Afternoon: HOTEL CHECK-IN: Available from 3:00 pm. PROGRAM REGISTRATION: After you have your room assignment, come over to the Road Scholar desk in the lobby to register with the program staff at our desk in the lobby beginning at 5:00pm. You’ll receive your arrival packet containing the most up-to-date schedule and program information that we’ll review during our orientation session after dinner. Please be aware that program activities and scheduled times could change due to local circumstances. In the event of any changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding!

Dinner: Dinner is at the hotel.

Evening: ORIENTATION: You'll have an informative overview of the program to come plus an opportunity to meet the program staff and your fellow participants during an introductory get-acquainted session. We’ll review the updated schedule, answer any questions you may have, and cover responsibilities, safety guidelines, and emergency procedures. (If you arrive late, please pick up your packet at the hotel front desk.) The remainder of the evening is yours to begin getting to know one another, walk around the neighborhood, or relax in the hotel. You are about to embark on a very special learning adventure, seeing first hand how history lives on in the present, from stately homes in historic Charleston to extraordinary Lowcountry plantations. Charleston is and always has been a place of spectacular contradictions. Known as the “Holy City” because of its many houses of worship, this was one of the few cities in colonial America to protect religious diversity. Yet it was also part of an ante-bellum society that benefited from slavery and became wealthy as a result. You’ll have opportunities to ponder these contradictions as we explore and learn about magnificent dwellings, often adorned with graceful gardens, and the lives of the people who lived and worked there. NOTE: The “field trip” designation denotes a group outing that includes on-site presentations by experts.

Lodging: The Mills House Wyndham Grand Hotel

Meals Included: Dinner

Charleston and The Carolina Low Country, Historic District Field Trip, Presentation

Breakfast: Famous Lowcountry breakfast will be at the hotel. Enjoy breakfast in the courtyard or the Barbadoes Room.

Morning: PRESENTATION: A local historian — the co-author of "A Witness to History: Charleston's Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon" — will provide an introduction to Charleston and the Carolina Lowcountry. This introductory history of Charleston will prepare you for the field trips we will take during your stay starting with the first field trip through historic downtown Charleston after lunch.

Lunch: Lunch is yours to enjoy on your own. There are many wonderful restaurants that surround your hotel. We will have a list for you to choose from and our coordinator will be happy to assist you.

Afternoon: FIELD TRIP: Charleston Historic District. Get an orientation to the interior city of Charleston as we begin our exploration of great houses and gardens. Among those we visit is the PALMER HOME on the Battery, one of Charleston's most famous houses, built in 1848 by John Ravenel, whose son designed the "Little David" , the first semi-submersible vessel. This private home is now operated as a bed-and-breakfast by third-generation owner, Frances Palmer. The house is furnished and decorated with antiques dating back two hundred years. In addition to learning about all this fascinating history, enjoy light refreshments. You'll also see the Palmer House private garden as well as other private gardens as we walk through the historic area.

Dinner: Dinner is at the hotel.

Evening: PRESENTATION: Learn about Charleston's Sweetgrass Baskets and see a demonstration. Brought to the area by slaves who came from the west coast of Africa, basket making is an ancient African art form in this country, which has been passed on from generation to generation. Skilled craftsmanship and long hours are involved in making these baskets. Even for the most experienced basket maker, a simple design can take as long as 12 hours. A larger more complex design can take as long as two to three months. Learn the art of sweetgrass basket making and the history of Gullah sweetgrass baskets.

Lodging: The Mills House Wyndham Grand Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Middleton Place Plantation & Gardens, Low Country Buffet, Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, Gullah Culture Evening

Breakfast: Breakfast will be at the hotel.

Morning: FIELD TRIP: Middleton Place is a National Historic Landmark situated on the Ashley River, a carefully preserved 18th-century plantation that has survived revolution, Civil War, and earthquake. During our field trip, you'll learn that it was the home of four important generations of Middletons, beginning with Henry Middleton, President of the First Continental Congress; Arthur, a signer of the Declaration of Independence; Henry, Governor of South Carolina and an American Minister to Russia; and William, a signer of the Ordinance of Secession. We'll explore the house museum, the gardens, and the plantation stableyards.

Lunch: Enjoy a delicious Lowcountry buffet at Middleton Plantation.

Afternoon: FIELD TRIP: Magnolia Plantation, founded in 1676 by the Drayton family, has survived the centuries and witnessed the history of our nation unfold from the American Revolution through the Civil War and beyond. It is the oldest public site open to visitors in the Lowcountry, with the oldest public gardens in America, opening its doors to visitors in 1872 to view the thousands of beautiful flowers and plants in its famous gardens. Learn about its rich history as you experience the beauty of the house and gardens.

The Palmetto Trust for Historic Preservation, South Carolina's only statewide partner with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, awarded Magnolia Plantation the 2010 Heritage Award for their interpretive program at the slave cabins. Magnolia Plantation also won the 2009 preservation award last year for restoration and preservation of the cabins.

