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Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.
Activity note: Hotel check-in from 3:00 p.m.
Afternoon: Program Registration. After you have your room assignment, come to the Road Scholar table to register with the program staff, get any updated information, and confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please locate your Group Leader and let them know you have arrived. Orientation: 5:00 p.m. 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. We will be accompanied on some field trips by local experts who will provide commentary as we go. At some field trip sites, the extent and duration of walking and other activities will be according to personal choice. Travel and transfers will be via private motorcoach unless noted otherwise. Periods in the daily 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: At the hotel.
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: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 10 miles, approximately 2 hours riding time. Walking up to 2 miles throughout the day; city streets and sidewalks. Country Music Hall of Fame Museum 1 block walk from hotel; dinner venue 2 block walk from hotel.
Breakfast: At the hotel.
Morning: We will set out from the hotel on a walking field trip to the Country Music Hall of Fame. We will have tickets provided for our self-directed exploration. To be invited to be a member of the elite group at the Country Music Hall of Fame is one of the highest honors in country music. The award recognizes persons who have made outstanding contributions to country music over the length of their careers. The museum’s vast collection includes memorabilia illustrating the evolution of country music through the two centuries. We will be able to get a clear sense of that history through its treasure trove of historic video clips, recorded music, dynamic exhibits, and state-of-the-art design. For information on current special exhibits, visit www.countrymusichalloffame.org.
Lunch: This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to have what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. You might like to pick up a sandwich at The Country Music Hall of Fame or walk a block over to Broadway Street, an area with numerous restaurants.
Afternoon: We will regroup at the hotel at 1:15 p.m. and leave at 1:30 p.m. on a Nashville city field trip. We will board the motorcoach with a local expert who has a wealth of knowledge and passion for Nashville music and who will provide commentary as we ride. Music has always been the common thread connecting the life and soul of Nashville and its people. The first permanent settlement began on Christmas Day 1779, celebrated with fiddle tunes and buck dancing. Davy Crockett, Nashville’s first celebrity, was known far and wide for his colorful stories and fiddle playing. Nashville became a national center for music publishing. The first around-the-world tour by a musical act was by the Fisk Jubilee Singers from Nashville’s Fisk University. Their efforts helped fund the school’s mission of educating freed slaves after the Civil War and put Nashville on the map as a global music center. Here in the heart of Nashville’s entertainment industry, we will see the offices of record labels, publishing houses, music licensing firms, recording studios, video production houses, and other businesses that serve the music industry, as well as radio networks and radio stations. We will then ride to Studio B, originally RCA Studios, home of thousands of hits that helped to define the “Nashville sound.” Chet Atkins was one of the originators and Elvis mastered more than 200 songs here. Our expert will tell us about many of the quirks and idiosyncrasies of this unique space where so much musical history has been created using the pianos, mics, and accessories we will see. We’ll also have an opportunity to sit back and listen to recordings by our favorite artists in Studio B. Field trips: 2
Dinner: At a specially selected restaurant off Broadway, a major thoroughfare with vibrant night life. Dinner will include opportunities for line dancing.
Evening: Returning to the hotel, the remainder of the evening is at leisure.
Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 45 miles throughout the day, approximately 1 hour riding time. Walking up to 1/2 mile throughout the day; standing approximately 1 hour each at Ryman Auditorium and Grand Ole Opry House.
Breakfast: Hotel buffet.
Morning: We will walk as a group to the Ryman Auditorium for an expert-led field trip that will take us through dressing rooms dedicated to the stars of the Ryman’s rich musical past such as Minnie Pearl, Johnny Cash, and Hank Williams. (NOTE: We will not be able to go through the dressing rooms if a performance is taking place that day.) We’ll stand in the wings where performers as varied as Katharine Hepburn, Elvis Presley, and James Brown awaited their time in the spotlight. This National Historic Landmark is most famous as the home of the Grand Ole Opry from 1943-1974. Its history as Nashville’s premiere theater began with its original incarnation as an evangelical tabernacle in 1892. Dubbed the Carnegie Hall of the South, it went on to become the place for important community events, political rallies, as well as operas, symphonies, bands, ballets, and theatrical productions. The incredibly popular Grand Ole Opry radio show found a home here in 1943, and Ryman Auditorium was inseparably linked to the origins and rise of the modern-day genre of country music. Although the Opry moved to a new location in 1974, the Ryman has remained as a major attraction, undergoing a multi-million dollar restoration that brought back its original splendor, hosting top performers from around the world who praise its fine acoustics. Ryman Auditorium will still be on the agenda.
Lunch: On your own to have what you like in downtown Nashville. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.
Afternoon: For our next field trip, we’ll board the motorcoach and ride to the Grand Ole Opry House. We’ll learn the fascinating story of the Opry from a local expert who will share stories about its history and country music greats past and present. We’ll go onstage for a first-hand look at the tiered auditorium as seen from the performers’ perspective, then go backstage for a rare glimpse of what happens behind the scenes, including the artists’ entrance. We’ll also have some independent time to stroll through the halls filled with Opry memorabilia.
Dinner: On your own to have what you like. There are many restaurants in the vicinity.
