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Georgia

Ragtime, Tin Pan Alley, Jazz & the Blues: A Millionaire’s Retreat on Jekyll

Program No. 8009RJ
Jekyll Island was once an exclusive destination for millionaires and political elite. Join us at the historic Jekyll Island Club for an adventure of learning and island exploration.

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DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Filling Fast!
Oct 22 - Oct 27, 2023
Starting at
1,949
Filling Fast!
Oct 29 - Nov 3, 2023
Starting at
1,949
Filling Fast!
Nov 19 - Nov 24, 2023
Starting at
1,899
Jan 28 - Feb 2, 2024
Starting at
1,899
Feb 4 - Feb 9, 2024
Starting at
1,899
Sep 29 - Oct 4, 2024
Starting at
1,999
Oct 6 - Oct 11, 2024
Starting at
1,999
Nov 3 - Nov 8, 2024
Starting at
1,899
Nov 10 - Nov 15, 2024
Starting at
1,899
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Filling Fast!
Oct 22 - Oct 27, 2023
Starting at
2,499
Filling Fast!
Oct 29 - Nov 3, 2023
Starting at
2,499
Nov 19 - Nov 24, 2023
Starting at
2,419
Jan 28 - Feb 2, 2024
Starting at
2,419
Feb 4 - Feb 9, 2024
Starting at
2,419
Sep 29 - Oct 4, 2024
Starting at
2,569
Oct 6 - Oct 11, 2024
Starting at
2,569
Nov 3 - Nov 8, 2024
Starting at
2,419
Nov 10 - Nov 15, 2024
Starting at
2,419

At a Glance

Spend a week with two of the country's leading authorities and performers in the field of Ragtime, Dixieland and turn-of-the century popular music. Learn about great musicians like Scott Joplin, W. C. Handy, Irving Berlin, Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller and others, and immerse yourself in the music with live piano, flute and vocal performances of the tunes for which these artists are best remembered. Also explore Jekyll Island – one of Georgia’s southernmost barrier islands – home to the famous Jekyll Island Club, the exclusive and lavish resort where families like the Rockefellers and Vanderbilts once wintered.
Activity Level
Easy Going
Walking up to a half-mile on the beach for the marsh walk, standing for on-site lectures during excursions, getting on/off a van for the beach walk. At the hotel, there are steps leading from the Bellstand to the veranda at the entrance (there is a handicap lift available). There are also 4 steps leading to the front desk. There is a gift shop at the hotel that has steps as well, which include 3 steps up and 3 steps down.

