2023018 Georgia's Golden Isle

Day 1

Today we wil head to Georgia with an overnight stop on the way.

Day 2

Breakfast included and depart hotel and travel south through North Carolina and South Carolina to the quaint town of Beauford SC where you will have lunch on your own and free time for shopping.
This afternoon a 2 hour narrated tour including Beaufort's Antebellum, Civil War and Reconstruction history as we drive down Bay Street to Ribaut Road to cross over McTeer Bridge to Lady's Island and on to St. Helena Island (vehicles with 3 or more axles risk being pulled over if we cross over Woods Memorial Bridge). History of Dataw Island and St. Helena Island And then drive from there to Penn Center. We can drive through Penn Center seeing such sites as Siceloff Welcome Center and Darrah Hall (Reconstruction Era National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)) (now a US Park Service museum of Reconstruction. Stop at Reverend Hodges Gullah art store in Frogmore ((20+) The Gullah Geechee Visitors Center at LyBensons Gallery | Facebook) we will then continue south
to Jekyll Island. Arrive at your hotel for a meet & greet. Enjoy a dinner this evening at the Wee Pub on the island. Return to the hotel for a good nights' rest.

Day 3

This morning enjoy a buffet breakfast at the hotel
Tour Jekyll Island. You will board a tram for a tour of this 240-acre, riverfront compound, which is one of the largest, ongoing restoration projects in the southeastern United States. History will come alive by your professionally trained guide. "The richest, the most exclusive and most inaccessible club in the world. This proclamation, by Munsey's Magazine in 1904, summed up the renowned status of The Jekyll Island Club. Founded in 1886, it was the winter retreat for some of America's most elite families. Club rolls included such names as Morgan, Astor, Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, Pulitzer, and others. Here, on this small barrier island off Georgia's coast, they shaped a private world of grand cottage residences around a Queen Anne-style clubhouse. Much of that world has been lovingly preserved and faithfully restored in the Jekyll Island National Historic Landmark District. There will be time to explore the renovated museum, recently renamed The Mosaic featuring in-depth and interactive exhibits that will offer an immersive experience to all to tell the story of Jekyll Island, and it has quite a story to tell. Time to shop in the gift shop. Picnic lunch at the Great Dunes Park overlooking the Atlantic Ocean with free time to walk the beach. Afternoon free for shopping in the Beach Village. Dinner on own at any of the great restaurants located around the island. Around the Jekyll Island Club - The Club Café, Grand Dining room, The Wharf; Around the Beach Village - Wee Pub, Sunrise Café, Eighty Ocean Kitchen at the Ocean Inn, The Reserve Steakhouse at the Westin Hotel; Triburzio's Grill at the Jekyll Island Golf Club; Driftwood Bistro.
Sunset Dolphin Cruise - sit back and relax and enjoy the beauty that surrounds you.
Return to the hotel for a good nights' rest.

Day 4

Enjoy a buffet breakfast at the hotel
Depart the hotel for a ride to the Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge
Visit the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge which was established in 1936 to preserve the 438,000 acre Okefenokee Swamp. The swamp remains one of the oldest and most well preserved freshwater areas in America. Sit back and enjoy the ride into the swamp. Free time to explore the Chesser Homestead and walk the Boardwalk. Picnic Lunch will be included on the edge of the swamp. Return to the Golden Isles. Tour the largest of Georgia's fabled Golden Isles, St. Simons Island that continues to reveal to present day visitors the remarkable beauty and fascinating history of this place first call San Simeon by 16th century Spanish explorers. It was here that General James Oglethorpe's troops established Georgia's first military outpost, Fort Frederica. You will do a drive through tour of the Fort. On the north end of the island is the hauntingly beautiful Christ Church built in 1736. On its grounds is the spot where John Wesley, the father of Methodism, first preached, and a wooded cemetery where many of the Island's earliest settlers are buried. You will have an entrance to Christ Church, based on availability. Stop at the St. Simons Lighthouse, which consists of four structures including an 1872 brick lighthouse, keeper's dwelling, 1890 oil house and a Victorian gazebo. This is one of only five surviving light houses in Georgia and the most visited one. If you have that one last gift to take home that you haven't found, don't miss the wonderful gift shop at the Lighthouse. Dinner at Iguana's Seafood Restaurant (choices)
Return to the hotel for a good nights' rest.

Day 5

Enjoy a buffet breakfast at the hotel.
Depart the hotel for the ride to the Meridian Dock
Board the ferry for the short ride to Sapelo Island where the tour begins. You will meet your local guide, a descendant of the slaves who were on the Spaulding Plantation. Sapelo is one of Georgia's 13 barrier islands and was lastly owned by R. J. Reynolds of the tobacco empire. The guide will make the history of the island and the African-American community of Jog Hammock come alive. View the Sapelo Lighthouse built for navigation to the ort of Darien.
Lunch on the island will be prepared by the residents.
Walk on the National Seashore will be the culmination of the tour of the island before boarding the ferry to return to the mainland
Return to the hotel to relax and refresh.
Dinner this evening will be at Triburzio's Grill
Return to the hotel for a good nights' rest.

Day 6

Breakfast included and we will depart Jekyll Islamd. Luch stop enroute. This afternoon arrive at the U. S. Army Airborne & Special Operations Museum. The United States Army Airborne and Special Operations Museum recounts the actions of heroic Soldiers from the early days of the Parachute Test Platoon in 1940, to the ongoing Global War on Terrorism. The museum preserves the extraordinary feats performed by the United States Army's Airborne and the Special Operations Forces, all who jump from the sky, into battle. Come see what brings out the best in America's sons and daughters. Our museum is a source of pride to all those who served, or now serve, in the United States Army Airborne and Special Operations units. The main exhibit gallery transports you through time, starting in 1940 with the conception of the United States Army Parachute Test Platoon and ending with today's Airborne and Special Operations units. Much has changed in the world since the battles of World War II and the conflicts of the Cold War era, but the courage and dedication of the American Soldier is a common bond that ties each generation together. We will then continue to our overnight accomodations!

Day 7

Breakfast is included and we will then continue to the charming waterfront town of Occoquan, Virginia. This quaint 18th century mill town is set on the river with a variety of unique shops and eateries for lunch (on own) before returning home with fond memories of our Georgia adventure!!

B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner