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Georgia

Discover Georgia’s Barrier Islands With Your Grandchild

Program No. 2534RJ
Adventure awaits for you and your grandchild as you sail on a shrimp boat, climb a storied lighthouse, meet injured sea turtles and search for nesting turtles on a night beach walk!
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Start
GrandparentNature & EnvironmentAges 9 – 12
Length
6 days
Rating (5)
Activity Level
Starts at
3,199 / ADULT
1,799 / CHILD
Itinerary
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. Read More.
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. As a result, some program activities, schedules, accommodations, personnel, and other logistics occasionally change due to local conditions or circumstances. Should a major change occur, we will make every effort to alert you. For less significant changes, we will update you during orientation. Thank you for your understanding.
Duration
6 days
5 nights
What's Included
12 meals ( 5B, 3L, 4D )
3 expert-led lectures
8 expert-led field trips
6 hands-on experiences
1 performance
An experienced Group Leader
5 nights of accommodations
Taxes and customary gratuity
Road Scholar Assurance Plan
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Activity Note
Hotel check-in from 4:00 p.m. Remember to bring your nametag (sent previously).
Afternoon:
Program Registration: 4:00-5:00 p.m. After you check in and have your room assignment, join us at the Road Scholar table to meet with 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 learn from a series of local experts who will give lectures and lead field trips. Program-related travel and transfers will be via private motorcoach unless noted otherwise. This is a Road Scholar Grandparent program. Grandparents are responsible for their grandchildren during the program. Children are never to be left unsupervised. Periods 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. The schedule is also subject to change depending on beach tides. An updated daily schedule will be provided upon arrival. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.
Dinner:
At the hotel.
Evening:
We’ll gather for games so everyone can get to know one another better. The remainder of the evening will be 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 25 miles throughout the day, approximately 1.5 hours total riding time. Walking at field trip sites; variable terrain, sand and paved sidewalks. Getting on/off retired Coast Guard ship, now a shrimping boat; study cruise approximately 1.5 to 2 hours; dress according to weather. St. Simons Lighthouse has 129 steps to the top.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We will start off the morning by traveling from Jekyll Island to Brunswick, GA, approximately 12 miles. We’ll transfer to the dock where we will board the Lady Jane, a 49-passenger steel ship that was retired from the United States Coast Guard and is now a shrimping boat. We’ll ride in comfort and look on as the crew demonstrates how to trawl the waters for a catch. If you like you can help our fishermen friends by helping to sort out the shrimp from the other types of fish that could be in the net. Species may include blue crab, sand shark, puffer fish, horseshoe crab, blacktip, bonnethead, amberjack, whiting, spot, crocker, or others. While aboard, our captain and his mates will provide educational commentary. We’ll then return to the dock and transfer to St. Simons Island where we'll enjoy lunch at a local popular restaurant in the village.
Lunch:
At a popular restaurant in the village.
Afternoon:
After lunch, we'll have some free time in the village before meeting up at the Lighthouse Museum. We'll need to be ready to go into the museum at 2 pm. The St. Simons Island Lighthouse was built in 1862-1872. The Lighthouse is 104 feet tall and 21 feet in diameter at the base, tapering to 10 feet at the base of the gallery. It has 129 steps to the top. The light continues to be active and is maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. We’ll return to the hotel and have time to cool off in the pool before dinner.
Dinner:
At the hotel.
Evening:
We will be joined in our classroom by a local expert for a presentation called “Sea Turtles 101.”
Activity Note
Early morning getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 60 miles roundtrip, approximately 2 hours total riding time. Getting on/off a ferry; ride to Sapelo Island approximately 1/2 hour; restrooms on board. Getting on/off a van. Walking about 1 mile over several hours throughout the day; uneven terrain, sand, grass. Wear or take a bathing suit for beach and seining; restrooms at beach area.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We will board our motorcoach at 7:00 a.m. for the ride to Darien, Georgia, to be in time for the only ferry that goes to Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve. We’ll hop aboard a DNR van with a local expert. We’ll compare this pristine specimen of Georgia barrier island to Jekyll Island. We’ll learn about barrier island dynamics and go on a seining adventure to find out “What’s In The Water/Turtle Food Resources.” We’ll be seining in knee-deep ocean water and identifying what we catch — and what we bring up in the net may be a surprise! This may take place after lunch depending on the tide.
Lunch:
At a local family home.
Afternoon:
As we head back to the ferry after lunch, we’ll ride past the R.J. Reynolds Mansion. Note that we cannot go inside because the mansion hosts overnight guests. At the end of the field trip, we’ll return the way we came via ferry and motorcoach.
Dinner:
At the hotel.
Evening:
We will regroup after dinner for a presentation by a local group specializing in Gullah Geechee cultural performing arts such as singing, chanting, and acting, much of it with a historical focus on slavery. This group was invited to participate in the Washington, D.C. inaugural parade for President Obama. Children may participate in the dance.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 12 miles each way, over 1/2 hour total riding time. Digging at archaeological site is mostly shaded. Wear clothes that can get dirty.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We’ll hop aboard a motorcoach and ride to St. Simons Island and Fort Frederica. At Fort Frederica, a naturalist will give us the history of the 18th-century fort and town of Frederica. We’ll also learn about methods used to examine the historical archaeology. We’ll then have some expert instruction and participate in an archeological dig at Fort Frederica, identifying and classifying findings in a lab on-site. As we explore the fortress’s barracks, walls, moat, and surrounding houses, we’ll learn about its history. The dig lasts from 9 - 11:40 am. We'll return to Jekyll Island as soon as we are finished with the dig at Ft. Frederica
Lunch:
On your own to have what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.
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. The beach is close by and the hotel furnishes transportation from the hotel to the beach, which is approx one mile away. The hotel has a club house building on the beach with restrooms for guests of the hotel. The hotel van is available to take and pick up anywhere on the island. Bike rentals are also available from the hotel.
Dinner:
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 and will provide a list of choices. You might like to eat out independently at one of the restaurants on Jekyll or dine at the hotel.
Evening:
At leisure. Have fun doing what you like on an island you’ll never forget.
Activity Note
Gatorology will take place in the Mosaic Museum. Sea Turtle Center is located right behind the hotel, less than one-tenth of a mile. Standing in Turtle Center up to an hour; benches outside. Walking on sandy, wet, uneven beach terrain at Boneyard Beach, which is sandy and wet with fallen trees that kids may climb.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We will learn from park rangers about the island’s natural resources. During this hands-on experience, you'll learn about the American Alligator’s history, biology, and conservation. Rangers will help demystify misconceptions about these powerful reptiles. We'll transfer by motorcoach from the Mosaic Museum to Boneyard Beach. We will explore the shoreline to observe the longshore current and its movement of the sand along the coastline. As low waves fill the tidal pools, we’ll wade in to look for different organisms that might be present, before high tides arrive once again and carry them away. We’ll also climb trees, do sand-filled “research activities,” watery investigations, and have tons of photo-ops.
Lunch:
At the hotel.
Afternoon:
A visit to the well known Georgia Sea Turtle Center will only add to the information we have been given all during the week about the sea turtles. We'll see the Discovery Center with several exhibits on sea turtles, We'll visit the turtle hospital where injured turtles are housed and treated until they're able to be released into the wild again.
Dinner:
At the hotel. Before dinner we'll share our weeks experiences and enjoy camaraderie with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner. We'll meet a little early, around 5 pm for grandchildren to share something you have collected during the week that you would like to share with the group.
Evening:
We will leave by motorcoach or trolley to meet the Georgia Sea Turtle Center educators at the turtle center for our night turtle walk. A staff member will explain the legal rules, regulations, and safety considerations for our “turtle walk” field trip. Flashlights, camera flashes, and other lights are not allowed. The staff will have a special flashlight that meets the requirements of the Jekyll Island Lighting Ordinance. We’ll then walk along the beach with a local expert and Center staff to search for nesting sea turtles. This walk will begin at 9:00 p.m. and last two hours; if we find a nesting turtle site, it could last up to three hours. It is a late-night event but well worth it.
Activity Note
Hotel check-out by 11:00 a.m.
Breakfast:
At the hotel. This concludes our program.
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!
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