Jules Boult is the celebrity host of the 2025 Highway 61 Blues Music Tour of America. He is an award-winning blues singer, songwriter, multi instrumentalist and recording artist. Jules’ musical career has taken him across Australia, the United States and Europe. Since 2011 he has released five albums to critical acclaim and been awarded a coveted Australian Blues Music Award. From 2015 to 2019 Jules toured the US annually, from New Orleans to New York, via the Mississippi delta, performing and recording with various musicians, including Kermit Ruffins, Mississippi John Horton, and The Oak Ridge Boys.
VIEW ITINERARYDAY 1 Saturday 24 May 2025 Houston, Texas
Depart Australia on your flight, arriving in Houston same day. Transfer to our hotel after going through
customs. Overnight: Fairfield Inn & Suites.
DAY 2 Sunday 25 May 2025
Lafayette, Western Louisiana
Morning: Travel to Lafayette, Louisiana. Nearby, visit the charming town of Breaux Bridge, in the heart
of western Louisiana’s swamp country. Enjoy a swamp tour, by boat. See amazing wildlife (alligators,
turtles, birdlife) and distinctive swamp vegetation. Evening: Enjoy welcome dinner and live music at
a Cajun restaurant/dance hall. Jules Boult will perform a few songs with the Cajun band, if possible.
Overnight: DoubleTree by Hilton, Lafayette. (B,D)
DAY 3 Monday 26 May 2025
New Orleans, Louisiana
Today we travel to New Orleans. Morning: Enjoy guided tour of antebellum homestead, Laura Plantation,
including original slave quarters. Afternoon: Sightseeing coach tour of New Orleans with local guide. Visit
an above ground cemetery, see the mansions on St Charles Ave., and visit areas ravaged by Hurricane
Katrina (2005). Evening: Explore the French Quarter, including Bourbon Street. Overnight: Wyndham
Hotel French Quarter. (B)
DAY 4 Tuesday 27 May, 2025
New Orleans
Morning: Free time for you to explore New Orleans at your leisure. The entire old French Quarter precinct
of New Orleans is fascinating, with early French & Spanish influenced architecture, buskers, bars, cafes,
antique shops, & Jackson Square (including St. Louis Cathedral). Afternoon: Enjoy a fabulous cruise and
live music aboard a majestic Mississippi paddle wheeler (optional). Evening: Visit The Bombay Club,
an upscale bar and restaurant, for a pre-dinner performance featuring Jules with The New Orleans
Redeemers. You can then stay on at the Bombay for dinner (optional) or visit other iconic music venues
in the French Quarter, such as Fritzel’s Jazz Club. (B)
DAY 5 Wednesday 28 May 2025 Natchez
Morning: Depart New Orleans and drive to Baton Rouge, the capital of Louisiana. Morning tea at the
State Welcome Centre. Then continue north, on Highway 61, to the historic town of Natchez, Mississippi,
stopping at Frogmore Cotton Plantation, where you will be taken on a guided delta music and heritage
tour. Learn about life, back when the blues was born. Afternoon: Check in to our hotel, on the banks of
the Mississippi. Then, you may wish to explore one of Natchez’s nearby antebellum mansions (optional).
Evening: Enjoy dinner at our hotel and later, be entertained by Jules and guest blues musician at a local
juke joint. Later on, you may wish to visit the Under the Hill Saloon, an historic riverfront bar on the banks
of the Mississippi. Overnight: Natchez Grand Hotel. (B,D)
DAY 6 Thursday 29 May 2025
Indianola
Morning: Depart Natchez and continue along Highway 61, enjoying the fabulous Mississippi delta
scenery that inspired more writers and musicians, per capita, than anywhere else in the US in the early
20th century. Stop in the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, and visit the Vicksburg National Military Park
(Vicksburg was the site of the Battle of Vicksburg, Civil War, 1863). Afternoon: Proceed to the small city
of Indianola, Mississippi, where we visit the B.B. King Museum before checking in to our hotel. Evening:
Tonight enjoy a southern style dinner (own expense) and jam at a local blues bar. Overnight: Hampton
Inn by Hilton. (B)
DAY 7 Friday 30 May 2025
Memphis
Morning: Travel to Clarksdale, Mississippi. On arrival, visit the Devil’s Crossroads, at the intersection of
highways 49 & 61, the place where bluesman Robert Johnson sold his soul in exchange for the guitar
prowess that made him one of the most revered blues musicians of the past century. Feel free to make
a deal of your own, as you stand at one of the most legendary locations in blues folklore! We then visit
Clarksdale’s excellent Delta Blues Museum and visit Ground Zero Blues Club, for lunch. Visit the excellent
Cat Head Delta Blues record/CD/bookstore and also Deak’s Harp shop for all things blues music and a
spontaneous blues performance. Afternoon: Continue on Highway 61 to Memphis, Tennessee – home of
the blues and the birthplace of rock ‘n’ roll. Evening: Spend a fabulous evening in colourful Beale Street,
famous for its live blues music venues, including B.B. King’s, the Rum Boogie Café, & the Blues City Band
Box (all venues optional). Overnight: Hyatt Centric Beale Street. (B)
DAY 8 Saturday 31 May 2025
Memphis
Morning: Visit the excellent Stax Museum of American Soul Music, which tells the story of soul music,
particularly the important role played by Memphis and Stax Records. Afternoon: Visit Graceland, Elvis
Presley’s famous mansion. Our tickets allow admission to the mansion, his automobiles, his wardrobe,
his gold records and much more. Evening: Enjoy a group dinner at a top Memphis restaurant. After
dinner enjoy the general sights & sounds of Memphis or visit one of Jules’ favourite blues music venues
(optional). (B,D)
DAY 9 Sunday 1 June 2025
Memphis
Morning: We attend Al Green’s colourful Full Gospel Tabernacle church service, including amazing
live gospel music. Enjoy a guided tour of Sun Studio (famous 1950s recording studio, where Howlin’
Wolf, Elvis, Johnny Cash, and others recorded). Afternoon: Visit the National Civil Rights Museum – the
motel (now museum) where Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. Evening: Dinner in downtown
Memphis, followed by a return to the live music venues in Beale Street (optional). (B)
DAY 10 Monday 2 June 2025 Nashville
Morning: Travel to Nashville, Tennessee… Music City USA! Afternoon: Enjoy a short, sightseeing coach
tour of Nashville before checking in to our fabulous hotel, in the trendy and laidback Vanderbilt area;
there are many options here for food and entertainment, including maybe a jam at a local honky tonk.
Alternatively, you may like to make your way downtown, to the ‘Broadway District’ (about 1½ miles
away; our hotel provides a free shuttle bus), where there are lots of ‘honky tonks’ (bars with live country
music) and some blues music venues. Overnight: Embassy Suites Hotel. (B)
DAY 11 Tuesday 3 June 2025 Nashville
Morning and afternoon: Free time to explore the many sights and sounds of Nashville, including the
Country Music Hall of Fame, the legendary RCA Studio B recording studio, the Johnny Cash Museum, the
beautiful & historic Ryman Auditorium (home of the Grand Ole Opry show, 1943 to 1974), & the colourful
Downtown honky tonks. Evening: Enjoy group dinner at our hotel then visit downtown’s famous Printers
Alley nightclub district before convening for some high-class blues music at The Bourbon Street Blues
and Boogie Bar. The name says it all! (B,D).
DAY 12 Wednesday 4 June 2025 Louisville
Morning: We will travel to Louisville, Kentucky, famous for sporting legend Muhammad Ali, Bourbon
and The Kentucky Derby. En-route we will visit the National Corvette Museum and Café in Bowling Green
KY and historic Bardstown, located in the heart of Kentucky’s Bourbon Country and one of the most
beautiful small towns in America. We will enjoy a distillery tour and tastings on offer. Afternoon: Check
in to our refined lodgings in downtown Louisville. Evening: Enjoy dinner in the ‘precinct’, then visit Stevie
Ray’s Blues Bar for a great night of blues music or explore the famous Fourth Street Live precinct, with
its many bars and entertainment venues (Evening: everything optional, including dinner). Overnight:
Hilton Garden Inn Downtown (B)
DAY 13 Thursday 5 June 2025 Chicago
Morning: Head out to Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby. Visit the excellent Kentucky Derby
Museum. Afternoon: Sit back and enjoy the scenery as we continue our journey north to Chicago!
Evening: Enjoy a final group dinner at a local restaurant. Later, we head over to Buddy Guy’s Legends
blues club and a sensational night of blues music (optional). Overnight: Hampton Inn Majestic, adjacent
to the home of the Chicago Blues Festival, Chicago. (B,D).
DAY 14 Friday 6 June 2025 Chicago
Morning: Sightseeing coach tour of Chicago, with local guide. Travel along the Magnificent Mile – part
of Michigan Avenue where exclusive shops line the wide boulevard. Also see the impressive Fourth
Presbyterian Church, built in Gothic Revival style, and the John Hancock Centre (100 stories high). Today
we attend the world’s biggest blues festival in downtown Chicago! Afternoon: you will be entertained by
the best blues artists from around Chicago. Grab your festival program, camera and dancing shoes... this
will be a wonderful experience! Evening: Enjoy more free time at the Chicago Blues festival. (B)
DAY 15 Saturday 7 June 2025 Chicago
Today is the second day of the Chicago Blues Festival. Another opportunity for you to explore the many
stages and stalls in search of your favourite flavour of blues, food and good times! (food is optional).
