Compare Amelia Island and St. Augustine: Coastal Treasures in Florida by Road Scholar vs California Panorama by Omega Tours

Day 1
Check-In, Registration, Orientation, Welcome Dinner
Location: Fernandina Beach, Florida Meal: D Hotel: Hampton Inn & Suites Amelia Island-Historic Harbor Front
Activity note: Hotel check-in from 4:00 p.m.

Afternoon: Program Registration. 5:00 p.m. After you have your room assignment, come to the Road Scholar desk in the conference room to register with the program staff and get your welcome packet containing your name-tag, up-to-date schedule that reflects any last-minute changes, other important information, and to confirm when and where the Orientation session will take place. If you arrive late, please ask for your packet when you check in. 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. 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 a popular local inn in the Fernandina Beach Historic District, we will enjoy a plated dinner, plus coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: At leisure.

Day 2
Amelia Island & Fernandina, Fort Clinch, Coastal Ecology
Location: Fernandina Beach, Florida Meal: B,L,D Hotel: Hampton Inn & Suites Amelia Island-Historic Harbor Front
Activity note: Getting on/off trolley. Minimal walking/standing at Fort Clinch on uneven terrain. Walking 2 blocks from hotel to dinner.

Breakfast: At the hotel, we will enjoy a buffet breakfast with fresh fruit, eggs, biscuits, waffles, pancakes, danish, bacon or sausage and more, plus coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Morning: Today will be a day of fascination and historical adventure. We will board an authentic trolley for our group at our hotel and be chauffeured to the downtown historic district. We will be greeted by an historian on board, who will give a brief history of Amelia Island, including the story of the visionary whose exhilarating dream so stirred his neighbors that they agreed to move their entire town to the site of a plantation he owned, creating "New" Fernandina in the 1850s. From the "giant" Timucua Native Americans, to Spanish and French explorers, to the lawless spirit of pirates, to the dignified air of Victorian-era residents, Amelia Island has been home to diverse cultures that have left a truly exciting heritage. We will observe the uniquely gracious and historic homes of another century and learn of the efforts to preserve their nearly extinct, pristine architectural styles, as well as the small town’s fragile sense of community and historical integrity.

Lunch: At a popular restaurant downtown, we will enjoy a plated meal, with coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Afternoon: We will next travel by trolley to Fort Clinch, a part of the Florida State Park system since 1935. The fort is one of the most well-preserved 19th century forts in the country, thanks to the preservation and restoration efforts of the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. While garrisoned during the Civil War and the Spanish-American War, the fort has never seen action. Civil War-period reenactors will bring garrison living to life for us.

Dinner: At a restaurant in the historic district, we will enjoy a plated meal, with coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: After dinner we will walk back to the hotel. In the conference room, we will learn about the island ecology from an expert.

Day 3
Amelia Island River Cruise, Free Time
Location: Fernandina Beach, Florida Meal: B,D Hotel: Hampton Inn & Suites Amelia Island-Historic Harbor Front
Activity note: Getting on/off pontoon boat for cruise including ramp with grade and elevation dependent on tide. Minimal walking. Walk 2 blocks to dinner.

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: After breakfast, we will walk across the street from our hotel to a marina and board a vessel to cruise the rivers, creeks and marshes that surround Amelia Island with a naturalist and history expert who will give you the details of everything from the land to the sea. We will cruise by Fernandina’s shrimp boats, historic Old Towne, Fort Clinch, the wild horses of Cumberland Island, and ruins of the Carnegie Dungeoness Mansion.

Lunch: This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Afternoon: We will enjoy entertainment with a guest musician who plays numerous instruments.

Dinner: At a popular restaurant downtown, we will enjoy a plated meal, with coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: At leisure.

Day 4
Cathedral Basilica, Historic St. Augustine, Lightner Museum
Location: St. Augustine, FL Meal: B,L,D Hotel: DoubleTree by Hilton St. Augustine Historic District
Activity note: Getting on/off motorcoach. Travel by motorcoach approximately 1.5 hour/77 miles. Minimal walking in historic district.

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: We will depart Amelia Island for St. Augustine by motorcoach. En route, we will preview a video about Henry Flagler, a key figure in the development of the Atlantic coast of Florida and founder of what became the Florida East Coast Railway. Upon arrival into St. Augustine, we will visit the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine, the oldest parish of a permanent European settlement on the North American continent north of Mexico, led by a local expert. Then, we will take a walk through the downtown historic district.

Lunch: At a local restaurant, we will enjoy a plated meal, with coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Afternoon: After lunch, we will enjoy a self-guided visit the Lightner Museum, home to one of the best collections of fine and decorative 19th-century art in the country, in the historic former Hotel Alcazar. Afterwards, we will check into the hotel.

Dinner: At a restaurant in the historic district set in a restored Victorian house, we will enjoy a plated dinner, with coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: At leisure.

Day 5
Flagler, Memorial Presbyterian, Castillo de San Marcos
Location: St. Augustine, FL Meal: B,L,D Hotel: DoubleTree by Hilton St. Augustine Historic District
Activity note: Getting on/off trolley.

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: We will be treated to an expert-led field trip to Flagler College, once the Ponce de Leon, Henry Flagler's first St. Augustine, traveling by trolley or minibus dependent on weather. We will learn about the history of the building and its stunning Spanish Renaissance architecture and manicured gardens of the campus. We will then take a trolley ride around St. Augustine, the nation's oldest continually occupied European settlement and at various times home to Native American tribes, British redcoats, Spanish conquistadors, pirates, and tycoons. We will see remnants of each era preserved in the city's historical sites, such as historic St. George Street, City Plaza, and the Spanish Military Hospital. Our trolley will bring us to Memorial Presbyterian Church, Learn about the history of this historical church built in 1889 by business tycoon and St. Augustine benefactor Henry Morrison Flagler in honor of his daughter Jennie Louise Benedict. Our expert will tell us about the unique construction techniques employed to build this Second Renaissance Revival gem, as well as stories about Flagler and his family.

