take us road trip from memphis to

the
58 ............... Sunday, December 27, 2015
S unday
Holidays has launched a huge
news ARCHERS
range of discounts and value added offers for
bookings made from now until January 31.
They have also introduced new destinations
of the Azores and Northern Cyprus.
Early bookers can take advantage of a whole range
of offers including up to £100 off long haul bookings
and £50 off short haul flights.
A free upgrade on inbound flights with British Airways or Virgin Atlantic on selected routes is also on
offer for new bookings (limited availability).
And customers can also take advantage of an airport hotel offer of £49 per room and a ‘Start in Style’
home pick up service for just £49 per car. More info at
archersdirect.co.uk or call 0800 668 1892.
1SM
lHealth l Consumer l Money l Games l Perks l Motors
TAKE U.S. ROAD TRIP FROM MEMPHIS TO
Southern
ACHICKENWINNER
THE Chickenshed completely belies its name, which makes
for extra wonderment when you approach the stunning red
cedar, tin and stainless steel structure.
Owner Sue will show you round and explain how some of
the space-age kitchen gadgets work.
The floor to ceiling glass across the expansive open plan
living area creates a dramatic connection to the beautiful Wye
Valley. Outside there are two private acres where the kids, big
or small, can play safely, including a wood to wander through.
From £175 per night (sleeps 8), min 3 night stay.
For further information go to canopyandstars.co.uk/thechickenshed or call 0117 204 7830.
news FRENCH specialist travel operator Belle
France is celebrating 30 years of organising
handcrafted holidays by offering customers
six free bottles of champagne when they book
before January 29.
It coincides with the launch of Belle France’s new
2016 brochure, and includes a wide range of walking
and cycling holidays. Set in the beautiful landscapes
of France, the holidays are perfectly designed for
those looking to relax and unwind.
Prices start from £869pp. See bellefrance.com or
call 01580 848403.
ELVISDALLASPARTY
THE iconic Southfork Ranch of TV’s Dallas series fame is set
to rock to the sounds of the King in March when it hosts
Texas’ Tribute to Elvis.
It will be the state’s official Elvis Presley Enterprise licensed
festival. Elvis fans from around the globe are expected to converge at Southfork, above, for the three-day extravaganza
celebrating the life of rock’s greatest name from March 4-6.
The festival will feature performances by some of the
world’s best Elvis tribute artists. Cody Ray Slaughter, star of
Million Dollar Quartet on Broadway, will also star.
The full festival schedule and ticket information are available at texaselvisfestival.com.
BARRHEAD Travel has some great winter
sunshine deals on now in the ever popular
Canary Islands.
Try an all-inclusive week in Tenerife at the 3H
Punta del Rey in Las Caletillas which will set you back
just £327pp jetting out of Glasgow on selected dates
in January-March.
Or fly from Glasgow to Lanzarote on selected dates
January to March and spend seven nights at the 3H
Smartline Ficus in Costa Teguise for £357pp. The firm
has plenty of more bargains where these came from.
See barrheadtravel.co.uk or call 0141 222 2223.
news
ALL SHOOK
UP . . . Stuart
singing the blues,
Dunleith
plantation, inside
Graceland, with
owner of Smoots
Bar, Beau Rivage
casino & posing
with Jerry Lee
Lewis’s Cadillac.
I THOUGHT get-out-ofjail-free cards were a
joke that only existed
in
films
or
board
games.
But Larry “Butch” Brown,
the mayor of Natchez in Mississippi, appeared to be serious
when he told me his business
card would quickly get me out
of lock-up.
Thankfully, I didn’t get the
chance to put his gift to the
test but it was the perfect
example of famous Southern
hospitality.
It’s a big thing in Natchez
where the locals take it as an
insult if you are not having a
blast every second of your stay.
They’re proud of their town
and its historic pre-civil war
houses, including Dunleith and
unfinished
Longwood,
and
can’t wait to show you around
those and other sights.
And at night it’s party time.
The owner of new pub Smoots
Blues Bar let me serve punters
and help myself behind the
counter, as well as taking control of the music.
I taste tested everything in
sight and feared I would put
him out of business. But no
one cared because having fun
GO: MEMPHIS TO MISSISSIPPI
GETTING THERE: Bon Voyage can organise trips from Glasgow to
Memphis (via Newark) and return from New Orleans, including nine
days mid sized SUV hire and accommodation. It costs from £1,935pp.
See bon-voyage.co.uk or call 0800 316 3012.
STAYING THERE: The above trip includes accommodation with breakfast. Start with three nights at The Peabody in Memphis, one night at the
TownePlace Suites, Oxford, a night at the Alluvian in Greenwood, two
nights at the Natchez Grand Hotel and a night at the White House Hotel
on the Gulf Coast. Costs from £1,935pp.
MORE INFO: for more on the area see memphistravel.com, visitmississippi.org and deep-south-usa.com Free information on 01462-440784.
is the name of the game in
Natchez, dubbed the Little
Easy, which turns 300 next
year. It was one of the stops
on
a
fantastic
week-long
American road trip from Memphis to Mississippi.
The first destination was a
city where music is treated like
a religion and one name towers above the rest — Elvis
Presley. He might have died
four decades ago but The King
industry is still alive and kicking in Memphis.
His former home, Graceland,
is one of the top tourist attractions in the US and I took the
tour to follow in his footsteps.
I walked round the mansion,
which was still as he left it
when he died in 1977. His
grave is outside in a memorial
garden and fans from all over
the world flock there to pay
their respects.
I also stepped on board his
two luxury private jets, which
have 24 gold carat seat belts,
and his fleet of cars.
Everything Elvis-related was
on sale, from chocolate blue
suede shoes, his favourite peanut butter sandwiches and
authentic rhinestone covered
jumpsuits.
The Sun Studio, where Elvis
recorded as well as Johnny
Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy
Orbison, is considered another
special site. My enthusiastic
tour guide said: “You are
standing on sacred and hallowed ground.” I had to agree.
The original flooring and insulation laid by owner Sam Phillips in the 1950s is still in
place and I posed for photos
with the microphone Elvis sang
into.
The Memphis Music Hall of
Fame has Elvis’s huge suitcase
phone but also includes other
icons from the city. Jerry Lee
Lewis donated half of his Cadillac to it.
Executive director John Doyle
said: “Fans see coming here as
a religious experience. Music is
the heart and soul of the city.
If you take that away we’re
nothing.”
The Stax Museum is the
world’s only soul museum and
tells the fascinating story of
the now defunct record label.
Money from the site is used
to fund a high school next
door and is helping some of
the city’s disadvantaged kids.
But music is not all that’s on
offer in Memphis.
The impressive Bass Pro
Pyramid, which stands at 320
feet, is a DIY store unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.
It sold everything from guns
to toys and has alligators and
fish on display to keep customers entertained. The city is
also home to basketball team