Southern Coast Charmer

• Itinerary
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1. Home to Jekyll Island
Our journey starts up the coast to Jekyll Island, Jekyll’s unique naturalness survived since the state of Georgia aside more than 3,700 acres of Jekyll’s land area for permanent protection from development. Now the island provides habitat for more than 1,700 species of plants, fish, insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. It’s a National Historic Landmark District.  Enjoy a guided tour of Jekyll Island’s Historic District by trolley.  Your home of the evening will be the Victorian hotel, which was opened in the late 19th century as a hunting retreat for the rich and powerful.  Today, the Jekyll Island Club National Historic Landmark District is a 240-acre, riverfront compound and one of the largest, ongoing restoration projects in the southeastern United States.
Included Meals: Dinner
Lodging: Jekyll Island Club Hotel, Jekyll Island, GA

2. Jekyll Island
Awake to a leisurely breakfast and soak up the elegance of Jekyll Island Club.  Maybe a stroll along the river with it’s grand “cottages” once belonging to the rich and famous including Rockefellers, Vanderbilts and J.P. Morgan.  Later we’ll explore charming St. Simon Island by trolley, with it’s interesting Museum of Coastal History and the St. Simons Lighthouse.  Lunch is included overlooking the beautiful scenery of St. Simons Island.  Enjoy some free time to explore the quaint shops and gallaries. This evening is at your leisure to choose the many restaurants in the area.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

3. Jekyll Island to Savannah
Arrive in one of the most graceful cities in America, Savannah where you’ll admire the elegant architecture, live oaks draped with Spanish moss, and true southern charm.   It’s one of the country’s most graceful cities.  You will be met by one of the ladies of the South. Our guide will epitomize the very meaning of what being a Savannah lady is all about. You will immediately recognize her because she’ll be the one sporting a big Southern Chapeau. The history of our fair lady Savannah will come to life as our guide weaves her telling the history from James Edward Oglethorpe to modern day. The tour includes an entrance to the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist as well as one of our many house museums.  Check into your lovely hotel situated in the heart of Savannah’s Historic District.  Dinner this evening is included at the famous Pirates House.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Hotel:Savannah Historic District

4.  Savannah
Your trolley departs for a true southern treat.  R & J Tours have arranged for a  tour  in the heart of the historic district at the Metts-McNeal Mansion overlooking our beautiful Forsyth Park. Continue our guided tour of this charming city.  Return to the hotel well aquainted with the beautiful belle Savannah.  Enjoy some free time here in Savannah.  Your trolley pass remains valid this afternoon and admission has been included at your leisure into two historic homes.  Tour the Davenport House and the birthplace of the Girls Scouts founder, Juliette Gordon-Low. Dinner is at famous Mrs. Wilke’s Dining Room, a Savannah Tradition for over 60 years.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

5. Savannah to Hilton Head Island
Enjoy a dolphin cruise of Historic Savannah’s Riverfront, Waving Girl, Fort Jackson and Fort Pulaski narrated by our friendly and knowledgeable Captain and First Mate. Travel to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, boasting one of the most pristine marine estuaries on the east coast. From lone reeds swaying in the marsh breezes to the flat, sandy beaches along the treasured coast to the thick forests of tall pines and live oaks, Hilton Head Island’s pristine beauty and protected ecosystem of wild foliage and animals is a nature lover’s paradise.  Enjoy a restful evening here at Hilton Head Island at the Crowne Plaza in Shipyards.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Hotel: Crowne Plaza Plantation

6. Hilton Head Island to Charleston
Enjoy breakfast at your leisure with time to walk along the pristine beaches ideal for walking and beachcombing.  Visit picturesque Beaufort, a town that has conserved much of its pre-revolutionary character. Enjoy a guided tour of the town by carriage through narrow, oak-lined streets past the former homes of wealthy cotton growers.  Known for its 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 visitors to drift back in time and experience Southern hospitality at its finest.   Head to Charleston, where your hotel is perfectly situated in the historic district.  R & J Tours has arranged for a dinner cruise giving you maritime history of the famous Charleston Harbor.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Hotel:Charleston Historic District Holiday Inn

7: Charleston
Relive the past on a guided horse drawn carriage tour of prosperous Charleston along cobblestone streets and past walled gardens.   Lunch is included at a charming restaurant in the heart of Charleston’s historic district.  Later, stop at the battery overlooking Fort Sumter where the first shots of the civil War were fired. Charleston has a 789-acre historic district featuring extraordinary architecture, ranging from pre-Revolutionary War buildings to graceful antebellum homes. This afternoon is at your leisure to explore this amazing historic city.  This evening you are free to choose from the many outstanding restaurants surrounding the hotel.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 8: Charleston to Middleton Place
Today you will visit some of the finest plantations and gardens in America. Drayton Hall, a Georgian Palladian mansion built in 1738, is preserved in original condition, without electricity or plumbing.  Later tour Middleton Place a mansion built in 1755, a stable yard with period artifacts, and formal gardens that are considered a landscape masterpiece. Your home for the evening will be the charming Middleton Place Inn.  Join us for a delightful farewell dinner celebrating the charm of the south at the plantation.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Hotel: Middleton Place Inn

Day 9: Journey home
Depart for home today with memories of a great vacation. 
Included Meals: Breakfast