The Mississippi: Southern Culture and the Civil War June 9-18, 2018

We've chosen a new, more intimate steamboat for the iconic Mississippi River voyage from Memphis to New Orleans. The 166-passenger American Duchess, an all-suite, boutique paddle wheeler with the largest cabins in every category available on the river, is more to our style. Our latest voyage down America's greatest waterway will offer not only music and good times but also comfort and convenience. With that assured, we invite you to join us for a new perspective on the modern South and its cultural and political history.

During the Civil War, the Mississippi River was the strategic objective of the Campaign in the West. Many of the places we will see-from battle elds to plantations to port cities-will remind us of the history of the war, as well as the culture of the American frontier and the antebellum South. From Memphis, where we have accommodations at the renowned Peabody Hotel, and thereafter, we'll discover the war's continuing hold on the American imagination.

From the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, we visit the Shiloh Battle fields and continue on the American Duchess to our ports of call along the Mississippi, including Helena, Cradle of the Delta Blues; Vicksburg, site of the war's most vicious siege; and Natchez, one of the few towns spared destruction. We'll travel through the deltas and bayous surrounding St. Francisville and Baton Rouge and stroll toward the main plantation house of Oak Alley through a corridor of 300-year-old oaks. After a visit to Nottoway Plantation, the South's largest antebellum plantation, we'll conclude the program in New Orleans. An optional extension will allow you to discover the wonderful music, delectable cuisine, and elegant architecture that make New Orleans one of the most delightful destinations in America.

With the combination of a charming steamboat cruise, a fascinating 10-day itinerary, and commentary by faculty from W&L and our partner institutions, this program is bound to be popular. We urge you to make your reservations soon.