Atlanta, Charleston,
Savannah:
Jewish history, civil rights and the quintessential sites of the
south
Suggested Flights:
While
flights are not included in the tour (except the internal flight from Atlanta
to Charleston), we suggest the following itinerary on Delta, or similar.
Note: Group transfers are only included based on these times:
30SEP DL 2054 LAX-ATL 745A-312P
08OCT DL 2152
SAV-ATL 830A-949A
08OCT DL 1655 ATL-LAX 1055A-1240P
LAX
= Los Angeles
ATL = Atlanta
SAV = Savannah
Day 1: Sunday, September 30, 2012: DEPARTURE
Depart early
this morning on our flight to Atlanta, GA, landing late this afternoon (Flight
not included - See suggested flight info). We transfer to our hotel for check
in and a chance to refresh. (Transfer included for those arriving at ATL by
3:20 pm). Welcome dinner this evening at a local restaurant.
Overnight Atlanta.
Day 2 Monday October 1, 2012: THE PATH TO
CIVIL RIGHTS
Breakfast. This morning we enjoy a guided walking tour
of the Sweet Auburn District through the Atlanta Preservation Center,
including the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site. The Sweet Auburn
District houses the birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; the Martin
Luther King Jr. National Historic Site; the restored King Birth Home;
Ebenezer Baptist Church, where three generations of the King family
preached; and the burial site of MLK Jr. and his wife, Coretta.
We
stand in the footsteps of civil rights leaders on the International Civil
Rights Walk of Fame, where the shoe prints of heroes such as Rosa Parks,
President Jimmy Carter, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and 14
others have been embedded in a permanent concrete memorial. Space exists
eventually to hold more than 600 footprints of exceptional men and women.
For lunch (on own), we visit the Sweet Auburn Curb Market, opened in
1918 to bring urban consumers direct access to farmers and their products.
Today, the market is an international delight, welcoming all people. The
Sweet Auburn Curb Market caters to business people, downtown and in-town
residents, as well as nearby students.
Drive past Centennial Olympic
Park on our way to a guided visit to the Atlanta History Center, located on
33 acres in the heart of Buckhead. The History Center includes one of the
Southeast's largest history museums; two historic houses including Swan House
and Smith Family Farm.
This evening we join the Sukkot activities at a
local synagogue.
Overnight Atlanta.
Day 3 Tuesday October 2, 2012: JEWISH
ATLANTA
Breakfast. This morning we travel to The Temple, where we
meet with Rabbi Peter Berg and a guest speaker from a local black church for a
discussion of the Jewish role in the civil rights movement of the 1960s, and
well as the dynamics of the Black-Jewish community relations in Atlanta and how
they have developed over the years. The Temple is Atlanta's oldest synagogue,
founded in 1867. The Temple-Hebrew Benevolent Congregation is one of American
Judaism's most famous religious institutions.
Visit the Atlanta Jewish
Community Center. We have a chance to hear about the history of the Atlanta
Jewish community from a local historian, and meet with members of the community
for a snack in their JCC Sukkah.
Transfer to Atlanta Hartsfield airport for
our included flight to Charleston, SC, arriving early evening. Transfer
to our hotel for check in and a chance to refresh. We gather this evening
for dinner at Anson, called “the most romantic restaurant in Charleston”.
Overnight Charleston.
Day 4 Wednesday October 3, 2012:
CHARLESTON
After breakfast, we are joined for the morning by Janice
Kahn (named one of Charleston's top guides and a Jewish Heritage expert). We
visit the Coming Street Cemetery, the oldest and largest Jewish cemetery in the
South. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. we'll also
visit the Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim Synagogue, home to a Jewish community that
dates from 1695. Here we enjoy a tour of the facility, and greeting from Rabbi
Stephanie Alexander. As we drive with Janice, we encounter Charleston's
houses, charming gardens, architecturally intricate mansions, churches &
parks, and learn about buildings, history, architecture, flora & the
people that make up the "Holy City".
Lunch at Magnolia's, Charleston's most popular restaurant. It's a blend on
historic charm, contemporary excitement and one of the South's most prominent
chefs.
Afternoon visit to Boone Hall Plantation, "America's Most Photographed
Plantation". Start by walking down the Avenue of Oaks, one of the most
spectacular entrances anywhere in the world. Experience live presentations and
explore the Gullah Culture. We'll visit the plantation's Black History In
America exhibit on display in 9 original slave cabins, tour the Plantation
Home, and more. This evening we return to Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim to join the
synagogue in celebrating Sukkot!
