Biking Exploration on St. Simons and Jekyll Islands
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At a Glance
What You'll Learn
- See a 200-year-old working lighthouse, lovely Christ Church, Fort Frederica and slave cabins by bike.
- Bike to the marshes and learn about Georgia's expansive estuarine and coastal ecosystems.
- Explore more than 20 miles of winding bike trails on Jekyll Island, former playground of the Rockefellers and Morgans.
General Notes
Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.
Activity note: Hotel check-in available from 3:00 p.m.
Afternoon: Program Registration: After you have your room assignment, come to the Road Scholar table to register with the program staff and get your welcome packet containing your up-to-date schedule that reflects any last-minute changes, and to learn when and where the Orientation session will take place. Upon check-in, your bike leader will have a bike fitting for each participant. After receiving your bike, you'll be asked to take a test ride around the parking lot to access your biking capability. If your arrival is delayed, please ask for your packet when you check in. Orientation: The Group Leader will greet everyone with warm welcome and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule and any changes, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer any questions you may have. We will also review COVID-19 protocols and will adhere to local COVID-19 guidelines and requirements throughout the program. Free time is reserved for your personal independent exploration. Evenings at leisure offer opportunities to make the program more meaningful and memorable through personal independent exploration, engaging in available activities on your own, or simply relaxing and making new friends among fellow participants. The Group Leader will always be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local conditions/circumstances. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.
Dinner: At the 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. Bicycling on St. Simons and Jekyll Islands is the best way to see both islands. Each day participants will be getting on their bike and heading out to some historical or ecological site. Everyday is a field trip of learning and riding with a history instructor or naturalist or both. The pace is not fast and we will be stopping at various spots getting on and off the bike for field trips. There are bathroom stops all along the way at some of the places we stop. A sag wagon is available in case of an emergency. We divide the group half. Each group will have a leader in front of the bicyclers and a sweep at the rear. 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.
Activity note: Biking approximately 19 miles on Jekyll Island. Flat terrain with concrete biking paths. Walking up to 2 miles daily.
Breakfast: At the hotel.
Morning: We'll start the day off exploring approximately 19 miles of winding trails, perfect for biking. These paved paths are a great way to explore Jekyll Island’s historic sites, beaches, marshes and maritime forests. Trails wind along the ocean and the interior maritime forest....breathtaking! We will ride to the Jekyll north end stopping at the Horton House, fishing pier and nature pond. Expect to see birds as well as other coastal life along the journey. We will learn about Georgia's expansive estuarine and coastal ecosystems, as well as the plants and animals that depend on them. We’ll stop along the way to take a marsh walk to better see and understand the salt marsh ecology with an expert from Tidelands Nature Center.
Lunch: At the historic Jekyll Island Club Hotel.
Afternoon: Our biking on Jekyll Island continues to the south end where we will stopover at the Wanderer Memorial and Wildlife Tower. We'll be back to the hotel around 4 pm.
Dinner: On your own.
Evening: Evening program.
Activity note: Biking today approximately 15 miles. Walking on Driftwood Beach is on soft beach sand and uneven terrain for about 30 minutes. Getting on and off a tram to see two cottages on tram field trip. Time spent on tram is 60 minutes.
Breakfast: At the hotel.
Morning: Today, we'll start out with a North Loop Ride on Jekyll Island. Stopping at Driftwood Beach or sometimes called Boneyard Beach, resembling a tree graveyard, you'll see the "most photographed beach". This is a textbook example of the effects of erosion on a barrier island. We'll continue our ride to the Jekyll Island Club Hotel, Jekyll Island's only four star resort and National Historic Landmark.
Lunch: We will enjoy a plated lunch at historic Crane Cottage next to the Jekyll Island Club Hotel. Crane Cottage is an Italian Renaissance style with 20 bedrooms, 17 baths and a beautiful garden, built by Richard Teller Crane, Jr. in 1917.
Afternoon: After lunch, we'll ride our bikes over to the Visitor's Center where we will enjoy a presentation on Jekyll Island History at the historic Jekyll Island Museum. The Museum's many exhibitions feature objects and photographs from extensive collections and will introduce us to the rich heritage of Jekyll Island, whose social and architectural legacy is reflected in the Jekyll Island Club National Historic Landmark District. Afterwards, we will board the Museum trolley for a field trip that will include two stops along the way. Now that we have had time to rest on the trolley, we'll begin our biking from the museum to the south loop of Jekyll Island. We'll end our day of riding back at our hotel where we will load our bikes and be ready for our field trip on St. Simons Island the next day.
Dinner: At the hotel.
Evening: Evening program.
Activity note: Biking on St. Simons Island is approximately 10 miles. Stops along the way for history.
Breakfast: At the hotel.
Morning: The van will transport our bicycles to St. Simons Island, a 20 minute van ride from Jekyll Island. We'll meet at the Pier Village for a North end ride with stopover's at Harrington School House and Ft. Frederica. Harrington School served as the main educational structure for three African American communities on St. Simons Island. It hosted grades 1-7 until desegregation in the 1960s. At Ft. Frederica, we'll park our bikes and walk the paths of Fort Frederica, established in 1736 by James Oglethorpe. Ft. Frederica was made to defend Georgia’s southern border from the Floridian.
Lunch: On your own in the tiny seaside village of St. Simons Island.
Afternoon: We will continue to explore St. Simons Island. The island is the largest of Georgia’s Golden Isles and was originally developed by the slave-owning colonial English into plantations of cotton and other cash crops. Out of the widespread West African slave population in the southeast region of what is now the United States grew the distinctive Gullah and Geechee cultures. Since the turn of the 20th century, however, the island transformed into more of a resort community with a significant seasonal population. This afternoon we will ride to Christ Church and cemetery. This is the gravesite of Eugenia Price, best known for her historical novels which were set in the American South, especially, "The Trilogy" books. We'll ride through the Avenue of Oaks, once the entrance to Retreat Plantation. The Avenue of the Oaks is now the grand entrance to the Sea Island Golf Club. We will follow the drive around the magnificent double row of 160 year old live oak trees which create the Avenue of the Oaks. Moving on to our last stop, we will visit the historic St. Simons Lighthouse for an expert-led field trip. While here, we’ll explore the historic St. Simons Lighthouse campus which includes the Lighthouse, the Keeper's Dwelling Museum, the oil house and Victorian Gazebo. We'll board our bikes on the van and return to Jekyll Island after a long and glorious day on St. Simons Island.
Dinner: On your own.
Evening: Evening program.
Activity note: Optional afternoon ride is offered for anyone wanting to "Explore Jekyll Off The Path". The distance varies and can be up to 15 miles.
Breakfast: At the hotel.
Morning: This is our last day of biking. We will depart for the South Dunes for a nature program given by the Tidelands Nature Center. This will include a beach walk and maritime forest walk.
Lunch: At a local restaurant.
Afternoon: Free time to enjoy what you like on your own. Your biking leader will offer an optional ride to explore Jekyll "off the path". By the end of the week, you may decide you've had enough riding and want to relax by the ocean pool or if you're still inclined to ride, you may go on this optional ride.
Dinner: At a local restaurant.
Evening: Recall the fun trips you have taken during the week. Share stories and take home memories of a week you'll never forget.
Activity note: Hotel check-out by 11:00 a.m.
Breakfast: At the hotel.
Morning: This concludes are biking program. 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!