Lunch: At a local restaurant, we will enjoy a plated meal, with coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Afternoon: From lunch, we will walk to visit Castillo de San Marcos, the oldest masonry fort in the continental United States, with construction beginning in 1672 when Florida was part of the Spanish Empire. Before going to dinner, we’ll hear from a local expert about Minorcan settlers of St. Augustine, who arrived here after nine years of enslavement at a nearby indigo plantation. Our presenter will be dressed in Minorcan period attire.

Dinner: At a local restaurant in the historic downtown, we will enjoy a plated meal, with coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: At leisure.

Day 6
Departure St. Augustine to Jacksonville Airport/Fernandina
Location: St. Augustine, FL Meal: B
Activity note: Hotel check-out by 12:00 Noon. Transfer shuttle departs hotel at 9:00 a.m. For participants who arrived by plane, transfer to Jacksonville Airport will be by 10:00 a.m. For participants who drove, transfer to Fernandina will follow by 12:00 Noon. This concludes our program.

Breakfast: Hotel buffet. This concludes our program.

Morning: Transfer shuttle departs hotel at 9:00 a.m. For participants who arrived by plane, transfer to Jacksonville Airport will be by 10:00 a.m. For participants who drove, transfer to Fernandina will follow by 12:00 Noon. This concludes our program. 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!

DAY 1: LOS ANGELES ARRIVAL

Arrive at Los Angeles International Airport and transfer independently to the hotel. Enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.

Accommodation at the Hilton Los Angeles Airport, Los Angeles, or similar

DAY 2: LOS ANGELES > MOJAVE DESERT > LAS VEGAS

Meet your Tour Director and depart for Las Vegas, the glittering “Entertainment Capital of the World,” for non-stop fun, gambling, and world-class entertainment. Your tour stops at the iconic Las Vegas Welcome Sign where you may wish to capture your photo memory of Las Vegas.

Accommodation at the Luxor Las Vegas, Las Vegas, or similar

DAY 3: LAS VEGAS > DEATH VALLEY > MAMMOTH LAKES/FRESNO

Having enjoyed glamorous Las Vegas, it will be a sharp contrast this afternoon to enter the quiet and extreme environment of Death Valley. Stop at Zabriskie Point and Furnace Creek Ranch/Visitors Center before continuing across the valley and ascending the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the alpine resort town of Mammoth Lakes. The area gained prominence as a gold mining town in the 19th century and today is renowned for its superior skiing terrain and staggeringly beautiful mountain vistas.

Important note: Winter Routing The Tioga Pass may be closed due to weather or road conditions, in which case you will overnight in Fresno or Visalia and a visit to Mammoth Lakes will not be possible (winter routing applies to all departures between October and May under normal snow conditions).

Accommodation at the Mammoth Mountain Inn, Mammoth Lakes, or Piccadilly Inn, Fresno

DAY 4: MAMMOTH/FRESNO > YOSEMITE > MODESTO

Your journey today brings you to the Tioga Pass (please see important note on day 3) into the scenic wonderland of Yosemite National Park. Here, you will experience the valley floor and its splendors including the glacial-shaped granite formations of El Capitan, Half Dome, the magnificent Bridal Falls, and Yosemite Falls. Overnight in Modesto.

Accommodation at the Doubletree by Hilton Modesto, Modesto, or similar

DAY 5: MODESTO > SAN FRANCISCO

Depart early this morning to arrive in San Francisco, one of the most beloved cities in America. Enjoy a comprehensive sightseeing tour before arriving at your hotel. This evening take a memorable City by Night Tour (optional).

Accommodation at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square, San Francisco, or similar

DAY 6: SAN FRANCISCO (NAPA VALLEY OPTIONAL)

Day at leisure! Your Tour Director is on hand to assist with making your plans for the day: perhaps a cable car ride to Fisherman’s Wharf where one may enjoy a “Taste of San Francisco”: local seafood, famous sourdough bread, or decadent Ghiradelli’s Chocolate. Or take a stroll by Sea Lions’ Marina to watch them frolic.

Be sure to gaze across the bay to Alcatraz Island where “America’s Most Wanted” such as Al Capone and ”Machine Gun” Kelly were incarcerated. Or visit Union Square for a shopping stop at Macy’s Department Store. You also may choose to embark on a wine-tasting tour to Napa Valley, world-renowned for its fine wineries and beautiful scenery (optional).

Accommodation at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square, San Francisco, or similar

DAY 7: SAN FRANCISCO > MONTEREY/ CARMEL > CENTRAL COAST

Depart San Francisco this morning for the drive to the Monterey Peninsula, known for its magnificent homes and lovely beaches. In Monterey, visit Fisherman’s Wharf and famous Cannery Row Then tour charming Carmel-by-the-Sea, noted for its quaint houses, upscale art galleries, and unique stores. In the afternoon your tour continues through Paso Robles, home of fine wineries. Overnight in a quaint Central California Coast town.

Accommodation at the Radisson Santa Maria, Central Coast, or similar

DAY 8: CENTRAL COAST > SANTA BARBARA > SANTA MONICA > LOS ANGELES DEPARTURE

Journey south through the Santa Ynez Valley into Santa Barbara where palm-lined walkways border white sandy beaches. Upon arrival in Los Angeles, an orientation tour commences to include Hollywood, portions of Beverly Hills, and Century City before arriving in Santa Monica, home to the finish line of Historic Route 66, where you may enjoy an optional lunch on the pier before departure or arriving at your hotel.