 miles
Legendary home of Elvis, make your first stop Graceland. You can also see Elvis’ famous 1955 pink Cadillac in the Elvis Presley Automobile Museum and climb aboard his custom jet the ‘Lisa Marie.’ Downtown tour the Stax Museum of American Soul Music - Soulsville is a 17,000-square-foot museum on the original site of Stax Records and houses more than 2,000 cultural artifacts, celebrating the music made famous by Otis Redding, Booker T. and the MGs, Isaac Hayes, the Bar-Kays, Al Green, Aretha Franklin, Earth, Wind & Fire and more.
Spend three nights in Memphis
Day 10 – Memphis to Nashville, approx. 215 miles
Visit the Country Music Hall of Fame and take an exciting, multi-layered journey through the life of country music. A self-guided tour covering two floors of the Museum, and tells the story of country music from its pre-commercial roots in the nineteenth century through its vibrant life in the twenty-first century. Visit the historic RCA Studio B – once the recording home of popular music titans such as Elvis Presley, Chet Atkins, Eddy Arnold, and the Everly Brothers – first became known as one of the cradles of the “Nashville Sound” in the 1960s.
Day 12 Drop off your car and fly home from Nashville.
Posted by: America As You Like It
Posted on: 11/06/2025