Activity note: Hotel check-in available from 4 p.m.

Afternoon: Program Registration: After you have your room assignment, come to the conference room to register with the program staff and get your welcome packet and up-to-date schedule that reflects any last-minute changes. Orientation will take place at 5:00 pm. If your arrival is delayed, please ask for your packet when you check in. Orientation: The Group Leader will greet everyone with warm welcome and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule and any changes, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer any questions you may have. Unless specified otherwise, transportation will be provided primarily by motorcoach or trolley. Free time is reserved for your personal independent exploration. Evenings at leisure offer opportunities to make the program more meaningful and memorable through personal independent exploration, engaging in available activities on your own, or simply relaxing and making new friends among fellow participants. The Group Leader will always be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local conditions/circumstances. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

Dinner: At the hotel, we’ll enjoy a tasty buffet with coffee, tea, and water.

Evening: At leisure. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.

Activity note: Walking up to 1 mile split up by field trips throughout the day. Walking over sand and uneven terrain as well as on paved surfaces. Driving approximately 10 miles total for the day; time spent on the bus may be around 1 hour.

Breakfast: We’ll start our day off right with a hearty and nutritious breakfast buffet at the hotel conference center that includes a wide range of assorted breakfast items with juice, coffee, tea and water.

Morning: Our history of St. Simons Island will begin when we board our motor coach with an expert-led field trip. We will visit Fort Frederica where we'll walk among the ancient live oaks while listening to fascinating historical tales using our listening devices. St. Simons Island is the largest of Georgia’s Golden Isles and was originally developed by the slave-owning colonial English into plantations of cotton and other cash crops. Out of the widespread West African slave population in the southeast region of what is now the United States grew the distinctive Gullah and Geechee cultures. Since the turn of the 20th century, however, the island transformed into more of a resort community with a significant seasonal population. Fort Frederica, established in 1736 by James Oglethorpe, was made to defend Georgia’s southern border from the Floridian Spanish. We will also make a stop at the historic St. Simons Lighthouse for an expert-led field trip. While here, we’ll explore the historic St. Simons Lighthouse campus which includes the Lighthouse, the Keeper's Dwelling Museum, the oil house and Victorian Gazebo.

Lunch: At a popular island restaurant on the island, we’ll have a plated meal with coffee, tea and water; other beverages available for purchase.

Afternoon: After lunch, our expert naturalist will lead us on an exciting beach and marsh walk with accompanying commentary focused on the interplay between these two distinct ecosystems. As we wander about on the hard-packed marsh floor during low tide, we will not risk any disturbance of the environment as we explore the area and observe its resident wildlife. Continuing on to the beach, we’ll scout for critters and clues to their presence with the help of our naturalist. On our way back to the hotel, we will drive through the tiny seaside village noting historical and modern landmarks. As we pass, we’ll also learn about the iconic avenue of oaks and more. This trip is tide dependent and may switch places with the morning history field trip depending on the tides. Both field trips will take place this day.

Dinner: Hotel buffet.

Evening: At the hotel, we’ll gather for a lecture given by a local expert that will focus on sea turtles, their unique biological characteristics, and the efforts being made by organizations to preserve their population. These include, for instance, devices employed by the shrimping industry to avoid trapping these animals as bycatch. Known to be present in almost every ocean in the world, these speedy swimmers glide through the water on large flippers encased in smooth scaly skin and a hard shell to defend themselves from predators.

Activity note: Walking up to 1 mile split up on field trips throughout the day. Driving approximately 20 miles one way to Jekyll Island from St. Simons. Boneyard Beach is soft and wet beach sand.

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: We’ll depart via motorcoach and transfer to the Jekyll Island Museum for an expert-led field trip. The many exhibitions feature objects and photographs from extensive collections and will introduce us to the rich heritage of Jekyll Island, whose social and architectural legacy is reflected in the Jekyll Island Club National Historic Landmark District. A 240-acre riverfront compound, it is one of the largest ongoing restoration projects in the southeastern United States. Founded in 1886, the Jekyll Island Hotel was the winter retreat for some of America's most elite families including such names as Morgan, Astor, Rockefeller, Vanderbilt and Pulitzer. Here, on this small barrier island off Georgia's beautiful coast, the founders shaped a private world of grand cottage residences around a Queen Anne-style clubhouse. Much of this compound has been carefully preserved and faithfully restored in the Jekyll Island National Historic Landmark District, where we will be welcomed guests. After viewing an informative film and seeing photos from the time period at the museum, we’ll meet our historian who will provide background on the so-called “Millionaire’s Village” created by many well-known financial and political giants, many of whom gathered here 1910 to plan the Federal Reserve System. Boarding a tram around the historic district together, we’ll visit two of these impressively wealthy and exclusive homes from this formative period in American history. While aboard the tram, our local historian will illustrate the comprehensive context of the place and why it has become such a legacy.

Lunch: At the historic Jekyll Island Hotel, we’ll have a delicious plated meal featuring regional specialties with coffee, tea and water. The Jekyll Island Club Hotel is Jekyll Island's only four-star resort and National Historic Landmark. Enjoy elegant surroundings and simple pleasures. Its impressive members included such luminaries as J.P. Morgan, William Rockefeller, Vincent Astor, Joseph Pulitzer, William K. Vanderbilt, and other recognizable names on the roster were Macy, Goodyear and Gould.

