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Georgia

Biking Exploration on St. Simons and Jekyll Islands

Program No. 2181RJ
Bike St. Simons and Jekyll Islands with experts, exploring a historic lighthouse, learning about coastal ecosystems and enjoying authentic traditions of Southern culture and cuisine.
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BicyclingOutdoor AdventuresRegional StudiesSmall GroupScience & Technology
Length
6 days
Rating (4.9)
Activity Level
Starts at
1,799

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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
11 meals ( 5B, 3L, 3D )
4 expert-led lectures
10 expert-led field trips
An experienced Group Leader
5 nights of accommodations
Taxes and customary gratuity
Road Scholar Assurance Plan
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Activity Note
Hotel check-in from 4:00 p.m. Remember to bring your nametag (sent previously).
Afternoon:
Program Registration: 5:00 p.m. After you have your room assignment, come to the Road Scholar 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. Upon check-in, your bike leader will have a bike fitting for each participant. After receiving your bike, you’ll be asked to take a test ride around the parking lot to access your biking capability. If you arrive late, please locate your Group Leader and let them know you have arrived. Orientation. 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. Bicycling on St. Simons and Jekyll Islands is the best way to see both islands. Each day we will head out on our bikes to a historical or ecological site. Every day is a field trip of learning and riding with a history instructor and/or naturalist. The pace is not fast and we will be stopping at various spots getting on and off the bike for field trips. There are bathroom stops all along the way at some of the places we stop. A sag wagon is available in case of an emergency. We divide the group in half. Each group will have a leader in front of the bicyclers and a sweep at the rear. Meals will feature local cuisine in a variety of settings. Periods in the daily 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/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.
Activity Note
Getting on/off bikes; riding about 15 miles, approximately 4 hours on Jekyll Island. Flat terrain with concrete biking paths. Walking up to 2 miles daily.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We’ll start the day off exploring approximately 15 miles of winding trails, perfect for biking. These paved paths are a great way to explore Jekyll Island’s historic sites, beaches, marshes, and maritime forests. Trails wind along the ocean and the interior maritime forest... breathtaking! We will ride to the Jekyll north end, stopping at the Horton House, fishing pier, nature pond, and Clam Creek Marsh Walk. Expect to see birds as well as other coastal life along the journey. We will learn from a naturalist about Georgia’s expansive estuarine and coastal ecosystems, as well as the plants and animals that depend on them. We’ll stop along the way to take a marsh walk to better see and understand the salt marsh ecology with an expert from Tidelands Nature Center.
Lunch:
At the historic Jekyll Island Club Hotel.
Afternoon:
Our biking on Jekyll Island continues to the south end, where we will stop at the Tidelands Nature Center for a lecture from a staffer that will focus on sea turtles, their unique biological characteristics, and the efforts being made by organizations to preserve their population. These include, for instance, devices employed by the shrimping industry to avoid trapping these animals as bycatch. Known to be present in almost every ocean in the world, these speedy swimmers glide through the water on large flippers encased in smooth scaly skin and a hard shell to defend themselves from predators. We’ll return to the hotel late afternoon.
Dinner:
This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to have what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.
Evening:
At leisure.
Activity Note
Getting on/off bikes; riding about 15 miles, approximately 4 hours. Walking on Driftwood Beach is on soft beach sand and uneven terrain for about 1/2 hour. Getting on/off a tram to see two cottages on field trip; approximately 1 hour riding time.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
Today, we’ll start out with a North Loop Ride on Jekyll Island. Stopping at Driftwood Beach (sometimes called Boneyard Beach), resembling a tree graveyard, we’ll see the “most photographed beach.” This is a textbook example of the effects of erosion on a barrier island. We’ll continue our ride to the Jekyll Island Club Hotel, Jekyll Island’s only four-star resort and National Historic Landmark.
