Afternoon: Arrival Check in Registration Welcome Class: "Virginia Through the Centuries: Urban vs. Rural" A general overview of the societies that developed in the countryside and in the towns and cities of Virginia from its colonial beginnings up through the chaotic years of the American Civil War.

Dinner: Enjoy a good, traditional style dinner with a Southern accent, served buffet style in a private dining area. All dinners for the week will be in this venue.

Evening: Road Scholar Introductions Program Overview

Lodging: Clarion Hotel Historic District

Meals Included: Dinner

Visits to 17th century Bacon's Castle and the 400 year old farm at Chippokes Plantation

Note: Both of these visits include walking on the grounds of the plantations. The second floor of Bacon's Castle is accessible only by stairs, and there are also steps at Chippokes. Those not able to walk long distances or climb stairs will be able to rest on numerous benches and visit ground level displays that will provide some information about the sites.

Breakfast: Start the day with a generous buffet breakfast in our private dining area.

Morning: "Evolution of Plantation Life: The Revolution to the Civil War" Trace the changes that take place during the Antebellum Period as different crops are planted, farming methods are refined, and slaves continue to toil in the fields. Field Trip: "Bacon's Castle" This National Historical Landmark is one of the oldest brick houses still standing in English North America. Exhibits many unique architectural features and has extensive gardens. It was occupied by partisans during Bacon's' Rebellion in 1676.

Lunch: Enjoy a boxed lunch in the picnic area at Chippokes Plantation. The meal will include a sandwich, chips, fruit, cookie, and drink.

Afternoon: Field Trip: "Chippokes Plantation, a Virginia State Park" The site has been farmed for over three centuries and includes early buildings and the manor house, along with an antique farm implements museum, all of which highlight the evolution of agricultural life during its three centuries.

Dinner: Dinner will again be at the hotel in our private dining area.

Evening: Performance: "Life after Bacon's Rebellion" A lady of the time describes the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of life in the turbulent years of the late seventeenth century. She shares her stories and willingly answers questions from her audience.

Lodging: Clarion Hotel Historic District

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Gardens and an Urban Plantation in Colonial Williamsburg; Lunch at a colonial tavern

Note: The walk through Colonial Williamsburg is about a mile and a half on pebble, brick, and shell paths with few places to rest. Steps must be negotiated to explore the Wythe House.

Breakfast: Breakfast at your leisure in our private dining area.

Morning: Class: "Evolution of the Governor's Palace Gardens" A Colonial Williamsburg gardener shares his knowledge of the formal gardens, always intriguing Maze, and kitchen gardens that share the grounds around the reconstructed Royal Governor's Palace in the Restored Area. Field Trip: "Historic Garden Walk through Colonial Williamsburg". Continue your study of the gardens of the colonial era as your guide takes you on a walking tour of formal and informal gardens from the nurseries to the Governor's Palace. Field Trip: "George Wythe House" Explore the environs of an urban plantation at the beautifully restored Wythe House on Palace Green. The site includes not only the main house but also many of the outbuildings essential to the smooth running of the household so that a full picture of colonial town life can be seen.

Lunch: Enjoy the ambiance of a Colonial Tavern as you are entertained by strolling musicians and local personalities from the past. Taste southern comfort food in the charm of Shields Tavern, a reconstructed building with a history all its own. In the 18th century, public houses were gathering places for residents and travelers. Partake of a dining experience similar to one enjoyed by patriots like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick Henry.

Afternoon: Field Trip : "Colonial Williamsburg" Continue your exploration of the Restored Area with a guided walk down mile-long Duke of Gloucester Street that provides an overview of the homes, stores, and public buildings. The information gained on this field trip can be used to select sites to explore in more depth in your free time on Day Four. Time has also been built into the afternoon so that if you would like to remain in the Restored Area after the guided walk, you can begin your in-depth exploration this afternoon.

Dinner: Dinner will again be at the hotel in our private dining area.

