Activity note: Hotel check-in from 3:00 p.m.

Afternoon: Hotel check-in and Program Registration is from 3:00-4:00 p.m. After you have your room assignment, come over to the Road Scholar table to register with the program staff and get your welcome packet containing your up-to-date schedule that reflects any last-minute changes, and other important information. Program Orientation: 4:00 p.m. If you arrive late, please ask for your packet when you check in. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the program theme, the up-to-date daily schedule and any changes, discuss safety guidelines, emergency procedures, roles and responsibilities, and answer any questions you may have. Indicated times are approximate; program activities and schedules may need to change due to local circumstances. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding. Following orientation at 5:00 p.m., we will be joined by a local music buff for a discussion on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Dinner: We will walk to a local restaurant for a family-style welcome dinner, offering a fusion of Chinese, Thai, French and Vietnamese fare. Coffee, tea and water are included.

Evening: At leisure to settle in and relax.

Activity note: 2 hour walking city exploration using listening devices in afternoon

Breakfast: Enjoy the hotel's full breakfast buffet including coffee, tea, and water, served daily on the first floor.

Morning: This morning, we'll start the day with a lecture on Cleveland's history. A major industrial and commercial center on Lake Erie, Cleveland was one of the chief ports on the Great Lakes. Study the early days as Cleveland was a center for steel manufacturing through its current transformation to a service-based economy capitalizing on its museums, cultural attractions and hospital and medical research facilities to regain its stature as a major American city. Discover how the Erie Canal and late 19th century industrialists changed the face of the city. Consider how immigrant groups and political conflict shaped the city’s development.

Lunch: We'll enjoy lunch at Heinen's Grocery Store, Cleveland's oldest family-owned grocer. Choose from an array of "grab and go" foods and/or salad bar. Bottled non-alcoholic beverages included.

Afternoon: After lunch, we'll venture into the downtown area on a walking field trip with instruction by our Group Leader. We will explore and learn about the Public Square and Mall, the result of an ambitious city planning scheme that combined commercial development with urban beautification efforts. We will observe how commercial buildings, public transportation and open parkland are joined in this vibrant central district. We'll learn about important buildings from the city’s past, and how different achitectural styles come together to form the city’s unique skyline.

Dinner: We are encouraged to pick up a free beverage (beer, wine or soft drink) from the Drury Plaza Hotel's happy hour (5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.) with complimentary appetizers. We'll walk to a local restaurant for a plated meal of a salad and two choices of entrees. Coffee, tea & soft drinks are included.

Evening: At leisure.

Activity note: Walking up to 2 miles and getting on and off a public bus to arrive to destinations. Walking and standing for up to 2 hours at a time during an instructor-led walk at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: Travel by city bus to the Cleveland Museum of Art in University Circle. Museum staff members will teach us about the collections, new exhibition space, and the museum’s rich history. This expert-led exploration of the permanent collections will be followed by additional time on your own to peruse the museum's extensive galleries.

Lunch: Enjoy lunch in the museum café. We will choose from an array of grab- and-go foods. Bottled non-alcoholic beverages included.

Afternoon: Free time for independent exploration. You may want to explore the exhibit at the nearby Western Reserve Historical Society, which contains the Crawford Auto Aviation Collection and current exhibitions at the Western Reserve Historical Society. It is one of the top ten car collections in the nation. Northeastern Ohio's contribution to aviation is also showcased in the Crawford Museum, which includes a circa 1912-14 Curtiss Hydro-aero plane flown by Cleveland's most prominent aviator, Al Enge. Or, you can stroll through the park-like setting of the University Circle area and visit the campus of Case Western Reserve University. Instead, you might choose to plunge into the extensive collection of music memorabilia at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which is open until 9:00 p.m. on Wednesdays.

Dinner: This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. The Drury Kick-Back is also available for us to enjoy.

Evening: At leisure.

Activity note: Walking up to 2 miles and getting on and off a public bus. Walking and standing for up to 2 hours at a time during instructor-led walks at the Botanical Gardens. Walking and standing for 2 hours at Playhouse Square.

