South Carolina
Signature City Charleston
Program No. 19403RJ
Immerse yourself in the culture and unique story of Charleston, where you’ll discover plantation homes, Lowcountry cuisine, antebellum architecture and all the charms of the South.
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Itinerary
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date.
Read More.
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. As a result, some program activities, schedules, accommodations, personnel, and other logistics occasionally change due to local conditions or circumstances. Should a major change occur, we will make every effort to alert you. For less significant changes, we will update you during orientation. Thank you for your understanding.
Duration
6 days
5 nights
What's Included
12 meals (
5B, 3L, 4D
)
4 expert-led lectures
7 expert-led field trips
2 performances
An experienced Group Leader
5 nights of accommodations
Taxes and customary gratuity
Road Scholar Assurance Plan
Day
1
Check-in, Registration, Orientation, Welcome Dinner
Location:
Charleston, SC
Meals:
D
Stay:
Francis Marion Hotel
Activity Note
Hotel check-in from 4:00 p.m.
Afternoon:
Program Registration: 5:00 p.m. After you check in and have your room assignment, join us at the Road Scholar table in the lobby to register with the program staff, get any updated information, and confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please locate your Group Leader and let them know you have arrived. Orientation: 6:00 p.m. 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. We will review COVID-19 protocols and will adhere to local COVID-19 guidelines and requirements throughout the program. Transportation will be provided primarily by motorcoach unless specified otherwise, requiring going up/down a few steps when boarding and getting off the motorcoach. Periods in the 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/current conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.
Dinner:
At the hotel.
Evening:
At leisure. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead. We are about to embark on a learning adventure to see first-hand how history lives on in the present, from stately homes in historic Charleston to extraordinary Lowcountry plantations. Charleston is and always has been a place of marked contradictions. Known as the “Holy City” because of its many houses of worship, this was one of the few cities in colonial America to protect religious diversity. Yet, it was also part of an ante-bellum society that benefited from slavery and became wealthy as a result. We will have opportunities to ponder these contradictions as we explore and learn about magnificent dwellings, often adorned with graceful gardens, and the lives of the people who lived and worked there.
Day
2
Charleston & Lowcountry, Historic District, Gullah Culture
Location:
Charleston, SC
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
Francis Marion Hotel
Activity Note
Walking up to 1/2 mile; uneven terrain.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
An expert local historian will join us at the hotel and provide an introduction to Charleston and the Carolina Lowcountry. This prefatory history of Charleston will prepare us for the field trips we will take during our stay, beginning with our first field trip through historic downtown Charleston this afternoon.
Lunch:
At hotel.
Afternoon:
We will board a motorcoach and ride into the Charleston Historic District where we will become more familiar with the interior city of Charleston. Our expert historian will lead us on a mixed walking and riding exploration of great houses and gardens. We will ride back to the hotel after our field trip.
Dinner:
At the hotel.
Evening:
The Gullah people, descendants of slaves, are a distinctive group of African-Americans living in the Coastal regions of South Carolina and Georgia. Because of their isolated community life, the Gullah have retained more of their African cultural heritage than many other groups and speak an English-based Creole language that has maintained many elements of African language and culture. We’ll enjoy an informative presentation and selection of songs performed by a noted local historian specializing in local Black history with emphasis on Gullah culture. He will entertain and delight while providing cultural insights.
Day
3
Middleton & Magnolia Plantations
Location:
Charleston, SC
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
Francis Marion Hotel
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 35 miles throughout the day, approximately 1 hour total riding time. Walking up to 1.5 miles throughout the day, approximately 2 hours at Middleton; approximately 15 steps to enter Magnolia, not wheelchair accessible; dirt paths, uneven terrain. Getting on/off a tram; riding 4 miles around plantation.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We will be joined by a local expert who will provide commentary aboard the motorcoach and at the plantations. Middleton Place, a National Historic Landmark situated on the Ashley River, is a carefully preserved 18th-century plantation that has survived revolution, Civil War, and an earthquake. During our field trip, we’ll learn that it was the home of four important generations of Middletons beginning with Henry Middleton, President of the First Continental Congress; Arthur, a signer of the Declaration of Independence; Henry, Governor of South Carolina and an American Minister to Russia; and William, a signer of the Ordinance of Secession. Together with our local historian, we’ll explore the gardens, the plantation stableyards, and learn about domestic life at Eliza’s House, labor at the Rice Mill, and the Spring House.
Lunch:
At Middleton Place Plantation.
Afternoon:
Next, we’ll ride to Magnolia Plantation. Founded in 1676 by the Drayton family, it has survived the centuries and witnessed the history of our nation unfold from the American Revolution through the Civil War and on to the present day. It is the oldest public site open to visitors in the Lowcountry with the oldest public gardens in America. As part of the Magnolia Plantation field trip, we will explore the home and surrounding gardens as well as the Magnolia Cabin Project called “From Slavery to Freedom.” We’ll hear from an expert about the issues and challenges enslaved people faced on a working plantation. We’ll then have an opportunity for independent exploration of these cabins that were occupied from the 1850s to the late 1990s. We will be able to focus on the tumultuous times continuously challenging African-American families during slavery, the Jim Crow/segregation era, and through the modern Civil Rights period. From the expert staff at Magnolia, we’ll learn about the plantation’s rich history inside the home. We’ll experience the beauty of the house and gardens on a narrated nature tram ride around the property and view thousands of beautiful flowers and plants. We will return to the hotel after our field trip with some time to freshen up and relax before dinner.
