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Georgia

New Year’s in Style: Jazz and the Jekyll Island Club

Program No. 22503RJ
Ring in the new year at Jekyll Island, where Gilded Age millionaires wintered. Learn about jazz from our instructor, enjoy live music and explore the island.
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HolidaysMusic Appreciation
Length
6 days
Rating (5)
Activity Level
Starts at
2,499

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6 days
5 nights
12 meals
5B 3L 4D
1
Check-In, Registration, Welcome Dinner, Orientation
Jekyll Island, GA
2
Ragtime, Historic District by Tram, Ring Shouters
Jekyll Island, GA
3
Tin Pan Alley, Free Time, Evening Jazz Band
Jekyll Island, GA
4
Jazz and Blues, Turtle Center, New Year's Eve Celebration
Jekyll Island, GA
5
Jazz, Boat Excursion, New Year Dinner and live music
Jekyll Island, GA
6
Program Concludes
Jekyll Island, GA
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At a Glance

The Jekyll Island Club Hotel was once the winter resort of America’s Gilded Age millionaires — a Victorian mansion amid the unspoiled beauty of Georgia’s Jekyll Island. Follow in the footsteps of America’s wealthiest patrons with a New Year’s celebration for the ages, complete with an in-depth look at the origins and evolution of the uniquely American musical art form: jazz. Relax amidst the Club’s unrivaled elegance as you enjoy live jazz performances and learn the history of America's music. Explore the island’s natural beauty with local experts and ring in the New Year with new friends and new discoveries.
Activity Level
On Your Feet
Walking a few blocks per day. At the hotel, there are steps leading from the Bellstand to the veranda at the entrance (there is a handicap lift available). There are also 4 steps leading to the front desk. There is a gift shop at the hotel that has steps as well, which include 3 steps up and 3 steps down.

Best of all, you’ll…

  • Enjoy a fabulous New Year’s Eve dinner at the Jekyll Ocean Club and discover the story of the ring shout — a Gullah tradition thought lost until the 1980s.
  • Learn about great musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Count Basie and others with expert lectures and live performances.
  • Take a field trip to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center to learn about sea turtle conservation and their incredible nesting habits.

General Notes

Due to the nature of this program, listening devices are not available.
Featured Expert
All trip experts
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Dr. Cliff Towner
Dr. Cliff Towner is director of band activities and associate professor of music at Georgia College. His duties include conducting the wind symphony and jazz band, as well as teaching classes in conducting and music education. He has been a music educator and trumpeter for over 25 years and holds memberships in several professional organizations including the Jazz Education Network. Dr. Towner also hosts Jazz Soirée a monthly radio show on WRGC, which celebrates jazz music while linking it to the current trends today.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Profile Image of Linda Arthur
Linda Arthur View biography
Retired from a career in education, Linda Arthur served as a professor, assistant superintendent and interim superintendent, and received numerous community service awards. She enjoys sharing the history of Jekyll Island, playing bridge, mahjongg and golfing.
Profile Image of Georgia Graves
Georgia Graves View biography
Georgia Graves has developed and coordinates teacher training workshops on Georgia's sea turtles, shorebirds, marine mammals and coastal ecology for the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve, one of 26 such reserves in North America. Georgia leads nature and history programs and works with Georgia's sea turtle conservation project.
Profile Image of Dr. Cliff Towner
Dr. Cliff Towner View biography
Dr. Cliff Towner is director of band activities and associate professor of music at Georgia College. His duties include conducting the wind symphony and jazz band, as well as teaching classes in conducting and music education. He has been a music educator and trumpeter for over 25 years and holds memberships in several professional organizations including the Jazz Education Network. Dr. Towner also hosts Jazz Soirée a monthly radio show on WRGC, which celebrates jazz music while linking it to the current trends today.
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