Evening: Performance: "Civil War Era Music and Instruments" Enjoy the talents of a costumed musician as he plays period style instruments like the banjo and sings some of the songs that the troops on both sides of the conflict would have known. Learn about the instruments and the social context in which the music evolved.

Lodging: Clarion Hotel Historic District

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Presentations on Architecture and Slavery; A moving visit from a newly freed slave

Note: This can be a quiet day to catch your breath or you can venture out on your free afternoon to revisit Colonial Williamsburg or other area sites.

Breakfast: Breakfast at your leisure in our private dining area.

Morning: Class: "Plantation Architecture" Learn about the predominant styles of the great James River plantations from their humble beginnings to the "Georgian Palaces" that graced the expansive farms that spread along both banks of the river from colonial times to the nineteenth century. Class: "A Brief History of Slavery" A study of the institution from its beginnings in 1619 as a form of indentured servitude through its gradual codification into the laws of the Virginia colony until it became part of the very fabric of society in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. A full understanding of the first 250 years of American history cannot be gained without a consideration of the role and status of the African American slaves who made up a substantial part of the population.

Lunch: A lighter mid-day fare will be served in our private dining area.

Afternoon: Free Afternoon: Use your Colonial Williamsburg ticket to continue your exploration of the Restored Area or Visitors Center, or investigate some of the other historical sites in the area on your own.

Dinner: Dinner will again be at the hotel in our private dining area.

Evening: Performance: "The Contraband Story and the African American Experience" Enter the world of the African American slave after the battles had been waged and the soldiers returned home. A wonderfully talented interpreter will tell you of the incredible struggle of slaves to gain freedom and describe what the war meant to them. Share with her the poignant story of her search for her lost daughter and the results of the heart-wrenching reunion.

Lodging: Clarion Hotel Historic District

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Visits to Berkeley and Shirley Plantations; Musical entertainment; Another visitor from the past

Note: Both of the houses visited today can only be accessed by going up and down flights of stairs. Both have beautiful grounds that can be explored as much or as little as you choose following brick, pebble, and shell paths.

Breakfast: Breakfast at your leisure in our private dining area.

Morning: Performance: "Rare Colonial Instruments" Enjoy the talents of a costumed colonial musician as he plays and describes instruments of the period from the expected to the delightfully unusual. Class: "Plantation Cooking" Learn about the ingredients, methods and theories of colonial cooking as you assist in the preparation of a simple but delicious dessert from the time period.

Lunch: A lighter mid-day fare will be served in our private dining area.

Afternoon: Field Trip: "The Great James River Plantations" Explore Berkeley and Shirley Plantations, homes with colorful histories, occupied over several centuries by some of the First Families of Virginia and their descendants. You will be able to tour both the grounds bursting with spring growth and the mansions that give a glimpse of the great James River plantation lifestyle at its height.

Dinner: Dinner will again be at the hotel in our private dining area.

Evening: Performance: "A Loving, Dutiful Wife" Discover what life was like on the home front during the Civil War as you hear the story of a local lady caught between the warring armies. Learn about how she made due as soldiers from both sides passed by her farm and what happened to her extended family, fighting on both sides of the conflict.

Lodging: Clarion Hotel Historic District

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Visits to Endview Plantation, a modest Revolutionary era farmhouse, and Lee Hall Mansion, an impressive Antebellum home

Note: Both of the houses today have access to their first floors by means of lifts. The only access to the second floors is by steps. The museum in the basement of Endview can only be accessed by stairs, but the one at Lee Hall has a ramp. The grounds of both can be explored as little or as much as you choose.

Breakfast: Breakfast at your leisure in our private dining area.

Morning: Field Trip: "Antebellum Homes" Tour Endview Plantation, a Colonial period farm that will provide an interesting contrast to the great plantations. It was also site of Civil War encampments and is interpreted as it was during that war. Then travel to nearby Lee Hall Mansion, an elegant 1850's manor with unique architectural features, home to an agricultural innovator and headquarters for Confederate generals in 1862.

Lunch: Pick up a box lunch with sandwich, fruit, chips, cookie, and beverage before heading home.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch