Along the Mississippi
Our Luxury Small Group Tour + Cruise

On arrival in New Orleans, you’ll be warmly greeted and chauffeured to the Hotel Mazarin. Situated just off Bourbon Street, our stylish boutique hotel is a quiet hideaway in the heart of the French Quarter; perfect for our intimate group of 16 travelers, you’ll enjoy upgraded Superior Guestrooms with complimentary WiFi. This evening, gather with your travelers and our A+R Host for a Welcome Dinner at Arnaud’s, where classic Creole cuisine is accompanied by some of the city’s finest Dixieland Jazz musicians.  Meals D

After breakfast, we’ll enjoy a comprehensive guided tour of the National WWII Museum including Bayou to Battlefield - a fascinating exhibit that explores the accomplishments of Andrew Higgins and his New Orleans-based company Higgins Industries. Starting from one of his earliest inventions, a shallow-draft swamp boat, Andrew Higgins and his diverse local workforce of Louisianans ultimately built more than 20,000 combat watercraft that were critical to the success of the Normandy landings on D-Day. After free time for lunch on your own at one of the museum’s restaurants, we’ll enjoy a screening of Beyond all Boundaries. With dazzling special effects, CGI animation, and riveting first-person wartime accounts read by Brad Pitt, Gary Sinise, Tobey Maguire and Patricia Clarkson, among others, this is a powerful cinematic experience that is shown exclusively here at the museum.
 
In the afternoon, our guided city tour will show us New Orleans’ most impressive and historic landmarks – including St. Louis Cathedral, St. Anthony’s Garden and the Old Ursuline Convent, founded by nuns who arrived here from Rouen, France in the early 1700’s. We’ll also explore the multi-cultural heritage of the city at St. Augustine, the oldest African American church in the city. Of course, no tour of New Orleans would be complete without stopping for beignets and visiting some of the city’s colorful and evocative cemeteries.  Meals B

After breakfast and check-out, A+R guests will enjoy a private tour designed to give you a first-hand experience of the natural history of the Mississippi River Delta – and its far reaching impact on the local culture and economy. Encompassing well-known highlights like the historic Esplanade Ridge district and Lake Pontchartrain as well as off-the-beaten-path places rarely seen by other visitors, we’ll meet engaging local experts eager to share their unique insights. At the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge, we’ll have a chance to observe and learn about the remarkable flora and fauna that thrive in this unique eco-system where fresh and brackish marshes and coastal hardwood forests stretch as far as the eye can see. Established in 1990, these wetlands provide prime habitat for a variety of mammals, amphibians and birds including warblers, woodpeckers, egrets and herons.
 
Back in the city’s Little Saigon neighborhood, we’ll sit down to an authentic Vietnamese lunch at Dong Phuong Restaurant, a James Beard Award-Winner. In the afternoon, we’ll visit some of the small outlying villages where families live in stilted homes harvesting seafood as their forebears have done for generations. “Ghost Forests,” created by the loss of coastal land, bear witness to some of the environmental changes that are exposing these coastal residents to increasing storm risks. We’ll also have a chance to view some of the formidable new levees built since Katrina and to learn about the most recent methods and strategies for dealing with rising waters and future storm surges.
 
After sightseeing, we’ll continue to the pier where the elegant American Duchess awaits. Settle in to your spacious stateroom as we begin our voyage up the mighty Mississippi. With flexible Open Seating in the Grand Dining Room, you can sit down to your first epicurean onboard meal anytime this evening between 5:00 and 8:00 – enhanced of course by complimentary house wine and spirits.  Meals B+L+D

Today our congenial A+R group of 16 guests will experience Antebellum life on private tours through two of the South’s grandest and most notable plantations. Surrounded by manicured gardens, Nottoway is a historic 3-story residence with grand, columned verandahs and a lavishly decorated interior including the White Ballroom, painted entirely white with elaborate gold gilded accents. Built in 1837, Oak Alley is regarded as one of the finest plantation homes in the Mississippi River valley, distinguished by its dramatic canopied entry, created by a double row of giant oak trees that were planted in the 18^th century.

After lunch on board, you’ll set out again for another exclusive Small Group excursion, accompanied by our A+R Host. Winding along historic River Road, we’ll journey into the heart of Louisiana plantation country as an expert native guide offers colorful insight and historic anecdotes about the region when cotton and sugar cane were king. Arriving at the edge of the Manchac Bayou, we’ll meet our resident Cajun Captain for a guided boat excursion deep into these wetlands - where the lush vegetation and moss-draped cypress trees provide prime habitat for a variety of wildlife. American alligators, nutria, ibis, herons and egrets are some of the species that we might encounter. Returning to ship late in the afternoon, you’ll have time to refresh before dinner is served.  Meals B+L+D

The history of St. Francisville, the oldest town in Louisiana’s Florida Parishes, can be traced back more than 200 years when fire and floods destroyed the small settlement of Bayou Sara. Not easily defeated, the hearty residents simply hauled their surviving homes and structures up to this bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, and today more than 140 buildings in St. Francisville are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
 
