Activity note: Hotel check-in from 3:00 p.m. If you are going to arrive after 5:00 p.m., call the hotel at 415-362-5500 so they know not to release your room.

Afternoon: Program Registration. After you have your room assignment, join us at the Road Scholar table in the lobby to register with the program staff and get your welcome packet containing the up-to-date schedule that reflects any changes, other important information, and to confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please ask for your packet when you check in. Remember to bring your name-tag (sent previously). Orientation. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. Throughout the week, we will be immersed in the world of baseball while also exploring sites unique to San Francisco. Transportations for program-related activities will be via motorcoach unless specified otherwise. Bring two refillable water bottles on each field trip throughout the program and mitts and batting gloves for our game day. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

Dinner: We will walk to a restaurant near the hotel and have a 3-course plated meal with beverage choices of soft drinks, coffee, tea, water included; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: Returning to the hotel, we’ll be joined by a baseball coach who will talk to us about the finer points of baseball.

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 120 miles, approximately 4 hours throughout the day. Walking an hour on ballpark exploration. Cool weather for outside evening ballgame. Bring refillable water bottles for the day.

Breakfast: At the hotel, the breakfast buffet offers choices such as eggs, pancakes, French toast, waffles, breakfast potatoes, breakfast meats, fresh fruit, yogurt, cereal, oatmeal and grits, bakery selections, plus juice, milk, coffee, water.

Morning: We’ll depart via motorcoach to explore the home of the Giants ballpark, heralded as one of the finest sports stadiums in the world and the first privately financed major league ballpark in more than 50 years. With a member of the ballpark staff, we’ll go behind-the-scenes to see things up close including the dugout, visitors’ indoor batting cage, press box, and a luxury suite.

Lunch: At the ballpark we’ll have boxed lunches, which includes a sandwich, chips, dessert, and bottled water.

Afternoon: Reboarding our motorcoach, we’ll head south to San Jose to try our hand in the batting cages and pitching stations at one of the area’s best baseball academies. Bring your batting gloves and mitts, Slugger! We’ll then transfer to San Jose Municipal Stadium, home of the San Jose Giants, for our evening game.

Dinner: In the VIP section of the stadium, we will order dinner from a pre-selected that includes beverage choices of soft drinks and water; other food and beverages available for purchase.

Evening: Sit back and enjoy minor league baseball at its finest. From our seats in the VIP box, watch a fast-paced game with the San Jose Giants.

Activity note: Getting on/off motorcoach; traveling approximately 20 miles over the course of the day. Elective 2-mile walk across the Golden Gate Bridge, windy conditions. Cool weather for outside evening game. Bring refillable water bottles for the day.

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: We’ll head out to a local park to put our baseball skills to work. On a reserved baseball field, we’ll have an opportunity to play a game of our own. Bats, balls, and bases will be provided; bring your own mitt and batting gloves.

Lunch: At the park, we’ll have boxed lunches with a sandwich, chips, and sweet treat; water from our own water bottles.

Afternoon: Next, we’ll ride to San Francisco’s most iconic landmark, the Golden Gate Bridge — exceptional for its length of 1.7 miles, 746-foot tall towers, sweeping cables, and Art Deco styling, flanked on each side by beautiful parks. Built in 1937, the Golden Gate hosts thousands of people and cars daily. Upon arrival, the Group Leader will accompany those who want to walk across the bridge, a fantastic “must do” adventure; others are welcome to ride. We will also visit the Golden Gate Bridge Pavilion with exhibits that tell fascinating stories such as the Halfway-to-Hell Club. The bridge has been featured in dozens of movies, from disaster epics to science fiction, action pics, and romances. One of the first was “The Maltese Falcon” in 1941 that your grandparents might have seen. One of the latest was “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.” How many can you name? At the end of our exploration, we’ll return to the hotel with some time to freshen up and relax before returning to the Giants ballpark for dinner and our evening game.

Dinner: This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like at the ballpark.

