Christmas in Charleston

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 in the lobby area to register with the program staff and get your welcome packet containing your name-tag, up-to-date schedule that reflects any last-minute changes, other important information, and to confirm when and where the Orientation session will take place. If you arrive late, please ask for your packet when you check in. 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. 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 in a private dining room reserved for Road Scholar, we’ll have a buffet dinner with coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: 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. Walking up to 1/2 mile; some uneven terrain.

Breakfast: At the hotel, we’ll start our day off right with a hearty and nutritious breakfast that will include a wide range of freshly baked goods, organic whole-grain cereals, fresh fruit, creamy yogurts, freshly squeezed juices, fresh eggs and bacon or sausage. Coffee, tea, and water are also included.

Morning: We’ll begin by delving into history and holiday traditions. A local historian will provide an overview of Charleston and the Carolina Lowcountry, emphasizing the craftsmanship and architecture of the homes decked in holiday finery, culinary wonders, and holiday customs leading to Christmas. We'll then board the motor coach for Boone Hall Plantation, about a 25 minute drive from our hotel.

Lunch: Under the pavilion on Boone Hall’s beautiful back lawn, we’ll have a delicious, Road Scholar exclusive, Southern farm-to-table lunch. We’ll also enjoy a performance focusing on the rich history of Gullah culture.

Afternoon: After lunch, you'll explore the home and grounds decorated with beautiful Christmas decorations of every kind. Boone Hall is one of America's oldest living and working plantations — and reputedly, the most photographed — where we can imagine what plantation life was like here in the 1800s. The spectacular avenue of moss-draped live oak trees was planted in 1743 and today forms a magnificent, intertwined, overhead corridor. The classic mansion and grounds display their holiday finery, featuring Christmas trees adorned with locally-made decorations, wreaths of magnolia leaves, and beautiful arrangements. Boone Hall is the only plantation in the S.C. Lowcountry to feature a live presentation of the unique Gullah culture. During a self-directed exploration, we’ll learn about the experience of the enslaved and other people of color at Boone Hall and how it relates to Black history in America. The owners have preserved eight of the original servants’ quarters built between 1790-1810. Each presents a different aspect of history from slavery through emancipation and the Civil Rights struggle. Through recorded narratives, audiovisual presentations, life-sized figures, and actual historical relics, we will gain a better understand and appreciation for the daily lives of people in bondage.

Dinner: Dinner is on your own or with newfound Road Scholar friends. Our group leader will have many suggestions for dinner.

Evening: At leisure.

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: Board your motor coach for the Charleston History field trip. We will be getting on and off the bus as we stop at select points of interest. We'll walk along the Battery, ride past the Citadel, which is closed for Christmas but worthy of a ride through, and learn more about life in Charleston. We'll also be going to the Joseph Manigault home. Each year the Garden Club of Charleston uses this magnificent house as a backdrop for their creative arrangements using only plant material that would have been available in the Lowcountry during the first quarter of the 19th century. Smell the fresh greenery and see the seasonal flowers.

Lunch: Enjoy local fare at the hotel with hot soup and sandwiches waiting for you.

Afternoon: Most everything is closed on Christmas Eve afternoon. It is a good time to stroll the streets of Charleston just to see the outside of homes and decorations that can only be seen at Christmas.

Dinner: At the hotel, we’ll enjoy a special Christmas Eve together at a very popular downtown restaurant with beverage choices of coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: At leisure. In this “Holy City” of Charleston, there will be church and candlelight services in the vicinity of the hotel and elsewhere. Visitors are welcome. You might also like to take a walk along the Battery to see the festive lights and homes decorated in holiday finery.

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach. Walking up to 1/2 mile at Magnolia Plantation; paved and unpaved, uneven surfaces.

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: We’ll ride to Magnolia Plantation for a field trip with a local expert who will provide commentary aboard the motorcoach and at the plantation. Founded in 1676 by the Drayton family, it has survived the centuries and witnessed the history of our nation unfold from the American Revolution through the Civil War and beyond. It is the oldest public site open to visitors in the Lowcountry, with the oldest public gardens in America, opening its doors to visitors in 1872 to view the thousands of beautiful flowers and plants in its famous gardens. We’ll learn about Magnolia’s vivid and complex history as we experience the beauty of the house and gardens. While riding through the landscape on a tram, we’ll see sights that evoke the plantation’s past such as a row of slave cabins, 19th century rice ponds, and a Native American ceremonial mound.

Lunch: Hotel buffet.

Afternoon: Free Time. Most everything in Charleston will be closed on Christmas afternoon. It is a time to relax and socialize with newfound friends. Before dinner, we’ll drive to and through the Holiday Festival of Lights at James Island County Park. This cherished local tradition has achieved national and international renown. Along the three mile route, there are more than 700 enchanting displays with some two million lights.

Dinner: Hotel plated meal.

Evening: At leisure.

Activity note: Walking up to 2 miles; some uneven terrain.

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: We’ll hear from a representative of the Preservation Society of Charleston, the oldest community-based historic preservation organization in the U.S. The society has been working since 1920 to save and preserve historic places representative of Charleston’s and the Lowcountry’s unique architectural and cultural heritage. Protected by state law, Sweetgrass Baskets have been a local tradition for nearly 400 years, brought from West Africa by enslaved people and originally used for collecting rice and cotton in plantation fields. These baskets made from local grasses were also used to carry food from the kitchen building to the plantation main house in preparation for “bringing in” the New Year. Sweetgrass baskets today are used for a variety of purposes, and the craft is regarded as an art form proudly upheld by Gullah artisans. We'll be joined by a family of basket weavers who will demonstrate the making of these baskets starting with the soaking of the grass up to the completion of the basket.

Lunch: Enjoy lunch at one of the many restaurants surrounding the hotel or venture outside the historic district for more choices.

Afternoon: Step over to the Charleston Museum, a block from our hotel. You may go at anytime with the voucher we have provided. That way you can stay as long as you like with no rush at all. There is so much to see in this museum.

Dinner: Hotel buffet. We’ll eat early, approximately 5:00 p.m., to arrive at the concert venue in time to get our reserved tickets for the Sound of Charleston..

Evening: 7:00 p.m. We’ll attend a performance of “The Sound of Charleston” at historic Circular Congregational Church. Professional performers will bring to life authentic music from throughout the city’s history, from the founding of one of America’s first musical organizations — the St. Cecilia Society (1766) — through Civil War songs, spirituals, gospel, Gullah, Gershwin, and jazz. We’ll hear about the words, context, and meanings of the music as we clap and sing along. “The Sound of Charleston” is the city’s longest running musical production. The church, founded in 1681, is one of the oldest continually worshipping congregations in the country; the present building dates from 1892. Returning to the hotel, prepare for check-out and departure following our closing session in the morning.

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

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: 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!