Evening: Our program was planned far in advance when details of performances were not available. When confirmed, the information will be posted on the Road Scholar website under this program number and will also be included in preparatory materials sent following enrollment. You can also go to www.opry.com about two weeks before the date to see who is scheduled. The Grand Ole Opry celebrates country music’s diversity, presenting many generations of artists who have formed country music’s legacy and continue to forge its future course. Audiences can expect the best in country, bluegrass, comedy, gospel and more by Country Music Hall of Famers, cast members who helped establish the Opry as the home of country music, revered superstars, and young artists just starting to make names for themselves.
Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 200 miles throughout the day, approximately 4 hours riding time. Walking equivalent of a city block at Belle Meade; uneven terrain. At BB King’s, dinner on second floor; no elevator.
Breakfast: At the hotel.
Morning: We will check out of the hotel, load our luggage onto the motorcoach, and begin our transfer to Memphis, Along the way, we will stop for a field trip at a living vestige of a bygone era: Belle Meade historic home and winery. Led by an expert, we will learn how the original Harding family farm began in the early 1800s and developed over the next several decades. The mansion we see today, built in Greek Revival style, was commissioned in 1845 and tells the century-long history of Belle Meade. Through the stories and experiences of the Harding and Jackson families, we'll learn about the women, men, and children who labored here.
Lunch: In the 1800s Carriage House/Stable House at Belle Meade.
Afternoon: We will resume our ride to Memphis and watch a specially selected movie on the way. Upon arrival, we’ll check in to our hotel with some time to freshen up and relax before dinner.
Dinner: We will walk to world-renowned BB King’s Blues Club and Restaurant on Beale Street. Dinner is on the second floor; no elevator.
Evening: B.B. King's! The house band is B.B. King’s All Stars. Guest musicians include some of the best in the business for one of the most diverse, sophisticated lineups of modern blues and R&B in Memphis. Sit back and tap your toes or get up and dance. Stay on or go out and hear all the music you like up and down Beale Street. NOTE: Midnight is the cut-off time for loud music in Memphis. Our hotel is right at Beale Street, so be prepared.
Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 15 miles, approximately hour riding time. Walking at field trip sites. Climbing stairs at Sun Studio Museum; no elevator.
Breakfast: At the hotel.
Morning: We'll be joined at the hotel by a local expert for an entertaining lecture about the famous Memphis music and why Memphis is the "home of the Blues and the birthplace of Rock 'n' Roll." Next, we will board the motorcoach for the short drive to the National Civil Rights Museum, a privately-owned complex of museums and historic buildings built around the former Lorraine Motel where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968. We’ll follow a timeline that charts the course of events around the assassination and the impact and legacy of the civil rights movement.
Lunch: At a local restaurant.
Afternoon: We will continue our exploration with a field trip to Sun Studio, an iconic recording studio where some of the most famous artists recorded in the 1950s. Whether rock-and-roll or country, and genres in between, the likes of Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Charlie Feathers, Ray Harris, Warren Smith, Charlie Rich, and Jerry Lee Lewis could be found there at one point or another. Led by a Sun Studio expert, we’ll see where they made musical history. We will finish our day with a field trip to the Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum, the first museum ever jointly developed by the Smithsonian Institution and the National Museum of American History. Opened in August 2004, it came out of a traveling exhibition on the roots of uniquely American music in the South, from “field hollers” to work songs, blues, country, and gospel. These more countrified forms gradually met and mingled with their urban cousins: blues, jazz, and what became rock ‘n’ roll, rockabilly, rhythm and blues, and soul music. It charts the story of a field of music that has had a tremendous impact on popular culture and lifestyles from the mid-20th Century through today. It also documents the story of musical pioneers who overcame racial and socio-economic barriers to create music that changed our world. The museum’s digital audio guide lets us move at our own pace on a self-directed visit through seven galleries of audio-visual programs, instruments, costumes, other musical treasures, and more than 300 minutes of information including more than 100 songs.
Dinner: On your own to have what you like.
Evening: At leisure. See more of Memphis on your own, spend time with newfound Road Scholar friends, or just relax.
Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 45 miles throughout the day, approximately 1 hour riding time. Walking at field trip sites; uneven terrain at Graceland, up/downstairs, no elevator.
Breakfast: At the hotel.
Morning: We will board the motorcoach for a field trip to the 14-acre Graceland estate that was the home of Elvis Presley. It is now a virtual shrine with museums, films, and exhibits for a unique glimpse into the life and times of The King. We’ll have a self-directed exploration with audio guides to see personal mementos including gold and platinum awards.
Lunch: At a Graceland restaurant.
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. Please note that the period scheduled for free time is subject to change depending on local circumstances and opportunities for independent exploration.
Dinner: At one of Memphis’s most popular restaurants. Share favorite experiences with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.
Evening: Returning to the hotel, the remainder of the evening is at leisure. Prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.
Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 214 miles, approximately 4 hours riding time. Hotel check-out 11:00 a.m. Motorcoach will depart for Nashville at approximately 8:00 a.m. and make stops at the Nashville International Airport (BNA) as well as the downtown Nashville hotel.
Breakfast: At the hotel.
Morning: Anyone wishing to return to Nashville aboard the motorcoach may do so at no charge. The first stop will be the Nashville International Airport followed by the downtown Nashville hotel for anyone who left their car at the hotel. This concludes our program. 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!