Evening: We’ll see major league baseball action with the San Francisco Giants. The Giants originated in New York City in 1883 as the New York Gothams. In 1886, the name was changed to the New York Giants. In 1958, the team moved to the City by the Bay and became the San Francisco Giants.

Activity note: Getting on/off a public ferry; 20 minute ride to/from Alcatraz. Walking up to 2 miles throughout the day. From Alcatraz dock to penitentiary at top of hill is 1/4 mile; elevation change of 130 feet, equivalent to climbing a 13-story building. Bring refillable water bottle for the day. Food and beverages other than water not permitted on Alcatraz. Cold, windy, often foggy conditions; dress accordingly.

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: We’ll take public transportation to the Exploratorium at Pier 15 on the Embarcadero. This museum of science, art, and human perception opened in 1969 and has attracted millions of visitors since. Its programs connect formal education and learning for fun. The Exploratorium encourages people of all ages to follow their curiosity and ask questions that can lead to amazing moments of discovery, learning, awareness, and understanding of how the world works. As we explore, museum staff will give demonstrations and introduce hands-on activities.

Lunch: On your own to have what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Afternoon: We’ll take public transportation from the Exploratorium to Pier 33 and board the ferry to Alcatraz. Alcatraz — “The Rock” — has been a Civil War fortress, bird sanctuary, first lighthouse on the West Coast, birthplace of the American Indian Red Power movement, as well as the most infamous Federal penitentiary in the country. Upon arrival at the Alcatraz dock for our field trip, we will be greeted by a National Park Service ranger who will give a brief orientation, including information on any special activities available that day. The remainder of this field trip will be a self-directed exploration you can follow according to your own interests, at your own pace. National Park Service staff offer free programs to visitors throughout the day on topics such as escapes, military history, American Indian occupation, natural history, and more. There are numerous exhibits to see as well as a complimentary cell house audio exploration covering the penitentiary era (1934-1963). At the conclusion of our field trip, we’ll return to the hotel via public transportation.

Dinner: On your own to have what you like.

Evening: At leisure.

Activity note: Getting on/off public transportation; traveling approximately 20 miles over the course of the day. Bring water bottles for the day.

Breakfast: Hotel buffet

Morning: We’ll take public transportation to the California Academy of Sciences. There are hundreds of exhibits, an aquarium, a planetarium, a natural history museum, a 4-story rainforest, and 40,000 live animals. The building is considered a masterpiece of sustainable architecture with a “living roof” and other innovative features and operations that minimize its carbon footprint. We’ll go on an expert-led, behind-the-scenes exploration to get an insider’s perspective. We’ll learn about the academy’s 164-year history and how its scientists are tackling critical questions about life on Earth. We’ll see the research collections, a working laboratory with geology specimens in the vault, and have express entry into the most popular areas including the planetarium, rainforest, living roof, and earthquake simulator. In our registration packets, we will have a schedule of the activities on the day we visit to plan time for exploring independently after the presentation. The Discovery Tidepool is filled with creatures from coastal California tidepools. The Naturalist Center features interactive games and specimens. The exhibition called Earthquake: Life on a Dynamic Planet explains, “We know where, but not when.”

Lunch: We’ll have vouchers for lunch at the Academy Café with water included; other beverages available for purchase.

Afternoon: Free time. This period of time has been set aside for your personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most. Please refer to the list of Free Time Opportunities. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Those who want to return to the hotel will gather with the Group Leader at a designated time and place. Those who would like to stay further at the Academy of Sciences or explore independently are welcome to do so.

Dinner: We will walk to a restaurant near the hotel and have a 3-course plated meal with beverage choices of soft drinks, coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase. Share favorite experiences with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.

Evening: We’ll again be treated to a presentation by a local baseball coach who will share his passion for baseball with us. After our class, prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.

Activity note: Hotel check-out 12:00 Noon.

Breakfast: Hotel buffet. Program concludes after breakfast.

Morning: If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!