Lower Mississippi River Cruise Itinerary
The stops between New Orleans and Memphis, and what to see in each.
Get Lower Mississippi QuotesA Typical Lower Mississippi River Cruise Itinerary
This lower Mississippi river cruise itinerary runs south to north, from New Orleans to Memphis. It combines the stops that appear most often on American Cruise Lines and Viking departures; your sailing will use some of them, not necessarily all.
| Day | Stop | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Orleans, LA | Boarding; French Quarter and the jazz park |
| 2–3 | River Road plantations, LA | Oak Alley, Houmas House or Whitney; the sugar country |
| 3 | Baton Rouge or St. Francisville, LA | Old State Capitol; St. Francisville’s historic district and gardens |
| 4–5 | Natchez, MS | Antebellum houses on the bluff and the national historical park |
| 5–6 | Vicksburg, MS | The Civil War siege and the military park |
| 6–7 | Greenville or Cleveland, MS | The Mississippi Delta, the blues and the GRAMMY museum |
| 8–9 | Memphis, TN | Beale Street, Sun and Stax, the civil rights museum; disembark |
Natchez and Vicksburg
Natchez grew rich on cotton and has more surviving antebellum houses than almost any American town. The Natchez National Historical Park interprets both sides of that wealth: Melrose, a grand estate, and the home of William Johnson, a free Black barber whose diary is one of the great records of the era.
Vicksburg controlled the river, and its capture by Union forces on July 4, 1863, after a long siege, split the Confederacy. The Vicksburg National Military Park has a driving tour past trenches, monuments and the recovered ironclad USS Cairo.
Louisiana and the Delta
In Louisiana, the first days are about the River Road, the line of sugar plantations between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Our River Road history page explains which estates you may visit and how they tell the story of slavery. Baton Rouge adds the state’s two capitols and a riverfront museum ship, while St. Francisville offers a quiet historic district and gardens.
North of Vicksburg the river enters the Mississippi Delta, the flat, fertile land between the Mississippi and the Yazoo that gave the world the blues. A stop at Greenville or Cleveland brings markers of the Mississippi Blues Trail and, in Cleveland, the GRAMMY Museum Mississippi. Our music page has more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does every lower Mississippi river cruise itinerary include the same ports?
No. Natchez and Vicksburg appear on almost all of them, but lines choose different plantation stops, Delta towns and Louisiana calls, and the order flips with direction.
Are shore excursions included?
Both main lines include a choice of tours in most ports, with some premium tours at extra cost. Ask what is included for your departure.
How much time is spent cruising versus in port?
Most days have a port call, typically a morning or a full day, with scenic cruising in between. The river between Baton Rouge and Natchez and above Vicksburg gives long stretches of open-river views.
Get the Itinerary for Your Dates
Our cruise advisors at Mister Cruise will send the exact port list for the departures you are considering, with free quotes.
Request Itineraries