A Southern Trail Road Trip

  • New Orleans
  • Baton Rouge
  • Lafayette
  • Lake Charles
  • Houston
  • Austin
  • 10 nights from
  • £2,305 per person
  • Trip Code: SD-1040

Holiday Overview

A Southern Trail - a great USA Road Trip  

 

New Orleans to Austin (or vice versa)

 

Take a journey with a difference across the southern USA. This rich journey can easily be themed to wards music, culture, history, wildlife or food, or perhaps combine a little bit of all of them for an amazing trip through Louisiana and Texas. New Orleans needs little introduction, famed for its party atmosphere, jazz and Cajun cuisine. Baton Rouge is Louisiana’s capital housing 300 years of history. Lafayette is at the heart of Louisiana’s Cajun & Creole country and is also known as the “Happiest City in America”. Lake Charles offers untouched marshlands filled with birds and wildlife along the Creole Nature Trail All-American Road, alongside excellent dining, shopping and entertainment at its resort casino hotels. The space centre at Houston is only one of its attractions, it’s a town where southern hospitality rubs shoulders with urban chic. Austin has its own inimitable vibe, a fantastic live music venue and one of Texas’s exciting foodie hubs.

Start New Orleans, Finish Austin (or vice versa)

States visited: Louisiana, Texas

A Southern Trail Road Trip includes:

  • Return flights from the UK
  • Compact Car with Gold Cover - Unlimited mileage, Full tank of fuel, 3 additional drivers, Collision Damage Waiver (CDW), $1 million liability coverage, Zero excess in the USA
  • 3 nights accommodation in New Orleans
  • 1 night accommodation in Baton Rouge
  • 1 night accommodation in Lafayette
  • 2 nights accommodation in Lake Charles
  • 1 night accommodation in Houston
  • 2 nights accommodation in Austin
  • French Quarter Walking Tour
  • Oak Alley Plantation Tour
1

Day 1 - Arrive New Orleans

Arrive New Orleans, the crown jewel of Louisiana, check into your chosen hotel and spend the rest of the day at leisure. 

Featured accommodation

Holiday Inn French Quarter-Chateau LeMoyne

2

Day 2 - New Orleans

Let your own 'local expert' unravel the mysteries of one of America's oldest and most unique living neighborhoods on a French Quarter Walking Tour. 

Featured accommodation

Holiday Inn French Quarter-Chateau LeMoyne

3

Day 3 - New Orleans

Take a tour to Oak Alley Plantation, built in 1839. You'll experience a bygone era in one of the Souths most beautiful settings. Marvel at the unbelievable quarter-mile long alley of 28 magnificent Oak trees, each over 250 years old, and view the Majestic Cypress Trees in Louisianas swamps bordering the Mississippi River. Your guided tour will reveal the fascinating stories of the home and its history. 

Featured accommodation

Holiday Inn French Quarter-Chateau LeMoyne

4

Day 4 - New Orleans to Baton Rouge

Today head east to Baton Rouge, the capital of Louisiana to visit the famous 'Louisiana State University' and the 'Rural Life Museum', recounting the daily life of the early 19th century. If shopping is on your list head over to the Mall of Louisiana before dining and retiring for the night.

Featured accommodation

Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center

5

Day 5 - Baton Rouge to Lafayette

This morning head to Lafayette, to learn about the Acadians “Cajuns” and Creole cultures at Vermilionville before heading south to New Iberia to visit the only place on earth where TABASCO® is grown and bottled. Overnight in Lafayette.

Featured accommodation

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Lafayette

6

Day 6 - Lafayette to Lake Charles

Head east towards Lake Charles, Louisiana and the Creole Nature Trail All-American Road, with a stop for a tour and tasting at Bayou Rum, Louisiana grown and produced rum distillery with an amazing gift shop, along the way. One of only designated 43 All-American Roads in the entire United States, the Creole Nature Trail is a journey into an untamed wilderness. Right from the vehicle you will see alligators, multiple birds and waterfowl (over 400 species spotted each year) and other marsh wildlife…all in their natural habitat. Several over water boardwalks also provide opportunities where you can stretch your legs and as well as get up close and personal with your nature.  

Featured accommodation

Golden Nugget Lake Charles Hotel & Casino

7

Day 7 - Lake Charles

Today, experience the largest Mardi Gras costume collection display in the world at the Mardi Gras Museum of Imperial Calcasieu. Then check out the Historic Charpentier District, 40-blocks of turn-of-the-century buildings built by carpenter architects. Next up, check out great local craft beers at Crying Eagle Brewing. Grab a bite to eat in the Beer Garden or at one of numerous other local restaurants.

Featured accommodation

Golden Nugget Lake Charles Hotel & Casino

8

Day 8 - Lake Charles to Houston

Start early and head to Space Center Houston, an amazing museum full of space artifacts and interactive exhibits. It’s the Texas gateway to NASA Johnson Space Center. Lunch at Kemah Boardwalk on your way out. It is home to fabulous waterfront restaurants, charming retail stores, and amusement rides. Spend the rest of the day at lesisure in Houston.

Featured accommodation

Hotel Derek

9

Day 9 - Houston to Austin

Continue toward Austin, Texas. Make sure you stop at Hruska’s in Ellinger, TX on the way for amazing local bakery items. Check into your hotel and spend the rest of the day at leisure.

Featured accommodation

Hotel Indigo Austin

10

Day 10 - Austin

Spend a full day exploring Austin, the self-proclaimed live music capital of the world. With more than 250 venues and a vibrant arts and gastronomic scene, you are sure to find something to your taste.

Featured accommodation

Hotel Indigo Austin

11

Day 11 - Return to the UK

Enjoy time at leisure in Austin before dropping you car at the airport and catching your homeward flight.

USA Holiday Stopovers

Why not add in the 'Land of Fire and Ice' - Iceland -on your way to your holiday in the USA. We have put together a great stopover in Iceland for 2 or 3 nights which includes accommodation and the Golden Circle Trip which includes visits to the Gullfoss Waterfall, the geo thermal area of Geysir and Thingvellir National Park.

If you are travelling to the west coast of America, why not add a couple of nights stay in New York which includes accommodation and tickets for the 'Top of the Rock' observation platform for an iconic view of the city skyline. This can be done either on your way out or on the way back.

View USA Holiday Stopovers

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