Experience the history of the American South on this engaging tour through Savannah, Beaufort, and Charleston. Highlights include a Savannah ghost tour, trolley ride, and visits to key sites like the Green-Meldrim House, First Bryan Baptist Church, Fort Pulaski, and Fort Sumter. You'll explore African American heritage at The Beach Institute and McLeod Plantation, enjoy southern cuisine, and gain insights from local historians. With a mix of guided tours, hands-on learning, and cultural experiences, this trip offers fresh inspiration.

Day 1 Savannah

Travel day:  Participants not on the bus will be shuttled from the airport to the hotel.  

Relax in the hotel or explore Savannah on your own until 4:00.

4:00 pm The American Prohibition Museum - Did you know the American Temperance Society reached 

its highest membership numbers in the year 1850 with over 238,000 individuals supporting the cause.  So much to learn at this most unique museum.

5:30 pm Dinner:   Dockside Seafood Restaurant

201 W. River St.

+1-912-233-3810

https://www.docksideseafoodsav.com

7:10 pm Ghost Town Trolley Tour

Old Town Trolley Ticket Booth:  502 E. River Str.  Savannah, Ga 31401

8:30 pm Holiday Inn Savannah, Historic District:  520 West Bryan Street, Savannah, Georgia

Day 2 Savannah

Learning the history of colonial cities can be done in many ways.  Today, we’ll experience the following:

8:30 am Enjoy a walking tour of  Forsyth Park

9:45 am Trolley Tour - fantastic for an overall view of the city

217 W. Boundary Street, Savannah, Ga 31401 912-234-8128

11:30 am Lunch - The Pirates House:  Yes, even Pirates played an important role in our history in many different ways.  Today, we’ll enjoy their bounty of delicious food and drink.

12:00 pm The Beach Institute - Founded in 1865 by the Colored Education committee at the dawn of the Reconstruction Era, as the first school built specifically for the education of emancipated African Americans in Savannah, GA. Built by Free and formerly Enslaved people, the Institute was completed in 1867 with a generous contribution by philanthropist and inventor Alfred Ely Beach of New York, editor of Scientific American Magazine. For nearly 50 years, The Beach Institute was operated by the American Missionary Association, an integrated organization of abolitionists and education advocates.

1:00 pm First African Baptist Church - The First African Baptist Church in Savannah, Georgia, is one of the oldest Black congregations in North America, founded in 1773 by enslaved and free African Americans. The church's current building, completed in 1859, was built by members of the congregation and features historic pews made by enslaved craftsmen and a subfloor with holes arranged in an African prayer symbol, believed to have aided those on the Underground Railroad.

2:00 - 3:45  Free time  -  Van can drop you off at Ellis Square (shopping district) or the hotel.

4:00 pm Green-Meldrim House of St. Johns Church - built in 1853 in the Gothic Revival style, served as the military headquarters for General W. T. Sherman after the March to the Sea.  

5:15 pm Depart for our hotel for the evening. Participants may want to stay in the historic district to explore on their own or go down to the river front area, just a few short blocks away where there are many shops and restaurants.

Hotel:  Holiday Inn Savannah, Historic District:  520 West Bryan Street, Savannah, Georgia

Day 3:  Savannah & Beaufort

9 - 10:30 Fort Pulaski National Monument

101 Fort Pulaski Road

(912) 219-4233

www.nps.gov/fopu

Fort Pulaski, where in 1862 during the American Civil War, the Union Army successfully tested a rifled cannon, the success of which rendered brick fortifications obsolete.

Ranger Program with Shannon Rowe 9:30 - 10:15

12:00 pm Lunch at Panini’s on the Waterfront, 926 Bay Street Beaufort, South Carolina 

1:00 pm A local expert will teach us at the John Mark Verdier House about Pre-Antebellum period to the Civil War 

2:00 pm Free time in Beaufort until 4:00 

4:00 pm Depart for Charleston, South Carolina

5:30 pm Check into our hotel, freshen up a bit and then head into Historic Charleston

• Dinner in the Historic area (on your own). There is a hotel shuttle that will drop you off and pick you up from the historic area to the hotel.

Hotel:  Holiday Inn Charleston - Riverview 301 Savannah Hwy, Charleston, South Carolina

Day 4:  Charleston

9:00 am Palmetto Carriage Works - 8 Guignard St. Charleston, SC  (arrive by 8:45)

10:00 am Depart for the McLeod Plantation and Historic Site

• McLeod Plantation and Historic Site  - Established in 1851, borne witness to some of the most significant periods of our nation’s history. Today McLeod Plantation Historic Site is an important 37-acre Gullah/Geechee heritage site that has been carefully preserved in recognition of its cultural and historical significance.

1:00  Lunch at Charleston Crab House 41 S. Market St.

Fort Sumter - What better place to learn about the Civil War than to visit the very place where it all started. 

2:00 Depart for Liberty Square to catch the ferry to Fort Sumter

2:45 Fort Sumter Tour

6:00 Farewell Dinner (included) close to our hotel:  California Dreaming: 1 Ashley Point Dr, Charleston, SC 29407

Hotel:  Holiday Inn Charleston - Riverview 301 Savannah Hwy, Charleston, South Carolina

Day 5

• Departure Breakfast

• Shuttle to the airport if needed

8:00 Charter bus departs for home.