From the charming city of Charleston to coastal Savannah and the luxurious Jekyll Island, this tour gives you a taste of Southern hospitality. Take in the region’s rich history and traditions as you experience the legacy of antebellum culture, and savor some of the best cuisine in the country. Above all, you’ll discover just how enchanting the South—and Southerners—can be.

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 - Charleston, South Carolina

Arrive in Charleston, South Carolina, and check into your hotel. The rest of the day is free for you to relax or begin acquainting yourself with the city of Charleston. Meet your fellow travelers at this evening’s Welcome Dinner.
Included meals: dinner

Day 2 - Charleston, South Carolina

An expert local guide leads this morning’s sightseeing tour of Charleston, known as the Holy City for its history of religious tolerance. Today, the city is an exuberant blend of Spanish, British, French and Gullah influences, and on your tour you’ll see many landmarks, including the Old Citadel, the College of Charleston, the Four Corners of Law, the Battery, Rainbow Row, Charleston Museum, the Old Exchange Building and City Market, where you can buy sweetgrass baskets to take home. This afternoon, opt to travel outside the city this afternoon on an optional excursion to Drayton Hall Plantation, one of the oldest working plantations in the South. As you drive down its oak-lined lane with heavy branches laden with Spanish moss overhead, you’ll feel as if you’ve been transported back to the 1800s. On your tour through the plantation, you’ll learn about the day to day life of those who ran the plantation as well as their history. This excursion also includes dinner at nearby Middleton Place.
Included meals: breakfast

Day 3 - Charleston, South Carolina

Today is yours to explore Charleston on your own. Give in to the antebellum allure of this charming Southern gem: stroll along the quaint streets, past stately, multicolored mansions that stand as they have for centuries. Perhaps hop on a cruise to Fort Sumter—site of the first shot fired in the Civil War. Or simply sit and sip iced tea at a local café. You’ll see pineapples—a symbol of hospitality—etched on everything from mailboxes to flags, reminding you that you’re very welcome here.
Included meals: breakfast

$90 USD

Southern Plantations & Dinner Venture to Drayton Hall Plantation, where you’ll ex­plorethe only antebellum mansion on the Ashley River to remain intact today. You’lltour the home and its grounds, including the gardens, before traveling toMiddleton Place Plantation to observe the day-to-day duties of the country’soldest opera­tional plantation. A National Historic Landmark, this carefullypreserved 18th-century facility has sur­vived revolution, civil war andearthquakes. You’ll also see what made the antebellum way of life pos­sible—theneat row of slave cabins out back—and meet some of the workers that keep theplantation alive today. Dinner is included. Please note: This excursionrequires advanced reservation and must be booked 20 days prior to departure.

Day 4 - Jekyll Island

Say goodbye to Charleston this morning as you travel to the charming city of Beaufort on Port Royal Island. Your Tour Director will introduce you to the scenic waterfront, historic homes and quaint shops of this National Historic Land­mark. Enjoy free time for lunch before continuing on to St. Helena Island. Here, you’ll visit the Penn Center, one of the country’s first schools for freed slaves, and learn about the sea islands’ Gullah-Geechee culture. Arrive on Jekyll Island later this afternoon.
Included meals: breakfast
Included entrances: The Penn Center

Day 5 - Savannah, Georgia

This morning, enjoy free time to explore Jekyll Island, one of Georgia’s Golden Isles. Famous for its white sand beaches and its pleasant climate, the island is most renowned for its Jekyll Island Club, a place where some of America’s elite families, tycoons, politicians and socialites—such as the Morgans, Rockefellers and Vanderbilts—vacationed. This afternoon, continue on to the largest of Georgia’s Golden Isles, St. Simons Island. Your Tour Director will lead you on a tour of the island, including the lighthouse, Fort Frederica National Monument and Christ Episcopal Church, built in 1820 and nearly destroyed by Union troops during the Civil War. As you tour the island, you might even hear a ghost story or two based on the island’s many documented hauntings, such as the doomed ghost pirates that sail the creeks and inlets of St. Simons Island on their ghost ships. Arrive in Savannah this evening, where you might choose to join our optional evening of Southern cuisine accompanied by live music.
Included meals: breakfast

$80 USD

Southern Dinner & Music Relax and enjoy an evening of live musical performances in the historic Savannah Theatre, followed by a three-course dinner at a local restaurant. Please note: This excursion requires advanced booking and must be reserved 30 days prior to departure.

Day 6 - Savannah, Georgia

This morning, set out on a guided tour of Savannah. On February 12, 1733, when James Oglethorpe and 114 colonists from Gravesend, England, arrived at Yamacraw Bluff on the Savannah River to found the 13th colony, Georgia, Oglethorpe laid down only four rules: no slaves, no Roman Catholics, no strong drink and no lawyers. The city of Savannah also became America’s first “planned city,” designed by Oglethorpe into blocks of lots centered around a grid of 24 public squares, 21 of which still exist today. Over the centuries, Savannah found prosperity in the form of rice and cotton (Eli Whitney’s invention of the cotton gin effectively reversed the ruling on slave ownership), and faced hardship during the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. Today, you’ll experience the city’s storied past as you enjoy a guided tour through the city. Highlights include such landmarks as
Forsyth Park, River Street, the Waving Girl statue, the Cotton Exchange and Colonial Park Cemetery. The afternoon is free for you to explore the city on your own, perhaps visiting the locations described in the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Tonight, join your group for a fond Farewell Dinner, where you can reminisce about your southern explorations.
Included meals: breakfast, dinner

Day 7 - Savannah, Georgia

Begin your return journey home.
Included meals: breakfast
(In the case of early morning departures, breakfast may not be included.)