Golden Partners Two Historic Cities Savannah & Charleston May 9-14, 2016 Day One – Monday, May 9

Golden Partners

Coach arrives for loading in Owensboro, KY.

Travel to Savannah, GA

Planned group lunch at Mrs. Wilkes Boarding House.

Trolley Tour of Savannah, around the historic squares, along the waterfront, and throughout the 2.2 square miles of the Historic District aboard one of the beautiful BLUE Trolleys, steeped in old-fashioned charm.

Free time to explore.

Check into hotel. The remaining of the evening and dinner is at your leisure.

Savannah, GA

Day Three – Wednesday, May 11

Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Breakfast at the hotel

Depart for Charleston, SC

Magnolia Plantation Nature Train Tour - Experience history and wildlife on this action-packed tram tour of the plantation’s wetlands, lakes, forests, and marshes. Naturalist guides help you spot alligators, turtles, egrets, and herons in native habitats. You never know what you might see. One minute you’ll glimpse an alligator sliding off a bank and the next you’ll turn your head to catch a great blue heron spearing a fish. And, as you ride through the landscape, guides bring its history to life. From a row of slave cabins to 19th century rice ponds and a Native American ceremonial mound that evoke the plantation’s complex past, the tour will bring to life the true landscape and culture of the old South. With Magnolia’s extensive wildlife habitat and gardens, it can be difficult to get to know the place on foot. The Nature Train will give you a complete understanding of life on a Southern plantation.

Depart for downtown Charleston for lunch on own and free time to explore the historic downtown

Check into Hotel

Dinner at the California Dreaming Restaurant.

Charleston, SC



Day Four – Thursday, May 12

Meals: Breakfast

Breakfast at the hotel

Ft. Sumter Harbor Cruise - After boarding, you will experience a relaxing 30 minute cruise through Charleston's historic harbor out to Fort Sumter. The tour is fully narrated and explains many points of interest and historic significance.

Lunch on own and free afternoon to enjoy the Historic City Market, built in 1841, it features small shops, restaurants, and a flea market with everything from produce to antiques. Hear the lilting dialect of Gullah ladies as they weave and sell handmade sweet grass baskets.

Evening and Dinner on your own

Day Five – Friday, May 13

Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Breakfast at the hotel

Depart for Asheville, N.C. with lunch on own en route

At Biltmore Estates and Gardens you will be inspired by the relaxed elegance of George and Edith Vanderbilt's 250-room family home and country retreat in Asheville, NC. Discover original art, magnificent 16th-century tapestries, library with 10,000 volumes, a Banquet Hall with a 70-foot ceiling, 65 fireplaces, an indoor pool, bowling alley, and priceless antiques. Stroll acres of formal and informal gardens designed by America's foremost landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted. You may venture over to the Winery for a sample of award-winning red, white, rosé, and sparkling wines. History comes to life at the River Bend Farm. Discover what it was like to live and work on the estate in the 1890's. See craft demonstrations, farmyard animals, antique farm equipment, a kitchen garden, and more. Shop in an old-fashioned mercantile store and enjoy ice cream and treats at the Creamery.

Check into Hotel

Dinner .

Asheville, NC

Day Six – Saturday, May 14

Meals: Breakfast

Breakfast at the hotel

Depart for home with rest stop and meal break en route

Entering Central Time Zone

Estimated arrival home