PROGRAM REGISTRATION: After you have your room assignment, come over to the Road Scholar desk in the lobby to pick up your arrival packet containing your name tag, the up-to-date schedule, and to confirm the time of the orientation session. Please be aware that program activities and scheduled times could change due to local circumstances. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.
ORIENTATION & WELCOME RECEPTION: We'll review the schedule and any changes; discuss responsibilities, safety guidelines, emergency procedures; and answer any questions you may have. You'll also have an opportunity to meet the program staff and your fellow participants during a get-acquainted reception.
This City Highlights Weekend in Atlanta is a new Road Scholar "Flex" program. It is different from other programs with more opportunities for you to dine out and explore on your own. Several meals have been excluded from the program cost and you will have a large block of free time for personal independent exploration. We hope you enjoy this new "Flex" program and highlights of what's on in Atlanta this weekend.Dinner: Dinner will be in our private room at the hotel. Choices include two entrees, salad, side dishes, dessert, and beverages.Evening: PRESENTATION: The Battle of Atlanta. Dr. Steven Davis is passionate about the history he presents and is a favorite speaker for Road Scholar on the Battle of Atlanta. He is the author of numerous publications on the Civil War and speaks at conferences, symposiums and round tables.Lodging: Hyatt Place Buckhead AtlantaMeals Included: Dinner
The current building was remodeled and enlarged from what was once the estate's carriage house to create the charming Restaurant and Gift Shop.Afternoon: FIELD TRIP continues: Swan House Mansion. This elegant, classically styled mansion is named for the swan motif found throughout its interior. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has become an Atlanta landmark. Built in 1928 for Edward and Emily Inman, heirs to a cotton brokerage fortune, the house was designed by well-known and influential Atlanta architect Philip Trammell Shutze. In Swan House and its gardens, together considered Shutze's finest residential work, he adapted Italian and English classical styles to accommodate 20th-century living. We will explore the most significant rooms of this beautifully restored historic home including the entrance, Breakfast Room and Hall, Library, Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen, Butler's Pantry, Mrs. Inman's Bedroom and Bathroom, Grandchildren's Bedroom, Guest Bedroom, and Mr. Inman's Bedroom. Additionally, a stroll around the mansion grounds provides breathtaking views complete with gardens and fountains.Dinner: Dinner is on your own to enjoy your personal preferences among Atlanta's wonderful restaurants. A list of restaurants within easy walking distance to your hotel will be provided. The Group Leader will be happy to assist you with your selection. A popular choice for a group reservation is the Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant across the street from the hotel, but there are a number in the area.
Plan for an early dinner so we can depart from the hotel together by 7:00pm for the Fox Theatre.Evening: PERFORMANCE: "War Horse." The Fabulous Fox Theatre is located near downtown Atlanta. We have reserved seating for this production that won 5 Tony Awards including Best Play, a spectacular hit in London that on Broadway.
At the beginning of World War I, an English boy's beloved horse is sold to the cavalry and shipped to France. The horse survives travails only to be caught in a battlefield no-man's land. The boy, now a young man in uniform, embarks on a treacherous mission to find him and bring him home. The breathing, galloping, charging horses on stage are life-size "puppets" strong enough for men to ride.Lodging: Hyatt Place Buckhead AtlantaMeals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
FIELD TRIP: Centennial Olympic Park. The park is located right across the street from CNN. You'll learn many fascinating things during our walk, such as... 50 different subcontractors worked on the Park, requiring an estimated 200,000 man-hours to construct, the equivalent of one person working full-time for 100 years. Granite from each of the five continents represented in the Olympic Games is used in the Park. Centennial Olympic Park is the largest downtown park in the country developed in the last 25 years. More than 11 miles of underground irrigation service the Park's three water features.Lunch: You free afternoon and evening begin with lunch on your own to explore more of Atlanta at your own pace.Afternoon: FREE AFTERNOON: Personal independent exploration time. There is so much to see and do. You might wish to visit the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, the Jimmy Carter Presidential Museum and Library, World of Coca Cola, Georgia Aquarium (the world's largest!), Margaret Mitchell's home, or any of the great variety of museums, historic sites, parks, and gardens. The Group Leader will be happy to make recommendations and will also lead an impromptu walk you may join if you like.Dinner: Continuing your personal independent exploration, dinner will be own your own. There are many restaurants within walking distance of the hotel, and the hotel shuttle will take you to the restaurant of your choice within a 2 mile radius. The Group Leader will eat out at a nearby restaurant and you are free to join at your cost if you like. Should you choose to remain in and relax, the hotel has a limited menu of choices available in the lobby area.Evening: FREE EVENING: Personal independent exploration time. The list of possibilities is extensive, and again the Group Leader will be happy to offer recommendadtions. You will find what's on at websites such as www.Atlanta.net.Lodging: Hyatt Place Buckhead AtlantaMeals Included: Breakfast
A quarter of a century after the signing of the Civil Rights Act, neither Margaret Mitchell nor her characters would recognize the city that was at the center of her book. Atlanta today is a hub of white and black culture, wealth, and political power. Black and white patrons exercise and network together at the Downtown Athletic Club. The city of nearly a half-million people has had four black mayors, its population also rapidly growing with large Hispanic and Asian populations.
PROGRAM CONCLUDES: The program concludes with our final session at approximately 10:00am.
We trust you have enjoyed this new City Highlights Weekend "Flex" program and will join us for other rewarding Road Scholar learning adventures in the the future. Best wishes for all your journeys!Lodging: Hyatt Place Buckhead AtlantaMeals Included: Breakfast