The Best of Charleston and Savannah: A Tale of Two Cities

Activity note: Hotel check-in from 4:00 p.m.

Afternoon: Program Registration: 5:00 p.m. After you have your room assignment, come to the Road Scholar table in the lobby 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, and other important information. If you arrive late, please ask for your packet when you check in. Orientation 6:00 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. This is a Road Scholar FLEX program. In contrast to our traditional programs, it offers extensive time for personal independent exploration and a number of meals on your own to enjoy the cuisine of your choice. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Periods in the schedule labeled “Free Time” and “At Leisure” offer opportunities to make the program more meaningful and memorable while going out to explore on your own, engaging in available activities independently, making new friends among fellow Road Scholars, or simply relaxing. The Group Leader will always 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 Francis Marion in a lovely private room for our group, enjoy a Southern style plated dinner plus coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: ORIENTATION: You'll have an informative overview of the program to come plus an opportunity to meet the program staff and your fellow participants during an introductory get-acquainted session. We’ll review the updated schedule, answer any questions you may have, and cover responsibilities, safety guidelines, and emergency procedures. (If you arrive late, please pick up your packet at the hotel front desk.) The remainder of the evening is yours to begin getting to know one another, walk around the neighborhood, or relax in the hotel. You are about to embark on a very special learning adventure, seeing first hand how history lives on in the present, from stately homes to extraordinary Lowcountry plantations in historic Charleston. Known as the “Holy City” because of its many houses of worship, this was one of the few cities in colonial America to protect religious diversity. You'll explore and learn about magnificent dwellings, often adorned with graceful gardens, and the lives of the people who lived and worked there in two of the most popular historical cities in the USA, Charleston and Savannah.

Activity note: Walking around the Battery approximately .5 miles on paved and some uneven terrain. On/off motorcoach.

Breakfast: At the hotel enjoy a made to order breakfast, milk, juice, coffee, tea, water.

Morning: PRESENTATION: A local historian will provide an introduction to Charleston and the Carolina Lowcountry. This introductory history of Charleston will prepare you for the field trips we will take during your stay starting with the first field trip through historic downtown Charleston after lunch

Lunch: Celebrate Charleston's contributions to art, history and culture, from the 17th century to the modern day at a popular local restaurant. Beverages to include coffee, tea, and water. Alcoholic beverages available for purchase.

Afternoon: Next, we’ll set out with a local expert on a field trip by motorcoach through the Charleston Historic District. This is truly one of the most historic cities in America, with a deep and rich cultural heritage. We will be getting off at the Battery where our historian will accompany us and point out historically significant locations with commentary. Then we’ll travel to The Citadel, one of the six Senior Military Colleges in the United States, where we’ll explore the campus with our expert. The Citadel was established in 1842 and was originally located on Marion Square in beautiful downtown Charleston, SC. Today the picturesque campus, which was moved in 1922 to the bank of the Ashley River, is home to 24 major buildings and over 3,400 men and women enrolled in over 20 full and part time graduate and undergraduate programs. While here, we’ll enter a non-denominational church and enjoy a lecture before continuing our field trip through campus via motorcoach with commentary provided about the history and significance of The Citadel.

Dinner: At a popular restaurant, we will explore some of the area's distinctive coastal cuisine with a plated meal featuring signature Lowcountry dishes served with coffee, tea and water; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: Our special presentation this evening features a live performance. The Gullah people, descendants of slaves, are a distinctive group of African-Americans living in the Coastal regions of South Carolina and Georgia. Because of their isolated community life, the Gullah have retained more of their African cultural heritage than any other group and speak an English-based Creole language that retains many elements of African language and culture. In addition to their informative presentation, we’ll also enjoy a selection of songs performed by our local expert that will entertain and delight us with insights into Gullah culture.

Activity note: Walking up to 2 miles throughout the day; culinary field trip will last about 3 hours, including stops.

Breakfast: Hotel breakfast.

Morning: At the hotel, we’ll be joined by a local expert who will tell us the history of sweet grass baskets. We’ll also observe a demonstration and see finished baskets. Next, we’ll set out walking on a culinary field trip to visit several different well-known local restaurants and taste samples at each one. We’ll also see renovated buildings that have been transformed into popular restaurants. When we finish, we will have had our lunch! This is a great way to experience several of the city’s top restaurants.

Lunch: Our lunch today consists of the movable feast we experience during our culinary discovery field trip.

Afternoon: Free Time. Take this opportunity for 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. You might like to visit the City Market, another historic home, or explore the Charleston Museum. There are numerous possibilities throughout the Historic District.

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. There are a number of restaurants near the hotel noted in your Welcome Packet.

Evening: At leisure. The Group Leader as well as the hotel concierge will be happy to offer suggestions for an evening on your own. Or simply relax at the hotel.

Activity note: Walking up to 3 miles total; about 1.5 miles each at Middleton Plantation and at Magnolia Plantation; climbing 10-12 steps, getting on/off a tram. Getting on/off motorcoach; driving approx. 45 miles throughout the day; about 1.5 hours total, with stops.

Breakfast: Hotel breakfast.