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: We will travel by city bus to the University Circle area for an expert-led visit to the Glasshouse Botanical Gardens. This offers a thrilling year-round escape to the fantastic spiny desert of Madagascar and the butterfly-filled rainforest of Costa Rica. The Glasshouse features some of the strangest plants you’ve ever seen, including “upside down” baobabs, bottle-shaped pachypodiums, a colossal strangler fig and more. The city will slip away as we'll be surrounded by two other-worldly landscapes featuring 350 species of exotic plants. 50 types of butterflies, birds, reptiles and amphibians flutter, climb and crawl through naturalistic habitats. The Glasshouse is unique among conservatories because it shows how plants, animals, geology and climate interact in delicate balance.

Lunch: We'll dine inside the Garden Café or outdoors on the terrace overlooking the reflecting pool and aquatic plants. Enjoy a choice of sandwich, and water or soft drink.

Afternoon: After lunch, we'll enjoy a behind-the-scenes visit of Playhouse Square, a collection of theaters that make up the largest performing arts center outside of New York City. We will get an insider's perspective of the lobbies, theater auditoriums and backstage areas of several of the city’s beautifully constructed and preserved theaters. Learn how the theaters were saved from demolition and how non-profit arts entities advance arts and education efforts in the area.

Dinner: After a long day of city travel and adventure, we'll relax with a casual buffet meal at the hotel.We are encouraged to pick up a complimentary beverage (beer, wine or soft drink) from the Drury Plaza Hotel's happy hour (5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.) and bring it to dinner. Water will be included at dinner.

Evening: At leisure.

Activity note: Walking and standing for up to 2 hours at a time during exploration of downtown neighborhoods, Severance Hall, and Lake View Cemetery. Getting on and off a motorcoach.

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: We'll head out by motorcoach to visit a few of Cleveland's neighborhoods, as well as a stop at the West Side Market, Cleveland's oldest public market which began operations in 1840. We will continue on to St. Theodosius Russian Orthodox Cathedral, modeled after churches in Moscow, which ministered to other ethnic groups who had not yet established their own ethnic churches in the early twentieth century. We will receive special access to the inside of the Cathedral to admire its elaborate interior.

Lunch: We'll discover one of Cleveland's most beloved family-owned restaurants and enjoy delicious Polish specialties. Choose from prepared foods in a cafeteria-style setting. Coffee, tea, soft drink and water included.

Afternoon: We will board the motorcoach and drive to Severance Hall, where we'll experience a backstage, expert-led visit at what is considered one of the world’s most beautiful concert halls. We'll find out how private donations of money and land, along with the leadership of John Long Severance, resulted in the creation of the visually and acoustically stunning hall. See how recent renovation and restoration efforts have improved and enhanced the hall, while preserving its beauty and architectural integrity. Observe the hall’s combination of diverse architectural styles and learn how it benefits both the orchestra and city. Our next stop will be Lake View Cemetery. Lake View is more than a working cemetery- it is Cleveland's historical, horticultural, architectural and geological gem that four hundred thousand people visit each year. We’ll continue our visit via motorcoach, stopping at the James A. Garfield Memorial, the final resting place of the 20th President of the United States. The Jeptha Wade Memorial Chapel, built in honor of the founder of the Western Union Telegraph Company, is one of the few interiors designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany. In addition to a President of the United States, Lake View is the final resting place of John D. Rockefeller, Eliot Ness, Carl B. Stokes, members of President Lincoln's cabinet, Civil War generals and Revolutionary War soldiers, and twenty-two Cleveland mayors.

Dinner: We'll savor a delightful farewell dinner at a family restaurant in Little Italy, to celebrate our week of fun in Cleveland. Coffee, tea and soft drinks will be included.

Evening: At leisure.

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

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: Check out and prepare for departure. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Visit us at www.facebook.com/rsadventures. Best wishes for all your journeys!