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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
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.





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.