Stepping ashore here in this charming community, A+R guests will enjoy a private excursion to one of America’s most infamous sites – the Angola Penitentiary. As we approach the gates and take in the miles of barbed wire fencing that surround this maximum-security facility, set on the site of a former plantation, you might recall haunting scenes from prison movies you may have seen, from The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption to Dead Man Walking, filmed here in 1995. But this tour is as much about redemption and rehabilitation as it is about incarceration. Touring the infamous Red Hat Cell Block and seeing the vast fields where the inmates work and harvest more than 5 million pounds of produce annually, you’ll come to learn that what was once America’s most dangerous penitentiary is today considered a model facility of rehabilitation. Highlighting our experience, we’ll sit down in the chapel to hear firsthand from current inmates – listening to stories of their past and learning about their inspiring, personal journeys of transformation.  Meals B+L+D

After breakfast, Alexander+Roberts guests will enjoy an exclusive, private tour designed to deepen your understanding of the Antebellum South and how it evolved through the Civil War into the modern era. The morning begins at Frogmore Plantation where we’ll experience life in the early and mid 1800’s: Touring authentically furnished slave quarters; hearing about the customs and traditions they maintained, often in secret; and seeing tools of the era like a rare steam-powered cotton gin. We’ll learn about the impact of the Civil War on the region’s plantations and then fast forward to the 21^st century as we learn how cotton is harvested today here on this modern 1,800-acre farm. Before returning to our riverboat for lunch, we’ll also visit the historic Forks of the Road site, once one of the largest slave markets in the South.
 
In the afternoon, you can take advantage of the Duchess’ fleet of modern motorcoaches for some independent Hop-On Hop-Off sightseeing. Among the stops and places you can explore at your own pace are the Rosalie Mansion, built in 1823, and the remarkable William Johnson House Museum, set in the 3-story brick home constructed by Mr. Johnson, a slave who gained his freedom at the age of eleven and grew up to be the town’s barber. Stepping off at King’s Tavern, a popular local eatery, you can join an exclusive tour of the Charbonneau Distillery.  Meals B+L+D

“See what a lot of land these fellows hold, of which Vicksburg is the key.
The war can never be brought to a close until that key is in your pocket.”

Recognizing the strategic importance of this river port, Abraham Lincoln’s words foreshadowed what would become one of the most consequential campaigns of the Civil War. Waged over the course of more than three months in the spring and summer of 1863, the Siege of Vicksburg ended with the Union gaining virtual control of the Mississippi River.

This morning, A+R guests will enjoy a specially-arranged tour of Vicksburg National Military Park. Enhanced by riveting stories of the battles that were fought here and penetrating insight into the hardships endured by the soldiers, we’ll learn how the Siege of Vicksburg shaped the course of American history. As we journey through what is now a very picturesque region, we’ll see the many monuments, markers and plaques that have been erected here since the first memorial was dedicated in 1903. In total, there are 27 major monuments representing all the states that lost soldiers during the Siege. They rank among our country’s most impressive wartime monuments, and our exclusive tour encompasses the most significant – including one that honors the Union’s Mississippi Black Infantry. Indeed, this morning promises an inspiring experience that will bring to life the memory of those who fought. Before returning to ship, we’ll also tour the USS Cairo, an iron clad river boat that was commissioned in 1862 and raised from the depths of the Mississippi in 1964

Back onboard the American Duchess, you can sit down to an elegant à la carte luncheon in the Grand Dining Room or head up to the River Club & Terrace where you’ll find an expansive buffet. As always, A+R guests enjoy free-flowing house wines and spirits. Then delight in a leisurely afternoon of cruising as we navigate up the mighty Mississippi River.  Meals B+L+D

Take this day to relax and enjoy the passing scenery as it shifts from bucolic countryside to small, lively river towns. Enriching onboard talks, our Open Bar, elegant dining with wine, and a chance to engage with your fellow passengers highlight this pleasant day. As always, our attentive A+R Host is on hand along with the American Duchess’ experienced crew should you require assistance or information.  Meals B+L+D

This afternoon, A+R guests will enjoy a private Small Group tour of the GRAMMY Museum, a 28,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art institution set on the campus of Delta State University. Encompassing a wide variety of musical genres from Classical, Jazz and R&B to Latin, Country and Rock, you’ll find cutting-edge exhibits that explore the power of music. With special traveling exhibits, unique interactive experiences and a fine permanent collection that shines a spotlight on the deep musical roots of the South, the GRAMMY Museum offers an engaging, educational and inspiring afternoon. We’ll be back aboard the American Duchess with time to relax before our final, elegant dinner in the Grand Dining Room. As always, you can dine anytime you wish between 5:30 and 8:00 PM.  Meals B+L+D

After a breakfast, A+R guests will be chauffeured to the airport for their onward flight.  Meals B