Afternoon: Free Time. Take this opportunity for personal independent exploration around the Jekyll Island Club and its surrounding cottages. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. You may wish to embark on a short and easy walk to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center or through the oak-lined historic district to see local art such as pottery and hand-blown glass. We’ll then meet at a predetermined time and place to board the motorcoach and return to St. Simons Island. As we leave Jekyll Island, we'll stop at Driftwood Beach, known as Boneyard Beach. It is one of the most photographed beaches anywhere due to the erosion and numerous live oak trees that have fallen into the water. Hear about all of this with your expert and be sure and bring your camera. This is tidal dependent so if the tide is in and we're unable to go onto Boneyard Beach, we will go to other locations on the island.

Dinner: Dinner will be on your own to discover any of the restaurants that suit your style. A list of area restaurants will be made available by the group leader. You will need transportation to get to any of the St. Simons restaurants by uber or taxi. You may decide to eat in the dining room of the conference center.

Evening: At leisure.

Activity note: Walking up to a maximum of 1 mile, about 1 hour collectively, on mostly paved walkways and some grass. Getting on/off a boat; the boat ride is about 2 hours; restroom on board.

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: After transferring via motorcoach to the dock, we will board the "Lady Jane," a working shrimp boat, for a shrimp trawl. The crew of the Lady Jane will provide an educational lesson with commentary on the local ecology as we cruise the protected waters of St. Simons Sound. If desired, we may even help out sorting the catch of bonnethead, blacktip, sand shark, horseshoe crab, puffer fish, amberjack, crocker, spot, whiting, bluecrab and skate; we may even see dolphins and coastal birds along the way! We’ll return to the dock and board our motorcoach for transfer to lovely Christ Church for an expert-led field trip with historical commentary. The atmosphere of Christ Church has captivated visitors for years with its distinctive architectural design and majestic live oak surroundings. This modern-day spectacle, like a vintage photograph, offers the Road Scholar viewer a peek into another time period. Ultimately, the widespread appeal of the site today may be linked to the 1880s generosity of Anson Dodge Jr., a man popularized by Eugenia Price in her book, "The Beloved Invader." While on our walking field trip, we will explore the unique environment and also make our way through the old cemetery which contains graves of early settlers and some famous Georgians.

Lunch: The motor coach will drop participants in the tiny seaside village to have lunch on your own. We'll have free time this afternoon to explore and meander around the village. Return transportation will be at a given time announced by the group leader. Anyone wishing to stay longer may call uber or a taxi for the hotel return.

Afternoon: Free time. Take time on your own to explore the beauty of the island or just relax. Return transportation at a given time and place to be announced by the group leader.

Dinner: Hotel buffet.

Evening: The group leader will go over the Sapelo Island itinerary for the following day. The ferry ride to Sapelo is 20 - 30 minutes. There are no roads going to Sapelo Island, therefore access to the island is restricted to pre-registered visitors only. We have pre-registered our Road Scholar group to assure a spot on the ferry, which includes indoor seating.

Activity note: Walking approximately 1 mile over several hours throughout the day; uneven terrain including sand and grass. Drive from hotel to Darien, GA is about 60 miles round trip, approx. 2 hours. Board ferry in Darien and the ride to Sapelo is approximately 30 minutes; restrooms on board. Disembark ferry onto DNR shuttle or school bus. Getting on/off transportation and walking on beach with an expert.

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: We’ll depart the hotel via motorcoach for transfer to the ferry’s docking point and the Mainland Visitor Center where we will have some time to learn through independent exploration of the exhibits about Sapelo’s cultural history, coastal wildlife and complex ecosystems of beach and dunes. At embarkation time, we’ll board the ferry for the short ride to the island and get ready for an expert-led field trip on the island where we will explore Native American shell mounds, visit tabby ruins of an old French estate, check out Nannygoat Beach and stop by tabby ruins of the slave cabins. Sapelo Island is reachable only by boat, making it an endearing isolated destination. With our own naturalist, we will learn about the surrounding marshes and the ecology of Sapelo. Georgia possesses over 368,000 acres of salt marsh. The salt marsh is a critical habitat and developmental nursery for numerous ecologically, commercially and recreationally valuable species as well numerous birds, mammals and reptiles. The University of Georgia Marine Institute on Sapelo Island (UGAMI) is a world-renowned field destination that supports research and education in coastal ecosystems. This is not a teaching center so we will drive past the Institute as we discuss their role. We'll also ride past RJ Reynolds Mansion. We cannot go into the mansion if a group has rented out the facility but you will be able to see the grounds.

Lunch: At the beach pavilion on Sapelo Island (weather permitting) or at the local community center, we’ll be treated to a meal of local cuisine prepared by a resident of the island.

Afternoon: Our field trip on Sapelo will continue with our naturalist on a beach walk after lunch to learn about the Sapelo ecology. Ferry leaves for the mainland at 3:00 pm. The drive from Darien to St. Simons is approximately 30 minutes.

Dinner: At a popular island restaurant, we’ll enjoy our farewell dinner sharing our favorite experiences from the program with new Road Scholar friends.

Evening: At leisure. Be sure to prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.

Activity note: Hotel check-out time is 11:00 a.m.

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: This concludes our program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Please join our Facebook page and share photos of your program. Visit us at www.facebook.com/rsadventures. Best wishes for all your journeys!