Tennessee, Cumberland, & Arkansas River Small Ship Cruises

Memphis to Chattanooga music

Cruise the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers by Small Ship

The Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers run through a part of the country where American music was made and American history was decided. Small ship cruises on these waterways connect the region’s marquee cities — Memphis, Nashville, Chattanooga, and Knoxville — through towns and river bends that shaped the country’s cultural identity as much as any stretch of water in the continental United States.

The Music Cities itinerary runs 8 nights from Memphis to Nashville, beginning on Beale Street, the birthplace of the blues and the city where Elvis Presley recorded his first single at Sun Studio. The ship moves up the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers through Paducah, Kentucky, then into Civil War country at Dover, where Fort Donelson National Park preserves the battlefield of one of Ulysses S. Grant’s first major Union victories, and Clarksville, where Fort Defiance overlooks the confluence of the Cumberland and Red Rivers. The journey ends in Nashville, home of the Grand Ole Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame.

For a longer voyage, the Great Smoky Mountains itinerary runs 10 nights from Knoxville to Nashville, adding the Tennessee River Valley’s most storied stretch. The route calls at Chattanooga, Decatur, and Florence, Alabama, home of the Muscle Shoals recording studios where Aretha Franklin, the Rolling Stones, and dozens of other artists recorded songs that became part of the American soundtrack. An overland excursion into Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most visited national park in the country, is included. Paducah and Nashville close out the route.

Sailings run from spring through fall, with the widest selection of departures from June through October.

Tennessee, Cumberland, & Arkansas River Small Ship Cruises FAQs

What is the musical significance of the Memphis to Nashville route?

The corridor between Memphis and Nashville is arguably the most musically significant stretch of the American South. Memphis gave birth to the blues on Beale Street and was the city where rock and roll took shape at Sun Studio. Nashville developed into the center of country music, home to the Grand Ole Opry, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and dozens of legendary recording studios. The Music Cities cruise connects both in a single 8-night voyage.

What are the Muscle Shoals recording studios, and why do they matter?

Muscle Shoals, Alabama sits along the Tennessee River in the Florence area and became one of the most improbable recording capitals in American music history. In the 1960s and 1970s, FAME Studios and Muscle Shoals Sound Studio attracted artists including Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, the Rolling Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Paul Simon, producing recordings that defined multiple genres. The Great Smoky Mountains itinerary passes through Florence and Decatur on the Tennessee River, putting Muscle Shoals within reach.

What Civil War history does the Music Cities cruise cover?

The route passes through Dover, Tennessee, site of Fort Donelson National Park, where Ulysses S. Grant earned the nickname “Unconditional Surrender Grant” after capturing the Confederate fort in February 1862 — one of the first significant Union victories of the war. Clarksville’s Fort Defiance, at the confluence of the Cumberland and Red Rivers, is another confirmed stop with Civil War significance.

How does the Great Smoky Mountains itinerary differ from the Music Cities cruise?

The Music Cities cruise runs 8 nights from Memphis to Nashville and focuses on the blues, rock, and country music heritage of the corridor. The Great Smoky Mountains itinerary runs 10 nights from Knoxville to Nashville and covers a broader range, adding the Tennessee River Valley, Muscle Shoals, Chattanooga, and an overland excursion into Great Smoky Mountains National Park before ending in Nashville.

How do I book a Cumberland and Tennessee River cruise?

Call 800-578-1479. Our agents will help you choose between the Music Cities and Great Smoky Mountains itineraries, find the right departure dates, and handle every detail of your booking. Summer and fall sailings are the most popular and book up earliest.