Overnight Charleston
Day 5 Thursday October 4, 2012:
BEAUFORT/ST. HELENA/SAVANNAH
After breakfast this morning we
leave Charleston for Beaufort, a sleepy town where the first European
community was established in 1562. A walk through the historic district with
a local guide includes a visit to the Small Synagogue.
After lunch
we board our bus for a tour of St. Helena Island where former slaves and
their descendants lived in near isolation for a century preserving their
gullah language and culture, a mixture of Caribbean, West African, and
American influences. We continue to Savannah by a route enhanced by fine
views of salt marshes and rivers. Here in Savannah we will be introduced to
the famous sights we saw in movies such as “Forest Gump” and “Midnight in the
Garden of Good and Evil”. We check into our hotel and enjoy dinner
together. This evening we participate in a “ghost tour” with chilling
stories of historic Savannah.
Overnight Savannah.
Day 6 Friday October 5: 2012: SAVANNAH,
GA
Breakfast. Savannah is a planned city. In 1733 James
Oglethorpe designed the City around 24 tree filled squares. We see Spanish
moss hanging from arching oaks over antebellum mansions and in every square we
see benches where people eat lunch and enjoy the trees and flowers. The
first thing we do this morning is enjoy a Trolley tour of the city. We'll
see magnificent mansions built by two competing Jewish silversmiths, one
spent so much money on his house that he had to sell it to pay his debts.
Our trolley tour ends at the Owens - Thomas House built in 1819 by a
wealthy cotton merchant. We see the slave quarters, the carriage house, the
garden, and some of the original furnishings.
Enjoy lunch (on own) in the River Street area before free time to relax and
get ready for the evening.
Visit only Gothic synagogue in America, Temple Mikve Israel. This is home to
the third Jewish congregation in America and to the oldest Torah in the
country, bought from England by the first settlers in 1733. We tour the
Temple with a docent and see that we are surrounded by history. Enjoy
Kabbalat Shabbat services and kosher style southern Shabbat dinner together
with members of the congregation in their Sukkah.
Overnight
Savannah.
Day 7, Saturday October 6, 2012: OPTIONAL TOURING
IN SAVANNAH
Breakfast. Enjoy a low country tour. We'll visit
Fort Pulaski built to defend the mouth of the Savannah River. We see salt
marshes and rivers, ante-bellum houses on the bluff at Isle of Hope, and a
stately live oak alley at Wormsloe Plantation. Drive through the Bethesda
Home for Boys, a scenic Orphanage with a storied past.
Free time to relax. Tonight we enjoy a wonderful dinner together at famed
Blowin' Smoke BBQ, the best BBQ in town! We follow dinner with a performance
of “Southern Lights” - a high energy mix of music, dance and comedy at the
Savannah Theatre. It's a casual and fun night out on the town!
Overnight Savannah.
Day 8 Sunday October 7, 2012: THE
BARRIER ISLANDS
Breakfast. The Barrier Islands are one of the
amazing things about the Georgia coast. They protect the salt marsh and the
mainland from the ocean. Today we will travel about an hour by bus to the
“Golden Isles” where we enjoy a tour of St. Simons Island and a visit to Fort
Frederica built in 1735 to defend against attempts by the Spanish in Florida
to attack the new colony.
We will have free time for lunch in the
village to explore the cluster of shops and restaurants that grew up around
the island's lighthouse and main dock.
Our next stop is Jekyll
Island, the most rural of the developed Barrier Islands. We drive around the
island for a view of the ocean, the coastal forest, and the ruins of a
plantation. From the museum in the old stables we take a tour by tram of
“millionaires village”, the winter retreat of northern financiers of the end
of the 19th Century. We will tour Faith Chapel and one of the remarkable
“cottages” built by wealthy northerners.
After a snack and a chance
to see the museum and shop, we board our bus again and stop for dinner on
the way back to Savannah.
Overnight Savannah.
Day 9 Monday October 8, 2012: RETURN
HOME
We depart for the airport and our flight home, via
Atlanta.(Flight not included - See suggested flight info. Transfer included
for those departing SAV between 8:15 am and 9:15
am).
The Memories Last Forever!