Afternoon: Program registration and hotel check-in. After you have your room assignment, come to the Road Scholar table in the meeting room to register with the program and get your welcome packet containing your nametag, up-to-date schedule that reflects any last minute changes, other important information, and to learn when and where the Orientation session will take place. If you arrive late, please ask for your packet when you check in.
Dinner: Dinner at 6:00pm. All meals served on-site in dining room, buffet style. Coffee, tea, water included.
Evening: Welcome program.
Breakfast: Breakfast on-site.
Morning: Enjoy a narrated carriage tour of Mackinac Island through the downtown and into the state park. Discover the valuable roles horses play on the island. Afterwards, visit historic Fort Mackinac and learn about the island's military importance (walk back to hotel from Fort on own, approximately 1/2 mile).
Lunch: Lunch on-site.
Afternoon: Discover the geological history of Mackinac Island and the Great Lakes region in a classroom session followed by a walking field trip with a prominent local naturalist (includes 1 mile walk on paved and gravel roads and sidewalk).
Dinner: Dinner on-site.
Evening: Learn about the daily challenges, unique dilemmas, and unexpected pleasures residents face living on Mackinac Island.
Breakfast: Breakfast on-site.
Morning: Discuss the unusual combination of Mackinac Island history (Native, French, English, and American) and learn how each culture played a role in the island's development. Discover the island’s role in past wars, as a home for early fur traders, explorers, and mapmakers, and its development as a popular tourist destination (includes 1/2 mile walk on paved road/sidewalk).
Lunch: Lunch on-site
Afternoon: Group will be split in two: Half will attend a classroom session to study the unique flora and plant life on the island followed by a walking field trip to experience the island's natural beauty up close (1 – 1.5 hour leisurely walk on paved road). The other half will visit the historic Grand Hotel for an elegant, but casual, afternoon of tea (taxi to and from Grand Hotel or walk back to hotel on own).
Dinner: Dinner on-site.
Evening: Learn about one of Mackinac Island’s most important resources – the horses. Discuss their many roles, their care, and why they are so essential to island life today.
Breakfast: Breakfast on-site.
Morning: Learn about the indigenous birds on Mackinac Island through a fun and charming lecture with an experienced birder. Take a walk to discover their habitats and nesting areas (1 mile walk on paved and gravel roads and sidewalk).
Lunch: Lunch on-site.
Afternoon: Group will be split in two: Half will attend a classroom session to study the unique flora and plant life on the island followed by a walking field trip to experience the island's natural beauty up close (1 – 1.5 hour leisurely walk on paved road). The other half will visit the historic Grand Hotel for an elegant, but casual, afternoon of tea (taxi to and from Grand Hotel or walk back to hotel on own).
Dinner: Dinner on-site.
Evening: Find out more about the island’s birds and raptors. Learn about behavior and flying patterns.
Activity note: Approximately 75-80 stairs to climb as part of the walking field trip in the morning session.
Breakfast: Breakfast on-site.
Morning: Learn why the Victorian homes on Mackinac Island are an important part of the island's history and their status today as renowned works of art. Revel in their beauty and design on a walking field trip with the Deputy Director of Mackinac State Historic Parks (includes 1 mile walk on paved road).
Lunch: Lunch on-site.
Afternoon: Enjoy a free afternoon to explore Mackinac Island on your own.
Dinner: Dinner on-site.
Evening: Program wrap up.
Breakfast: Breakfast on-site.
Morning: Discover the traditional foods of Northern Michigan, including their historical and cultural influences.
Lunch: Box lunch. Program ends at 11:30.