Dinner: Dinner will be at the hotel.

Evening: PRESENTATION & PERFORMANCE: The Gullah people, descendants of slaves, are a distinctive group of African-Americans living in the Coastal regions of South Carolina and Georgia. Because of their isolated community life, the Gullah have retained more of their African cultural heritage than any other group and speak an English-based Creole language that retains many elements of African language and culture. Enjoy an informative presentation and selection of songs that will entertain and delight you with insights into Gullah culture.

Lodging: The Mills House Wyndham Grand Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Edmondston-Alston Home and Nathaniel Russell Home/Free Afternoon and Evening In Charleston

Breakfast: Breakfast will be at the hotel.

Morning: FIELD TRIP: This morning' s first field trip will take you to the Edmondston-Alston home. Built for shipping merchant Charles Edmondston c.1825, this house on Charleston's High Battery was acquired in 1838 by Charles Alston, owner of three rice plantations on the fertile Waccamaw Neck. It is an outstanding example of a planter's town house, where the Alstons enjoyed the social season and summer breezes of the city, avoiding the malarial rice plantations. Since it has never passed out of the family's ownership, it is richly appointed with original furniture, tableware, and even Charles Alston's library and gun. The second-story piazza affords a breathtaking view of Charleston Harbor. The second home to view this morning is the Nathaniel Russell Home. Since 1808, visitors have admired the grand Federal townhouse of Charleston merchant Nathaniel Russell. Set amid spacious formal gardens, the Nathaniel Russell House is a National Historic Landmark and is widely recognized as one of America’s most important neoclassical dwellings. The graceful interior with elaborate plasterwork ornamentation, geometrically shaped rooms and a magnificent free-flying staircase are among the most exuberant ever created in early America.

Lunch: Begin your free afternoon with lunch on your own to sample some of the wonderful cuisine available in many different restaurants and eateries.

Afternoon: FREE AFTERNOON: This is your opportunity to pursue your personal interests. There is so much to choose from! You can check elsewhere in this document for free time suggestions and we will also be happy to make suggestions on site during the program. You may also want to check the official Charleston Visitors Bureau website to see what's on: www.charlestoncvb.com/.

You are also near the historic College of Charleston with many activities of its own.

Dinner: Dinner is on your own to try out the restaurants and cuisines of your choice. There are numerous options within walking distance of the hotel and we will prepare a list of suggestions. It is your night to enjoy. (This meal has been excluded from the program cost.)

Evening: FREE EVENING: Continue your exploration of the sights and sounds that are most interesting to you personally. As with the afternoon, program staff will be happy to offer suggestions. Again, check the official Charleston Visitors Bureau website to see what's on: www.charlestoncvb.com/.

Lodging: The Mills House Wyndham Grand Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast

Charleston Tea Plantation/Tomato Shed Cafe, Famous Angel Oak Tree/Farewell Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast will be at the hotel.

Morning: You will take a field trip to the only tea plantation in the United States. The Charleston Tea Plantation is the home of American Classic Tea, tea grown in America. It is located on picturesque Wadmalaw Island in the heart of South Carolina's Lowcountry. Its grounds include 127 acres of Camellia Sinensis tea plants, a working Tea Factory and a charming Plantation Gift Shoppe.

Lunch: Lunch is at the Tomato Shed Cafe located on Wadmalaw Island. It is a small café, specializing in fresh vegetables grown on the Ambrose family farm and fresh meat. Since Farmer Pete was a shrimper before he was a farmer, we have the best connections to get the freshest shrimp right from the trawler that is kept at our dock on Adams Creek in Rockville.

Afternoon: After lunch we will visit the Angel Oak tree. The Angel Oak is a Live Oak (Quercus virginiana) that is a native species found throughout the Lowcountry (Coastal Carolina). Believed to be in excess of 1500 years old, its massive, draping limbs and wide spreading canopy present the aura of an angel but the naming of this tree was acquired from the tree's previous owners, Martha and Justin Angel.

Dinner: Dinner will be at a popular restaurant near your hotel as we explore some of Charleston's distinctive coastal cuisine. This will be our final night together and we will toast it with a special farewell dinner.

Evening: We will continue our fun into the night at the local restaurant. Enjoy saying good-bye to newfound friends and sharing memories made during the week.

Lodging: The Mills House Wyndham Grand Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Wrap Up Session & Discussion of Charleston's Restoration And Preservation, Farewells, Program Concludes

Breakfast: Breakfast will be at the hotel.

Morning: WRAP-UP SESSION: During our closing session, we’ll review what we’ve seen and learned with our resident historian, sharing our personal assessments of what the experience has meant. We’ll also address any remaining questions and discuss what the future may hold for Charleston,. Then it’s time for fond farewells.

We’ll conclude at approximately 10:00am to facilitate your travel needs. Hotel check-out is 11:00am.

We hope you have enjoyed this exciting new program and will join us for other rewarding Road Scholar learning adventures in the future. Best wishes for all your journeys!

Meals Included: Breakfast