Lunch:
At a local restaurant.
Afternoon:
After lunch, we’ll ride our bikes over to the Mosaic Visitor’s Center, where we will have a presentation on Jekyll Island history from a docent at the historic Jekyll Island Museum. The Museum’s many exhibitions feature objects and photographs from extensive collections and will introduce us to the rich heritage of Jekyll Island, whose social and architectural legacy is reflected in the Jekyll Island Club National Historic Landmark District. Afterwards, we will board the Museum trolley for a field trip that will include one stop along the way. Now that we have had time to rest on the trolley, we'll begin our biking from the museum back to the hotel, where we will load our bikes and be ready for our field trip on St. Simons Island tomorrow.
Dinner:
At the hotel.
Evening:
At the hotel, we’ll gather for a lecture given by a local expert on the life and time of Isaac Peckham, the lighthouse keeper on St. Simons Island from 1883 to 1893, in preparation for a visit to the lighthouse tomorrow.
Activity Note
Getting in/out of a van. Getting on/off bikes; riding about 10 miles, approximately 4 hours on St. Simons Island with historical stops.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
The van will transport our bicycles to St. Simons Island, a 20-minute van ride from Jekyll Island. We will then cycle to Christ Church and Harrington School. Christ Church is the gravesite of Eugenia Price, best known for her historical novels which were set in the American South, especially “The Trilogy” books. Harrington School served as the main educational structure for three African American communities on St. Simons Island. It hosted grades 1-7 until desegregation in the 1960s.
Lunch:
On your own in the tiny seaside village of St. Simons Island.
Afternoon:
We will continue to explore St. Simons Island. The island is the largest of Georgia’s Golden Isles and was originally developed by the slave-owning colonial English into plantations of cotton and other cash crops. Out of the widespread West African slave population in the southeast region of what is now the United States grew the distinctive Gullah and Geechee cultures. Since the turn of the 20th century, however, the island transformed into more of a resort community with a significant seasonal population. At Ft. Frederica, we'll walk the paths of Fort Frederica, established in 1736 by James Oglethorpe. Ft. Frederica was made to defend Georgia’s southern border from the Floridian. Moving on to our last stop, we will visit the historic St. Simons Lighthouse for an expert-led field trip. While here, we’ll explore the historic St. Simons Lighthouse campus which includes the Lighthouse, the Keeper's Dwelling Museum, the oil house and Victorian Gazebo. We’ll board our bikes on the van and return to Jekyll Island after a long and glorious day on St. Simons Island. Along the way, we’ll drive through the Avenue of Oaks, once the entrance to Retreat Plantation. The Avenue of the Oaks is now the grand entrance to the Sea Island Golf Club. We will follow the drive around the magnificent double row of 160-year-old live oak trees which create the Avenue of the Oaks.
Dinner:
On your own.
Evening:
At leisure.
Activity Note
Getting on/off bikes; biking 10 miles in the morning. Elective: afternoon ride is offered for anyone wanting to “Explore Jekyll Off The Path.” The distance varies and can be up to 15 miles. Walking and other activities for those declining to take the ride according to personal choice.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
This is our last day of biking. We will depart for the South Dunes for a nature program; this will include a beach walk and maritime forest walk. We’ll learn more about Jekyll Island’s natural resources from our naturalist. This is a walk through one of the island’s most diverse habitats, where we’ll learn historical facts and identify unique vegetation.
Lunch:
At a local restaurant.
Afternoon:
Our biking leader will offer an elective ride to explore Jekyll “off the path.” By the end of the week, however, you may decide you’ve had enough riding and want to relax by the ocean pool, or spend the afternoon in other ways you prefer.
Dinner:
At a local restaurant. Share favorite experiences and enjoy camaraderie with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.
Evening:
At leisure. Recall the fun trips you have taken during the week, share stories, and take home memories of a week you'll never forget. Prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.
Activity Note
Hotel check-out by 11:00 a.m.
Breakfast:
At the hotel. This concludes our program.
Morning:
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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