Tour departs: 3:00 PM from Florida's Jacksonville International Airport. For guests spending the previous night on Jekyll Island (highly recommended), a transfer is included from Jacksonville International Airport to the Jekyll Island Club Hotel in the heart of the island's National Historic Landmark District. Enjoy a welcome cocktail reception and dinner at your elegant Victorian hotel, which was originally founded in the late 19th century as a hunting retreat for some of America's richest and most powerful families including the Rockefellers and the Vanderbilts. Meals: Dinner Lodging: Jekyll Island Club Hotel, Jekyll Island, GA Day 2 - St. Simons Island and historic Savannah Tour Jekyll Island's 240-acre historic district, including Faith Chapel and Rockefeller's Indian Mound, and travel to nearby St. Simons Island, hosting expansive marshlands, oaks draped with Spanish moss and glorious beaches. Travel to Savannah for a two-night stay, where you'll admire the elegant architecture and the geometric city design, with 24 park squares featuring live oaks draped with Spanish moss; it's one of the country's most graceful cities. Tonight, enjoy a Exclusive - a private evening featuring a taste of Savannah's time-honored Madeira traditions at the Davenport House Museum, followed by dinner at 45 Bistro in the Marshal House Hotel in the heart of the Historic District. Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner Lodging: Hilton Savannah DeSoto, Savannah, GA Day 3 - Landmarks of historic Savannah Begin your day with a private tour of the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace in Savannah, family home of the founder of the Girl Scouts of the USA, and visit the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum, interpreting the great Atlantic sea trade of centuries past. A local expert provides an insider's view of Savannah's park squares and notable buildings, part of one of the first planned cities in America, on a guided tour; its National Historic Landmark District is the largest in the country, and features more than 1,000 architecturally significant buildings. The remainder of the day is yours to explore more of Savannah on your own, perhaps wandering the city's trendy waterfront district. Meals: Breakfast Lodging: Hilton Savannah DeSoto, Savannah, GA Day 4 - Civil War history & barrier beaches Bid Savannah farewell and head off to a key site of the Civil War, Fort Pulaski National Monument, an impressive brick fortress captured by Union forces in 1862. It was here that military history was forever changed during a Civil War battle that saw the introduction of "rifled cannons." Continue on to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, boasting one of the most pristine marine estuaries on the east coast, where you'll find miles of barrier beaches that are ideal for walking and beachcombing. Following dinner at your inviting oceanfront resort, take a journey through the roots of Gullah culture, from West Africa to the Carolina coast, with master storyteller Aunt Pearlie Sue; her warmth, humor and exuberance will be long remembered. Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner Lodging: Hilton Oceanfront Resort, Hilton Head, SC Day 5 - Step back in time in Beaufort en route to Charleston Take time for a morning walk on Hilton Head's pristine beaches if you wish before journeying north along the coast. Arrive in Beaufort, "Queen of the Carolina Sea Islands," where you'll view the timeless architecture of its National Historic Landmark District. Head to Charleston, the lovely and historic first capital of South Carolina. An exclusively chartered private boat cruise of Charleston Harbor this afternoon imparts a wealth of information about the city's centuries of maritime history. Your home for the next three nights is a 150-year-old hotel at the center of Charleston's historic district. Dinner tonight is at your choice of several fine Charleston restaurants. Meals: Breakfast, dinner Lodging: The Mills House Hotel, Charleston, SC Day 6 - Explore the past in gracious Charleston Relive the past with a local guide who takes you on a tour of Charleston, along the cobblestone streets and past walled gardens, living reminders of the city's early prosperous days. The city's 789-acre historic district showcases extraordinary architecture, from pre-Revolutionary War buildings to graceful antebellum homes; highlights include The Citadel and the Battery. Explore on your own in the afternoon; perhaps take a carriage tour, visit the Gibbes Museum of Art, or see Fort Sumter National Monument, where the first shot of the Civil War was fired in 1861. Meals: Breakfast Lodging: The Mills House Hotel, Charleston, SC Day 7 - Grand plantations and gardens of centuries past Visit some of the finest plantations and gardens in America today. A morning excursion takes you first to Drayton Hall, a Georgian Palladian mansion built in 1738 that is preserved in original condition, without electricity or plumbing. Join senior interpreters for a Conoisseur Tour that takes an in-depth look at three centuries of Drayton Hall via historical photographs, plantation logs and archived letters. Then it's on to Middleton Place for a tour of its mansion built in 1755, stable yard with period artifacts, and the oldest formal gardens in the United States, considered a landscaping masterpiece. This evening, relive this most gracious of South Carolina and Georgia tours during the farewell cocktail reception and dinner at your historic Charleston hotel. Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner Lodging: The Mills House Hotel, Charleston, SC Day 8 - South Carolina and Georgia tours conclude Days of South Carolina and Georgia tours end in Charleston, South Carolina. Fly home anytime. A transfer is included from The Mills House Hotel to Charleston International Airport. Allow a minimum of two hours for flight check-in. Meals: Breakfast Notes: - Also available September - October 
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