Welcome to the beautiful South. We arrive in Jacksonville, Florida today and climb aboard our transfer to the romantic Victorian-style hotel, Jekyll Island Club Hotel, originally built as an exclusive island getaway for the Rockefeller and Vanderbilt families. Tonight, get to know your Tour Manager and fellow traveling companions at a welcome dinner at 6:00 p.m. in the Jekyll Island Club. Dinner
We begin the day with a narrated tram tour of Jekyll Island’s National Landmark Historic District and hear the fascinating stories of the island’s beginnings and development by the “rich and famous” of the late 1800’s. In the afternoon we visit the largest of the Golden Isles, St. Simons, where Spanish moss-draped oaks line the island’s charming streets. See the St. Simons Lighthouse, in operation since 1872, and Bloody Marsh, where British and Scottish soldiers defeated the Spanish. The balance of the day is free to relax and enjoy the natural beauty of the Jekyll Island Club. Breakfast
This morning we make a stop at Fort McAllister Historic Park. Located on the banks of the Ogeechee River, Fort McAllister showcases the best preserved earthwork fortification of the Confederacy. Nestled among giant live oaks and Spanish moss, the grounds feature palisades, cannons, a furnace, barracks and more. We arrive in Savannah, the “Belle of the South” and discover why General Sherman found this city much too beautiful to burn during the Civil War. On a narrated trolley tour our driver guide recounts the tales and secrets of the stately mansions of the lovely squares of Savannah’s Historic District. Pass the 1820 birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts, the squares and streets where movies such as Forrest Gump and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil were filmed. Breakfast
This morning it’s off to Tybee Island to visit the lighthouse that has been the guardian of the Savannah River since 1736. We visit the museum that features exhibits of early life on the island, and if you are feeling adventurous, take the exhilarating walk up the 154-foot-tall lighthouse. Later, feel free to discover the many shops along River Street and enjoy the beauty of the quaint squares perfect for relaxing. Tonight, dinner is served family-style at Mrs. Wilkes’ Boarding House, a Savannah legend. Breakfast and dinner
En route to Charleston today we make a stop at Hilton Head and the Sea Pines Plantation where we learn of the island’s early history, its role in the Civil War and its development into one of the world’s premier resort communities. Then, we stop in charming Beaufort, one of only a handful of towns in the nation that has had its entire downtown designated an historic district by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Beaufort is known for its southern hospitality, scenic waterfront charm, quaint shops and historic homes. Breakfast
A local guide welcomes us to Charleston, widely regarded as one of the most beautiful and historic cities in America. Through the stories of those who founded Charleston, the local guide makes history come alive along these antebellum home-lined streets. See the Old Market and Exchange and the famous "Battery at the Harbor," which overlooks Fort Sumter. This afternoon we visit Magnolia Plantation with a tram tour through the plantation’s wetlands and marshes. In the evening, enjoy a narrated dinner cruise on beautiful Charleston Harbor, a perfect ending to a wonderful adventure. Breakfast and dinner
Bid a fond farewell to Charleston and leave with wonderful memories of the South’s most beautiful cities. Breakfast
Jekyll Island Club Hotel, Jekyll Island, Georgia
Hilton DeSoto Historic Historic District, Savannah, Georgia
Holiday Inn Historic District, Charleston, South Carolina
Call for air rates and schedules from your city to Jacksonville and from Charleston
Rooms for the night after the tour are available. Cost for a room in Charleston is $339, tax include