Best of all, you’ll…

  • During your stay, learn the history of the extravagant Jekyll Island Club Hotel, formerly one of the most exclusive clubs in America which counted Morgans, Rockefellers and Vanderbilts among its members.
  • Learn from one of American’s leading authorities and performers of Ragtime, Dixieland and other popular turn-of-the-century music with live performances and engaging lectures.
  • Venture to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center to witness the sea turtles that use the beaches of Jekyll Island as nesting grounds every year.
Featured Expert
All Experts
Profile Image
Jeff Barnhart
Jeff Barnhart is an internationally renowned pianist, vocalist, arranger, bandleader, recording artist, ASCAP composer, educator and entertainer. Jeff began his professional career at age 14 playing and entertaining four nights a week in a restaurant in Connecticut. In addition, he has lead two bands in the UK: the Fryer-Barnhart International Jazz Band and Jeff Barnhart’s British Band, which performs small group swing of the 30’s. Jeff enjoys performing with smaller groups, most notably Ivory&Gold®, a group he co-leads with his wife, Anne Barnhart.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Profile Image of Georgia Graves
Georgia Graves View biography
Georgia Graves has developed and coordinates teacher training workshops on Georgia's sea turtles, shorebirds, marine mammals and coastal ecology for the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve, one of 26 such reserves in North America. Georgia leads nature and history programs and works with Georgia's sea turtle conservation project.
Profile Image of JoAnn Buisson
JoAnn Buisson View biography
JoAnn Buisson is a retired elementary school teacher from Boston, Mass. After college, she was employed as a nursery school teacher until 1981. She remained at home until 1994 in order to raise her children. In 1994, JoAnn accepted a position with a local elementary school as an art teacher, eventually retiring in 2014. Upon retirement, she moved to Jekyll Island with her husband. She continues her interest in the arts, taking several classes in pottery.
Profile Image of Jeff Barnhart
Jeff Barnhart View biography
Jeff Barnhart is an internationally renowned pianist, vocalist, arranger, bandleader, recording artist, ASCAP composer, educator and entertainer. Jeff began his professional career at age 14 playing and entertaining four nights a week in a restaurant in Connecticut. In addition, he has lead two bands in the UK: the Fryer-Barnhart International Jazz Band and Jeff Barnhart’s British Band, which performs small group swing of the 30’s. Jeff enjoys performing with smaller groups, most notably Ivory&Gold®, a group he co-leads with his wife, Anne Barnhart.
Profile Image of Anne Barnhart
Anne Barnhart View biography
Anne Barnhart is a flutist and vocalist who has musical experiences with Ivory&Gold® have taken her around the world. Her performances have been enjoyed from coast to coast in the US and abroad the world. When she is onstage, audiences are dazzled by her technique, awed by her tone and enthralled with her timing when bantering with her husband, pianist Jeff Barnhart. Anne is also a gifted educator, having taught hundreds of students over the past 30 years. Anne holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music.
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6 days
5 nights
12 meals
5 B 3 L 4 D
DAY
1
Check-in, Registration, Orientation, Welcome Dinner
Jekyll Island, GA
D
Jekyll Island Club Resort

Activity note: Hotel check-in from 4:00 p.m. Remember to bring your nametag (sent previously).

Afternoon: Program Registration: 4:00 p.m. After you check in and have your room assignment, join us at 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.

Dinner: In a private banquet room at the historic Jekyll Island Club Hotel.

Evening: 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. We will review COVID-19 protocols and will adhere to local COVID-19 guidelines and requirements throughout the program. Periods in the 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.

DAY
2
Ragtime, Early Tin Pan Alley, Dixieland, Historic District
Jekyll Island, GA
B,L,D
Jekyll Island Club Resort

Activity note: Getting on/off a tram. Minimal walking and standing in the Historic District.

Breakfast: In the Club’s Victorian-era Grand Dining Room.

Morning: In our private meeting room at the Club, our music instructors will begin our program with the first of their four musical presentations. Today’s class is about ragtime, including its history, structure, and different styles. Scott Joplin, Eubie Blake, and other prominent ragtime composers will be covered, with complete live piano, flute and vocal performances of important – and fun – rags and ragtime songs.

Lunch: In a private dining room.

Afternoon: We’ll board the tram with our Group Leader and head to the Historic District Museum. First, we’ll enjoy a presentation on Jekyll’s history from a staffer. We will return to the tram to see the island’s 240-acre National Historic Landmark District, where gilded-era millionaires spent winter vacations with family, friends, and each other. It is said that Jekyll Island’s wealthy visitors once represented one-sixth of our nation's total wealth. When they weren’t relaxing at this special retreat, these famous families were making deals and building America’s economic empire. We’ll have expert commentary aboard the tram and make two stops in the Historic District.

Dinner: At the hotel.

Evening: At the hotel, we’ll have a hands-on encounter with native reptiles and amphibians. Learn about the biology and ecological roles of our local "herps", and enjoy the chance to handle snakes, turtles, alligators, and more in a safe environment.

DAY
3
Music Continues, Ecology & Beach Walk
Jekyll Island, GA
B,L,D
Jekyll Island Club Resort

Activity note: Getting in/out of a passenger van. Walking for about an hour during the beach/marsh walk.

Breakfast: In the Grand Dining Room.