All day and night you will be entertained by the best artists from around Chicago! Our hotel is about 5
minutes’ walk from the Blues Festival at Millennium Park, so please feel free to come and go. (B)
DAY 16 Sunday 8 June 2025 Chicago
Today is the third day of the Chicago Blues Festival and a wonderful opportunity to immerse yourself in
the finale of the blues festival. The biggest names in blues music perform on the last night of the festival.
They may include Gary Clark Jr., Rick Estrin & The Nightcats and Lynne Jordan. Check your program,
choose your stage, and get down for the finale of the festival. (B)
DAY 17 Monday 9 June 2025 Departure
Morning: Free time for shopping and packing. Afternoon: Travel to Chicago airport. Commence flights
back to Australia, via Los Angeles. Those doing the New York State Blues Festival Extension Tour travel,
by coach, to Detroit. (B)
DAY 18 Tuesday 10 June 2025 In flight
DAY 19 Wednesday 11 June 2025 Arrive Australia
Arrive back in Australia and the tour concludes.
| TWIN FARE PER PERSON | SINGLE FARE | Plus Air taxes and fuel surcharges at 1/5/24 |
|---|---|---|
| $11,995 | $14,690 | $314 |
Per person twin-share $2,995; Single fare $3,975
You can stay longer in the USA for minimal extra cost. Please contact Travelrite on 1800 630 343 for more information.
International touring can involve a considerable amount of walking and stair climbing in the places visited and it is important that all tour participants have a level of physical fitness that allows them to take part in this activity without the need of assistance from others.
Tour Operator
Travelrite International Pty Ltd. ABN 64 005 817 078 (Travelrite
International) is the tour operator.
Tour Costs
The tour’s costs are based on transport, accommodation costs and
entrance costs at 1 May 2024. Travelrite reserves the right to alter the costs if any
of these factors change including currency changes, giving any passenger that has
booked the right to withdraw with full refund of monies paid or modify arrangements.
No alterations to costings will be made within 60 days prior to departure.
Deposit and Payment
A deposit of $600 per passenger is required at the time of
booking. Full payment will be required 60 days prior to departure. A 1.5% administration
charge will be added to payment by Visa, Mastercard and America Express.
Cancellations
* Cancellation conditions don’t apply for clients with future cruise/tour credits. Cruise/tour credits are non-refundable.
Cancellations within 60 days of departure will result in the loss
of all monies paid. Cancellation outside 60 days from departure will result in a
cancellation fee of $500 per person. Travel insurance is recommended to cover the
costs of cancellation fees due to illness, death in family, etc. Changes to the Tour
Itinerary. Travelrite International reserves the right to make changes to the tour
itinerary to fit in with operational requirements. Any changes to the itinerary will be
replaced with similar arrangements with an equal or greater value.
Minimum Tour Numbers
The tour has been costed based on a minimum number
of passengers having booked 60 days prior to departure. Travelrite reserves the right
to cancel the tour, giving a full refund of all monies paid or offer arrangements to
proceed with the tour at a modified cost if the minimum number is not achieved.
Baggage
All passengers qualify for 1 piece free baggage allowance.
Refunds
The tour is based on arrangements which do not allow for any refunds in
respect to sightseeing, accommodation, meals or other services not utilised after the
tour has commenced.
Tour Participation
Children under 5 years of age are ineligible on coach & cruise tours. Children under 18 years of age must be accompanied by an adult. Passengers with disabilities are welcome on Travelrite & Cruise Offers tours provided they are accompanied by a companion capable of providing all necessary assistance, and do not require special assistance from Travelrite & Cruise Offers personnel. Travelrite and Cruise Offers reserves the right to refuse to carry anyone if it is felt the individual cannot cope with the requirements of coach & cruise tour travel and who may require services and facilities that Travelrite & Cruise Offers cannot guarantee will be available. You agree to not hold the Travelrite & Cruise Offers responsible for any decision made by any of them or any service provider to refuse to carry you, provide any facilities or accommodation to you or to provide any service to you.
Responsibility
Travelrite International Pty Ltd. (Licence number 30858) is the
tour organiser. Travelrite International acts only as agents in making of arrangements
with carriers, hoteliers, and others for the tour. As a result, we cannot accept liability
for any act or omission whatsoever, whether negligent or otherwise of those carriers,
hoteliers or other persons providing services in connection with the tour over whom
we have no direct or exclusive control. We do not accept responsibility for any injury,
damage, loss, delay, change of schedule or any other events which are beyond our
direct control, such as, but not limited to, war, flood, fire, civil disturbance, acts of
God, acts of government, or any other authorities, terrorism, accidents to or failure
of machinery or equipment, or industrial action. The passage contract in use by
the carriers concerned, when issued, shall constitute the sole contract between
the transportation companies or firms and the purchasers of these tours and the
passengers. Baggage is at own risk throughout the tour. This contract shall be
construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Victoria, Australia and any legal
action must be taken in the State of Victoria.
Delays and Unforeseen Events
You engage Travelrite International to book this tour on your behalf and you acknowledge that Travelrite International acts as your agent for the purpose of making contracts between you and the various providers of accommodation, transportation and other services that comprise the tour. Travelrite may without reference to you provide or make available to you, or may as your agent engage any third party to provide or make available to you, any good or service which Travelrite reasonably believes is necessary for your benefit to maintain the tour itinerary, repatriate you or otherwise accommodate, transport or sustain you in circumstances in which the tour itinerary fails wholly or partly for any reason. You appoint Travelrite International your attorney for this purpose. You agree to pay Travelrite any cost thereof and you indemnify Travelrite in respect of any cost it incurs in this regard. Travelrite advises you to obtain travel insurance generally including in respect of the risk that any such good or service may become required.
How to Book:
Bookings can be made by completing a booking form and sending it
with a deposit of $600 per person to:
Travelrite International Pty. Ltd.
423 Whitehorse Road
Balwyn, Victoria 3103
Further information can be obtained by telephoning
Toll Free 1800 630 343
Phone: (03) 8803 6868
Email: sales@travelrite.com.au
ABOUT TRAVELRITE INTERNATIONAL:
Travelrite International Pty Ltd (ABN 64 005
817 078) is a well-established travel company which has been marketing throughout
Australia for over 40 years and operating in Victoria for more than 40 years. It has a
fully licensed (ATAS No. 10538) office at Balwyn which is accredited with IATA. As
such we directly represent the major airlines of the world and all major domestic and
international hotel, tour, and transport operators. Travelrite International Pty Ltd is a
full member of the Australian Federation of Travel Agents – AFTA.
9th - 17th June 2025
DAY 1 Monday 9 June 2025 Detroit
Morning: Travel, by coach, to Detroit, home to America’s automobile industry and birthplace of record
label, Motown. On arrival, enjoy sightseeing tour with local guide. See iconic landmarks, including the
Detroit Institute of Arts & the Guardian Building (historic art deco skyscraper). Overnight: Hilton Garden
Inn Detroit Downtown. (B)
DAY 2 Tuesday 10 June 2025 Detroit
Morning: Visit the birthplace of Motown at Hitsville U.S.A. (Motown Museum). In this row of modest
houses Berry Gordy launched Motown Records, and the careers of Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Marvin
Gaye and Michael Jackson. Afternoon: Visit the Henry Ford Museum, which showcases extraordinary
artifacts such as the chair Lincoln was sitting in when he was assassinated, and the presidential limo in
which Kennedy was killed. Evening: Visit the historic Bakers Keyboard Lounge, the oldest Jazz Club in the
world, for a great night of music (optional). (B)
DAY 3 Wednesday 11 June 2025 Toronto
Morning: Travel to Toronto, the most populous city in Canada and the capital city of the Canadian province
of Ontario. On arrival enjoy a sightseeing tour with a local guide. See the iconic CN Tower, offering
breathtaking views of the skyline. Stroll through the historic Distillery District, where cobblestone streets
lead to art galleries and trendy boutiques. Discover the eclectic neighbourhoods of Kensington Market
and Chinatown, bustling with diverse culinary delights and colourful street art. Overnight: Marriott
Downtown. (B)
DAY 4 Thursday 12 June 2025 Syracuse
Morning: Travel to Buffalo and witness the awe-inspiring wonder of Niagara Falls. Marvel at the
breathtaking beauty as cascading waters mesmerize your senses. There will be time for a Niagara Falls
boat tour experience (optional). Then, venture onwards to Syracuse for an orientation tour of the city. See
attractions such as the Erie Canal Museum and the picturesque Clinton Square. Afternoon and Evening:
Attend the excellent New York State Blues Festival. Overnight: Marriott Syracuse Downtown. (B)
DAY 5 Friday 13 June 2025 Syracuse
Afternoon and Evening: Experience the soulful rhythms and electrifying performances at the New York
State Blues Festival. (B)
DAY 6 Saturday 14 June 2025 Syracuse
Afternoon and Evening: Another day of unforgettable music, featuring top artists from around the globe
at the New York State Blues Festival. (B)
DAY 7 Sunday 15 June 2025 Departure
Morning: Travel to New York Airport. Commence return trip to Australia. (B)
DAY 8 Monday 16 June 2025 In flight
DAY 9 Tuesday 17 June 2025 Arrive Australia
Arrive back in Australia and the tour concludes.
“One of the best tours we have ever done. Great program and lovely people.”
“Well organised tour that ran smoothly. Very impressed with Wayne Horsburgh, intelligent, talented and caring.”
