A three-state tour of America might not be the first holiday that springs to mind if you have a 6-year-old and a new baby. Louisiana, Tennessee and Florida. In two weeks. Was that possible? After speaking with Theresa at Bon Voyage we felt reassured. Her infectious enthusiasm convinced my husband and I to channel our inner Elvis: it’s now or never, we said.
Planning holidays with kids is usually stressful, so we were expecting a certain amount of faff and frustration. But having our itinerary taken care of from the outset was such a huge relief. From booking suitable accommodation to reserving a bassinet for our 6-month-old on the flight – all those niggles and stresses were taken off our hands.
New Orleans was our first stop, and our self-catered accommodation was perfect: no traipsing hotel corridors with a crying baby at 2am worrying about other guests!
We were within walking distance of the French Quarter, so the first morning we took a stroll to Café Beignet for breakfast. Beignets, the local sugared pastry – BIG hit with 6-year-old Heidi!
Next, a lunchtime jazz cruise aboard the iconic steamboat Natchez. The music and the food were equally delicious and baby Maeve couldn’t keep her legs still in her sling as she jiggled away to the jazz.
The rest of our time was spent exploring the French Quarter. We were all in awe of the street musicians. Whether it’s a brass quintet or a solo singer, the quality of the music was astounding. But the hustle of the streets carries you along, past the art shops and painters, bars and cafes, and soon we needed refreshment. So, on Bon Voyage’s recommendation we headed to the Omni Royal Hotel. Away from the bustling streets below (and with a buggy-sleeping-baby) we enjoyed some downtime with rooftop drinks in the sunshine.
A ‘Kids Spooky Tour’ was booked for the following day. We learned about the myths surrounding the houses we visited and the ghosts that haunt them. The children were spellbound with tales of Voodoo witches and medicines. Whilst ghost-hunting Heidi was thrilled to find an ancient parchment written by the spirit of dead pirate! All in a day’s work.
As night descends in New Orleans the party atmosphere intensifies. Bourbon Street buzzes with lights and music, and revellers swagger from bar to bar. The restaurants we ate at seemed unfazed by kids, but we headed home before the streets got too rowdy.
From New Orleans we took the Amtrak train to Memphis. This took roughly nine hours and was very kid-friendly. Heidi could run around and we all enjoyed sitting in the viewing carriage taking in the countryside or playing cards. Bon Voyage had booked us a Roomette so by far the most exciting thing for Heidi was the top-bunk-style fold down bed to play on!
True to the Marc Cohn song we touched down in the land of the Delta blues, in the middle of the pouring rain. So next morning, emergency Walgreens umbrellas purchased, we braved the torrential downpour. Two blocks on we were grateful to take shelter and warm up with plenty of coffee and a beautiful cooked breakfast at Hotel Indigo. From here we took a taxi to Graceland.
The modest façade of Elvis’s home surprised me. However, inside was wonderfully eccentric, and Heidi particularly liked the completely mirrored hallway, and the ‘Jungle Room’ with wooden seats carved into animal shapes. We ate at a cheesy diner in a silver Cadillac with red leather seats, lastly hitting the obligatory gift shop. This is where Heidi became Elvis’s biggest fan, emerging laden with printed T-shirts and sparkly key-rings!
The Peabody Hotel was our next stop, to see the famous ducks. It’s hard to describe this experience without sounding like you’re recounting a bizarre dream, but here goes: An MC stands in the magnificent foyer of this historic hotel, a water feature behind him. At his feet, several ducks splash, seemingly oblivious to his booming, amplified voice, and the hundreds of Martini-sipping spectators. After his speech, he produces a set of little wooden steps, and the ducks obediently swim up to them, process out of the fountain and along a red carpet (laid out especially for them), and waddle into the gilded elevator, to be escorted up to their sleeping quarters on the hotel roof. Being with children we were ushered straight to front row seats, so close we could feel the droplets of water flicked from tail-feathers. Heidi was delighted. And in a blink of an eye it was over, everyone remembering their cocktails and continuing their conversations. A charmingly bizarre experience!
After eating delicious BBQ food at Blues City Café we had time to check out a couple of bars on the famous Beale Street. Such spectacular live music! But by now it wasn’t just the children who were fading, so we all headed back to our apartment, buzzing with the sights and sounds of the day.
It was a three hour flight from Memphis to Miami, and from there we drove to Naples. After the excitement and non-stop activities of New Orleans and Memphis, we melted into sun-loungers or floated in the pool, emerging for a stroll to the beach, or a trip to the harbour for fish and chips. Our pace had turned gentle and slow. Naples is spacious and immaculately cared for and the people are friendly. We took a boat trip around Port Royal and browsed the harbour-side gift shops.
Heidi spent most of her days in the pool, and Maeve was happy playing in the shade or napping.
Was this holiday only two weeks long? As we reminisced on the flight home it seemed impossible we could have fitted so much in. At the same time, the glorious laziness of the second week meant we’d also had time to relax. Bravo to Bon Voyage for helping us Walk the Line between a musical Deep South adventure and a chilled out family break!
