There’s only a week to go until my American adventure ends! But first it’s time to sample the famous food and nightlife in New Orleans and Tennessee!

New Orleans: Hurricane cocktails / Trying out the gumbo from The Gumbo Shop

Live bands on Beales Street, Memphis / A drink with a view in Nashville

Jack Daniel’s distillery in Lynchberg, Tennessee / View of Appalachian Mountains in Wytheville, Virginia

After a quick overnight stop in Lafayette (where there was humidity and mozzies galore), we finally arrived in New Orleans! Our first activity was a swamp tour where we got to see plenty of alligators and even got to hold a baby one! Then it was onto our accommodation for the next two nights – a townhouse for the eight of us! Better yet, it was only a stone’s throw away from the French Quarter and the infamous Bourbon Street! After a walking tour of the French Quarter, we all had a crawfish bowl for dinner before hitting the nightlife! We all tried the famous Hurricane cocktail, and partied the night away! The next day, me and Polly headed out and explored the local art galleries, shops and tried Creole cuisine (so delicious), before a voodoo tour that night. The next couple of days were then spent in the home of country music – Memphis and Nashville. We had a couple of amazing nights out – including a dance off in a Honky Tonk bar in Nashville – before travelling to Tennessee to visit the Jack Daniel’s distillery (in a non-drinking state, how ironic) and whitewater rafting in Ocoee. Our last stop of the week was Wytheville in Virginia, where we hit the batting cages, played pool and watched Harry Potter!

Stay up to date with all the latest goings-on with my USA trip on instagram – @sazwatson.

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