Charleston, Savannah and Jekyll Island

Welcome to beautiful Charleston, South Carolina with a transfer to your hotel. Tonight, get to know your Tour Manager and fellow traveling companions during a welcome dinner at 6:00 p.m. in the hotel. Meal: D

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. Located on the Ashley River, Middleton Place Plantation is a rare survivor of revolution and war. The plantation features carefully manicured landscaped gardens and heritage breed livestock stable yards. Enjoy an included lunch at this National Historic Landmark. Meals: B, L

Depart Charleston for one of Georgia’s “Golden Isles’” Jekyll Island. En route, a stop is made at 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. Later, arrive at the romantic Victorian-style Jekyll Island Club Resort, originally built as an exclusive island getaway for the Rockefeller and Vanderbilt families. Meal: B

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 1800s. In the afternoon, visit the largest of the Golden Isles, St. Simons, where Spanish moss-draped oaks line the island’s charming streets. See 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. Meals: B, D

Travel to 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 your 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. Meals: B, D

This morning it’s off to Tybee Island to visit the lighthouse that has been the guardian of the Savannah River since 1736. 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 at one of Savannah’s restaurants serving the finest in Southern cuisine. Meals: B, D

After breakfast, a group transfer is available to the Savannah International Airport for flights out after 10:00 a.m. Meal: B