Spend two nights at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel

7 Days • 8 Meals
Southern charm and hospitality, sandy beaches, moss-draped oaks, antebellum mansions on riverside plantations and playgrounds of the rich and famous will surround us.

Charleston, Where History Lives
Charleston, South Carolina’s cobblestone streets invite a stroll past Colonial and antebellum mansions with their fragrant gardens of magnolias and hibiscus. The town founders lived here and turned Southern hospitality into an art. Many frequented the 1771 Royal Exchange and Custom House where they socialized, worked to free us from the British and helped build our great nation. History fast forwards as we visit the famous Battery at the Harbor which overlooks Fort Sumter. Here, the first shot of the Civil War was fired ending a way of life we will experience at our next stop.

Step back 325 years at Magnolia Plantation, considered by many experts to be the most beautiful garden in the world. Walk farther back in time by visiting its Indian burial mound, restored pre-Revolutionary War barge and street of pre-Civil War cabins. On the nature train, we will explore the life and history of the plantation, which now includes a petting zoo and themed gardens such as Biblical, tropical, and topiary. The day ends with a dinner cruise on Charleston Harbor where Southern cooking and historic landmarks end a memorable day in the Old South.

The Beauty of Beaufort
Known for its Southern hospitality and casual seaside charm, Beaufort reigns as the "Queen of the Carolina Sea Islands." With its scenic waterfront charm, quaint shops and historic homes, Beaufort beckons, encouraging you to drift back in time and experience Southern hospitality at its finest.

The Vanderbilts and You
One of Georgia’s “Golden Isles,” Jekyll Island is covered with oak trees, Spanish moss and palmetto. Families such as the Rockefellers and Vanderbilts once prized the island for its splendid isolation. Our lush home for the next two nights is the Jekyll Island Club, a romantic Victorian Hotel. Called a cottage by turn-of-the-century tycoons who wintered here, it was considered the richest, most exclusive and most inaccessible club in the world. The hotel’s tradition of culinary excitement is as celebrated today as it was decades ago.

A narrated tram tour of Jekyll Island’s 240-acre historic district passes 33 original buildings, and we also explore a restored cottage. Much of the Vanderbilt society world has been preserved and faithfully restored. You can see one of only four signed Louis C. Tiffany stained glass windows in the country.

The Belle of the South
During our two days in Savannah, we’ll discover why General Sherman found this city too beautiful to burn during the Civil War. Many stately mansions have been restored, and some buildings date back to the 1700s. The elegant architecture, ornate ironworks, fountains and lush green squares are rivaled only by the city’s hospitality. We pass the 1820 mansion birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts, and squares and streets where movies such as Forrest Gump and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil were filmed. You’ll have ample time to visit other attractions such as the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist (1876), one of the largest Roman Catholic churches in the South, the First African Baptist Church whose congregation dates back to 1788 and Temple Mickeve Israel, the third oldest synagogue in America.

There is a full day of exploring more of Savannah, including River Street with its unique shops and restaurants. Or you can join our optional tour to Hilton Head Island, a relaxing golfers’ paradise that juts into the Atlantic with secluded beaches and gently rolling waves. During our farewell dinner at Mrs. Wilkes Boarding House, we enjoy some great down-home Southern cuisine.

Hotel Accommodations
Days One and Two – Charleston Marriott Hotel, Charleston, South Carolina
Days Three and Four – Jekyll Island Club Hotel, Jekyll Island, Georgia
Days Five and Six – Hilton DeSoto Historic District, Savannah, Georgia