Day 1 • Tuesday, April 10, 2012
We depart home this morning aboard our deluxe motorcoach. Sit back and relax as we travel across Iowa and Illinois. After lunch we cross into Kentucky on our way to our overnight stay in Paducah.
Day 2 • Wednesday, April 11, 2012
This morning, after breakfast we travel south through Tennessee on our way to Atlanta, GA. Before checking into our hotel we will visit the CNN Headquarters. This evening we have reserved seats at Agatha’s Mystery Dinner Theater. (B, D)
Day 3 • Thursday, April 12, 2012
Today we head south to the old port city of Savannah following the route of “Sherman’s March to the Sea”. Founded in 1733, Savannah has been called a “City in a Park”. We have included a visit to the Savannah Candy Kitchen where the best candies, cakes and confections in the south are made. Free time will be given on River Street. “Factors Walk” is located here, where cotton was bought and sold before the Civil War. Now, River Street is home to many shops, quaint boutiques and restaurants in
the restored old buildings. This evening, we have dinner reservations at Paula Deen’s. (B, D)
Day 4 • Friday, April 13, 2012
Georgia’s “Golden Isles” await us today as we head south to Jekyll Island. Frank Goodyear, J.P. Morgan, Joseph Pulitzer, and William Rockefeller bought Jekyll Island, and named themselves the Jekyll Island Club. Ever since the island has been a play ground for the rich and famous. We will tour the island with a local guide and visit some of the homes of these famous Americans. Lunch will be served at the Crane Cottage before we head back to Savannah. As we travel back to Savannah a stop will be made at St. Simons Island, the home of the first Methodist Church in America. Free time will be given to explore this quaint island village or you may choose to climb to the top of St. Simons Lighthouse (optional). Late afternoon finds us back
in Savannah where your evening is free. (B, L)
Day 5 • Saturday, April 14, 2012
Today is a full one as we are off to explore Savannah with a local guide. For the charm of its’ streets, buildings, parks and squares, there is but one Savannah. The tour begins at a restored train station that is the Visitor Center and Museum. This restored train station is the perfect place to begin the tour. The tour will take us through 2.2 square miles of the Savannah Historic District. This evening we will enjoy a walking ghost tour of historic Savannah. (B)
Day 6 • Sunday, April 15, 2012
Today we travel through the “Low Country of South Carolina” as we wind our way to the city of Charleston, the place where the Civil War began. Along the way a stop will be made in Beaufort for a walking tour of this quaint old town. Upon our arrival in the Charleston area we will visit Middleton Place Plantation for a guided tour of Americas oldest landscaped gardens created in 1741. We then head over to Wadmalaw Island for a visit to the only Tea Plantation in the United States where we learn how tea is grown and processed. We then check into our historic district hotel for a two-night stay. Go light on lunch, for tonight we are off to dinner at Hyman’s Seafood Restaurant. (B, D)
Day 7 • Monday, April 16, 2012
This morning we will take a tour of the city with a local guide which will include The Citadel, The Old Battery, The Slave Market and other buildings of historical significance. Free time this afternoon will be given to wander around the Old Slave Market. Get ready for a very enjoyable evening as we have a narrated dinner cruise of the Charleston Waterfront. (B, D)
Day 8 • Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Regretfully, we must depart Charleston and head North. Our next destination is Charlotte, North Carolina which has become the second largest financial center in the country. Upon our arrival, for you NASCAR fans we will tour the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Here you will “feel the thrill” and experience the 24 degree banking turns in the tour van. Before we check into our hotel, a stop will be made at the Billy Graham Library and Home. Designed to reflect Billy Graham’s journey from farm boy to an international ambassador of God’s Love the barn shaped building is situated on 20 landscaped acres only a few miles from
where he was born. (B)
Day 9 • Wednesday, April 18, 2012
We head north and west again today as we traverse the Great Smokey Mountains on our way to our last overnight stay in Louisville, KY. Photo stops will be made along the way for you to enjoy the wonderful views and the splendor of spring in the Great Smokey Mountains. This evening a farewell dinner has been planned for you at one of Louisville’s fine restaurants. (B, D)
Day 10 • Thursday, April 19, 2012
Homeward bound! We continue north and west today as we travel across Indiana and Illinois on our way back to Iowa and home. We arrive in the late afternoon with many fond memories of our “Southern Charms” adventure. (B)
Your Tour Includes*:
- Deluxe Motorcoach Transportation
- 9 Nights Accommodations
- 9 Breakfasts, 1 Lunch, 3 Dinners
- Agatha’s Mystery Dinner Theater
- Savannah Tour
- CNN Tour
- Jekyll Island Tour
- Ghost Tour
- Middleton Place Plantation
- Wadmalaw Island Tea Plantation
- Charleston Harbor Dinner Cruise
- Charleston Tour
- Beaufort Tour
- Charlotte Speedway
- Billy Graham Library
- Luggage Handling
- Full-Time Tour Director
- Taxes and Gratuities On Included
- Accommodations, Attractions and Meals
*Tri-State Travel reserves the right to change any arrangements listed in this itinerary. Should conditions necessitate changes: substitution of equal value or cancellations of the arrangements may occur.