Morning: Our local expert will provide commentary en route to and at the plantations. Middleton Place is a National Historic Landmark situated on the Ashley River, a carefully preserved 18th-century plantation that has survived revolution, Civil War, and earthquake. During our field trip, we’ll learn that it was the home of four important generations of Middletons, beginning with Henry Middleton, President of the First Continental Congress; Arthur, a signer of the Declaration of Independence; Henry, Governor of South Carolina and an American Minister to Russia; and William, a signer of the Ordinance of Secession. We’ll explore the gardens, and the plantation stableyards, as well as seeing rice fields.

Lunch: In the Middleton Place restaurant, choose what you like from the delicious Lowcountry lunch menu.

Afternoon: Next, we’ll ride to Magnolia 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.

Dinner: On your own to enjoy what you like.

Evening: At leisure. Bid farewell to the “Holy City” then prepare for check out and transfer to Savannah in the morning.

Activity note: Activity Notes Have luggage down to the lobby for motorcoach loading by 8:30 a.m.; porters will load luggage. Drive to Savannah is about 107 miles (172 km), approximately 2 hours. In Savannah, getting on/off a trolley; walking up to 1.5 miles, city streets and sidewalks.

Breakfast: Hotel breakfast.

Morning: En route to Savannah, we’ll stop in Beaufort, South Carolina, about 1.5 hours from Charleston. We’ll have some time to explore the tiny village before continuing on our ride to Savannah.

Lunch: At one of Savannah’s most popular restaurants, situated in an 18th century mansion on the square behind our hotel, we’ll have a plated meal; coffee, tea, water included, other beverages available for purchase. The building’s distinctive pink color was originally the result of red brick bleeding through white stucco that covered the surface; now it’s painted the same shade of pink. Construction on this beautiful Georgian mansion began in 1771 and was not completed until 1789. It is one of the few buildings that survived the fire of 1796, and local legend says it’s haunted!

Afternoon: Boarding a trolley, we’ll depart on an expert led field trip to see some of Savannah’s highlights. We’ll see and hear about aspects of its fascinating history, getting on and off the trolley for close up looks and entrances into historic sites.

Dinner: At a popular seafood restaurant located in a restored 18th century cotton warehouse on River Street, we’ll have a plated and served dinner with coffee, tea, water included; other beverages available for purchase. Watch ships pass by as we dine.

Evening: At leisure.

Activity note: On/off motorcoach.

Breakfast: Start the day off with a breakfast that features heat and serve items, assorted breads, pastries, fruits, coffee, milk and juices.

Morning: Field Trip: We will visit the Andrew Low House facing Lafayette Square that provides a look at the life of Savannah’s gentry in the 19th century. Low, born in Scotland in 1812, arrived in Savannah at the age of 17 and went to work for his uncle’s cotton export company. A few years before the Civil War, he had become the richest man in the city. His house was designed by one of the leading New York architects of the day in neo-Classical style with Italianate exterior features. The interior was opulently decorated. It remains one of Savannah’s foremost house museums. We’ll explore with a local expert. Our next stop will be the Isaiah Davenport House. Built in 1820, this Federal-style home marked the beginning of Savannah's historic preservation movement.

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

Afternoon: Free Time. Take this opportunity to see and do what interests you most, whether exploring independently to see more of Savannah’s historic homes, gardens, and famed squares, spending time with new Road Scholar friends, or just relaxing.

Dinner: On your own to enjoy what you like, whether with other members of the group or individually. You might like to try one of the many popular restaurants near the hotel. The choice is yours.

Evening: At leisure.

Activity note: Walking at Old Fort Jackson; uneven surfaces. Walk up to 2 miles at Wormsloe Historic Site over some uneven terrain. On/off motorcoach.

Breakfast: Hotel breakfast.

Morning: We’ll begin the day with a field trip to Old Fort Jackson, dating from 1808. This beautifully preserved fort along the Savannah River is Georgia's oldest standing brick fortification and a National Historic Landmark. We will enjoy the view from the strategic location. Our next stop will be Wormsloe Historic Site. The site was once an estate of Noble Jones, one of Georgia's Colonial founders. Drive down a 1.5 mile entrance of over 400 stately live oak trees and experience the ruins of Jones' fortified house built of tabby and museum.

Lunch: On your own.

Afternoon: Free Time. One of the pleasures of Road Scholar Flex programs is the opportunity to use your several blocks of free time as you like to see and do more of what interests you most. Be sure to rendezvous back at the hotel in time for our farewell dinner.

Dinner: At a popular restaurant near the hotel, we’ll enjoy some of Savannah's distinctive coastal cuisine. Share favorite experiences with new Road Scholar friends at our farewell dinner.

Evening: We’ll be joined by one of Savannah’s finest musicians, who will give us a presentation on music of the Civil War era and demonstrate instruments from that time. Then prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.

Activity note: Motorcoach transfer will depart at approx. 8:30 a.m. for a maximum of about 110 miles; approx. 2.5 hours. Stops will be made at Savannah Hilton Head International Airport (about 1/2 hour), Charleston International Airport and Francis Marion (about 2.5 hours) for anyone who needs to retrieve a car. Hotel check out by 11:00 a.m.

Breakfast: Hotel breakfast.

Morning: We will then depart from the hotel via motorcoach, going first to the Savannah Hilton Head International Airport, Charleston International Airport, and then the Mills House. This concludes our program. 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 another rewarding program in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!