Dinner:
At the hotel.
Evening:
At leisure. You might like to take a stroll along the historic streets, enjoy cocktails on the patio with fellow Road Scholars, or simply relax.
Day
4
Historic Houses, Sweetgrass Baskets, Free Time, Concert
Location:
Charleston, SC
Meals:
B
Stay:
Francis Marion Hotel
Activity Note
Walking up to 1 mile to historic homes within the Marion Square area, approximately 0.7 of a mile from the hotel; mostly even terrain. Sound of Charleston event at Circular Church is a 7-block walk. Bike taxis available at personal cost. Group Leader will be happy to assist in calling.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We will gather in our meeting room at the hotel with a local expert and learn about the history and techniques that gave birth to Charleston’s unique sweetgrass baskets. Brought to the area by slaves who came from the west coast of Africa, basket-making is an ancient African art form in this country, passed on from generation to generation. Skilled craftsmanship and long hours are involved in making these baskets. We will then set out on an expert-led walking field trip to the Aiken-Rhett and Joseph Manigault homes. The Aiken-Rhett House Museum, 48 Elizabeth Street, c. 1820, remained in the hands of family descendants for 142 years until it was sold to The Charleston Museum and opened as a museum house in 1975. The back lot of the Aiken-Rhett House is where the slaves worked and lived, and they probably took their meals communally in the kitchen. The Joseph Manigault home is one of Charleston’s most exquisite antebellum structures. Built in 1803, the Manigault home reflects the urban lifestyle of a wealthy, rice-planting family and the enslaved African Americans who lived there.
Lunch:
This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Tasty cuisine is available in many different restaurants in downtown Charleston.
Afternoon:
Free time. This period of time has been set aside for your personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most. Please refer to the list of Free Time Opportunities. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Please note that the period scheduled for free time is subject to change depending on local circumstances and opportunities for independent exploration.
Dinner:
On your own to enjoy what you like from the fine local restaurants of your choice.
Evening:
We will walk to attend “The Sound of Charleston” — a performance highlighting Charleston’s rich musical heritage — at the historic Circular Congregational Church in the heart of the Historic District. In performances by professional artists, we’ll experience music from 350 years of Charleston’s musical heritage such as gospel, Gullah, Gershwin, Civil War songs, jazz, and light classics.
Day
5
Tea Garden, Angel Oak, Free Time
Location:
Charleston, SC
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
Francis Marion Hotel
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 50 miles throughout the day, approximately 1 hour total riding time. Getting on/off a tram; riding about 1/2 hour. Walking during field trips.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We will board a motorcoach for a field trip to the only tea plantation in the United States, the Charleston Tea Garden on picturesque Wadmalaw Island in the heart of South Carolina’s Lowcountry. Its grounds include 127 acres of “Camellia sinensis” tea plants and a working tea factory. We will take a trolley ride with a local expert to explore the many acres of tea bushes while learning more about tea the enterprise through on-board commentary. A stop at the greenhouse will afford us the opportunity to see up close what it takes to care for young tea bushes and grow them healthily. We will also walk the length of the tea production building and see the equipment it takes to process tea from the field and prepare it for shipment. Large TV screens along the glassed-in gallery will illustrate the entire process. We will then reboard the motorcoach for a visit the Angel Oak tree with its long history. The Angel Oak is a southern live oak — “Quercus virginiana” — that is native throughout the Lowcountry of coastal Carolina. With its massive, draping limbs and wide spreading canopy suggesting the aura of an angel, it may be as much as 400 years old. The tree was actually named by its previous owners, Martha and Justin Angel.
Lunch:
At the Charleston Tea Garden.
Afternoon:
Returning to the hotel, the remainder of the afternoon is free. You might like to find time to return to a favorite place or revisit a location that pulls at your heartstrings. The Gibbes Museum is six blocks away and the Charleston History Museum a block away. Fort Sumter embarkation is 3 blocks away. Bike taxis are an excellent way to travel and are inexpensive.
Dinner:
At a popular restaurant within walking distance of the hotel, we will enjoy some of the area’s distinctive coastal cuisine. Share favorite experiences with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.
Evening:
We will continue to enjoy our camaraderie at the restaurant. Returning to the hotel, prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.
Day
6
Charleston's Restoration & Preservation, Program Concludes
Location:
Charleston, SC
Meals:
B
Activity Note
Hotel check-out 11:00 a.m.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
A guest speaker from the Charleston Preservation will join us at the hotel to speak about the ongoing efforts to preserve Charleston. This concludes our program. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!
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