Morning: Our day starts with our second class at the Club: an introduction to blues music and its history and structure, with live piano, flute and vocal performances of compositions by W. C. Handy, Bessie Smith, and other blues pioneers. Our instructors will continue through the origins of Tin Pan Alley, touching on its composers, lyricists and performers including the incomparable Irving Berlin and Sophie Tucker. We’ll hear such famous works as “Alexander's Ragtime Band,” “Some of These Days,” and “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love (Baby)”.

Lunch: At the Club.

Afternoon: We’ll be joined by a local expert who will tell us about the fascinating ecology of this Barrier Island. One of its inhabitants, the Knobbed Whelk, is the State Shell of Georgia. We’ll also discuss the sea turtles that come back year after year to use the beaches of Jekyll Island as a nesting ground. We’ll then take a passenger van to the beach for our ecology beach walk.

Dinner: At the hotel.

Evening: After dinner, we’ll be treated to a performance by Ivory & Gold®, a husband-and-wife duo who for two decades have been renowned for their performances in the styles being explored during the morning sessions.

DAY
4
Music Continues, Free Time
Jekyll Island, GA
B
Jekyll Island Club Resort

Activity note: Walking and other activities during free time according to personal choice.

Breakfast: In the Grand Dining Room.

Morning: Our music instructors will join us at the Club to continue our Tin Pan Alley adventure with live piano, flute, and vocal performances of selections by Jerome Kern ("They Didn't Believe Me"), Walter Donaldson (“Makin’ Whoopee”, "My Blue Heaven", "Yes, Sir! That's My Baby!"), and George Gershwin (too many to list) among many others. They’ll also discuss what exactly the “Great American Songbook” really is and tell the story of why Tin Pan Alley disappeared.

Lunch: 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.

Afternoon: Free time. The instructors are leading a one-hour BYOI (Bring Your Own Instrument) jam session for anyone interested! Anyone who plays an instrument (or sings) is welcome to join in. For those who don't, please feel free to attend to listen and cheer your new friends on! You can also 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 and give directions. You might want to visit nearby attractions, such as St. Simons Island, which has been inhabited for over 4,000 years and is the site of numerous colonial, Revolutionary War, and Civil War battles. Or head to historic Jekyll Wharf and its many opportunities for sightseeing and nature cruises.

Evening: 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 and give directions.

DAY
5
Music Continues, Georgia Sea Turtle Center, Beach Shells
Jekyll Island, GA
B,L,D
Jekyll Island Club Resort

Activity note: Walking a short distance to the Sea Turtle Center; standing for about 30 minutes.

Breakfast: In the Grand Dining Room.

Morning: In our private meeting room at the Club, our music instructors will lead our final class with short biographies of some of the most influential early jazz musicians, including Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke, the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, Eddie Condon, James P. Johnson, and Fats Waller. We’ll hear live piano, flute, and vocal performances of tunes for which these figures are best remembered, along with some representative recordings. Our presentation concludes with a special wrap-up session about the music we’ve experienced during the program.

Lunch: At the Club.

Afternoon: After lunch, we’ll take a break from music and millionaires and walk over to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. Through sea turtle rehabilitation, research and education programs, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center aims to increase awareness of habitat and wildlife conservation challenges, promote responsibility for ecosystem health, and empower individuals to act locally, regionally, and globally to protect the environment.

Dinner: At the Club. Share favorite experiences and enjoy camaraderie with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.

Evening: Jekyll Island's 10 miles of beach and outlying sand dune ecosystem provides many shells on the coast. Our expert will share her collection of beautiful whelk shells, perfectly formed conch shells and much more with us. Prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.

DAY
6
Behind the Scenes at the Club, Program Concludes
Jekyll Island, GA
B

Activity note: Standing inside the hotel with minimal walking. Hotel check-out by 12:00 Noon.

Breakfast: In the Grand Dining Room.

Morning: We’ll also go behind the scenes to see how the Jekyll Island Club has maintained its standards of luxurious service for over a century. 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!






Important registration tip:
If you want to attend the live lecture, please do not wait until the last minute to enroll.
If you enroll after a lecture is complete, we’ll send you a recording of the event.