Compare Country Roads of the Deep South 2022 Small Group by Insight Vacations vs STEM Chicago: Robotics & Game Design With Your Grandchild by Road Scholar

Day 1: Arrive in Nashville

Welcome to Nashville, the capital of Tennessee and the USA’s glittering centre stage. From the Everly Brothers' “Bye Bye Love," to Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman," the streets are paved with talent. Your airport transfer will whisk you to your hotel.Relax and unwind before meeting your Travel Director and mingling with guests at 18:00 followed by a Welcome Dinner with wine.

Day 2: Take centre stage in Nashville

Start your day with an orientation tour of music city. You'll visit the picturesque Riverfront Park, Tennessee State Capitol and the 132 acre Centennial State Park, where you'll encounter an exact replica of the Parthenon. Pass by the city's lively honky-tonks and street performers on Broadway, as you make your way to the Ryman Auditorium, former home of the Grand Ole Opry. Built in 1885 as a building for religious gatherings, it held its first concert in 1892, before opening its doors to Hollywood greats. It is here where Johnny Cash first met June Carter, where bluegrass was born and where country music found an audience. Tonight, head to the famous Grand Ole Opry, the world-renowned country music stage and longest-running radio broadcast in U.S. history.

Day 3: A day of legends

Go behind the scenes of a Nashville recording studio. This intimate experience introduces you to a performing artist, musicians and the techniques behind a song’s development. Make a stop at Nashville’s Farmers' Market and Market House to explore its artisanal crafts and produce.Explore Nashville with Insight Choice. Choose to visit Nelson’s Green Brier, a local Tennessee distillery and home of the Original Tennessee Whiskey. Alternatively, visit the National Museum of African American Music, which shares the story of the American soundtrack through history and interactive technology.Tonight's dinner at Puckett's Grocery & Restaurant will introduce you to the colourful flavours of Nashville. Perhaps try the crabmeat cheesecake.

Day 4: Heading back home to Memphis

This morning you'll head to Memphis. Whether it’s your first or hundredth time visiting this vibrant city, you’ll be drawn in by the lively melodies coming from Beale Street.Spend the morning on a sightseeing tour of the city, followed by a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience at the National Civil Rights Museum. While there, you’ll be guided through five centuries of The Civil Rights Movement history and its impact on our culture today.End your day by joining a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience with a private evening at the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. The museum is part of The Soulsville Foundation, which aims to prepare young adults for life success and inspire future artists.

Day 5: A day dedicated to the King

Begin you day with a visit to Sun Studio, the “birthplace of rock and roll”, where music legends, including B.B. King, Johnny Cash and Elvis recorded.Make your way to the magnificent Graceland, the former home of the "King of Rock and Roll," Elvis Presley.Dinner this evening will be served at The Beauty Shop, a former parlour turned whimsical New American eatery where Elvis’ ex-wife, Priscilla, was said to get her hair done.

Day 6: Memphis to Greenwood

Travel through the Mississippi Delta down the Mississippi Blues Trail, a route that tells the stories of bluesmen and women. Explore the Delta town of Greenwood at your own pace, before heading to the Viking Cooking School for a hot tamales cooking demonstration - a regional specialty.Later, dine on a mouthwatering dinner at a James Beard Award finalist restaurant that features southern inspired dishes that include produce local to the area.

Day 7: Moving on to Natchez

Learn more about Southern history and hospitality as you head to Natchez. Tour the historic antebellum mansions, and discover the preservation efforts of later generations to tell the story of African-Americans through the decades, understanding that slavery and cotton allowed plantation owners to build these mansions. Test your mixologist skills as you concoct a traditional Southern cocktail, the Mint Julep. Minty, cooling and with a touch of sweetness, you're sure to learn a few party tricks to bring back home with you. Enjoy an evening to yourself. Ask your Travel Director for restaurant suggestions and discover one of the wonderful options in town.

Day 8: Natchez to Lafayette

Move on to Lafayette for a taste of the Cajun and Creole culture. Get to know more about Cajun culture and how it is defined by its roots.Head to the Acadian Cultural Center followed by a unique Cajun music experience.A genre rooted in the ballads of the French-speaking Acadians, it is both eclectic and joyous. Learn more about this fast tempo music and its history from a local accordion maker and musician.In the evening, indulge in a delicious dinner with your fellow travellers.

Day 9: Lafayette for foodies

Start the day with a crawfish farm tour just outside the city. You will be joined by a Local Expert who will help you catch your lunch the old-fashioned way, using hand nets. You’ll be taught how to prepare a traditional boil, before sitting down to the meal. If crawfish are out of season, you'll take part in a boil experience with seasonal seafood. Later, enjoy time at leisure or head out on an optional swamp tour.

Day 10: Welcome to the Big Easy

New Orleans is a lively and dynamic city, known for its vibrant culture and electric jazz festivals. On the way down south, stop at the Tabasco® Factory for a self-guided tour and discover how the world-famous red hot pepper sauce is made. This afternoon, head to the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, where you’ll learn more about the city’s diverse cuisine with a guided tour and included lunch.

Day 11: Festivities in New Orleans Relaxed Start

Get to know the city with a Local Expert as you discover each neighborhood's unique architecture and explore the vibrant art scene. See how the community comes together through celebration.In the afternoon, take your pick of optional activities, perhaps getting to know the local culture through a jazz music experience or by meeting a voodoo specialist.End your day by joining your fellow travellers at a Celebration Dinner at the Palace Cafe - a contemporary and upbeat Creole restaurant at the foot of the French Quarter.

Day 12: Depart New Orleans

It’s time to say goodbye to your fellow travellers as your adventure comes to an end with a departure to the airport.

Day 1 Check-in, Registration, Orientation, Welcome Dinner Chicago, IL

Hotel check-in from 4:00 p.m.

Program Registration. After you have your room assignment, join us at the Road Scholar table in the lobby to register with the program staff and get your welcome packet containing the up-to-date schedule that reflects any changes, other important information, and to confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please ask for your packet when you check in. Remember to bring your name-tag (sent previously). Orientation. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the schedule and any changes, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. This is a Road Scholar Grandparent program. Grandparents are responsible for their grandchildren. If/when separate age group activities are conducted concurrently, program staff will supervise. Children are never to be left unsupervised. In the mornings, we will take public transit to the learning studio; this includes stepping on/off subway cars, climbing up/down flights of stairs at some stations without elevators, and walking on city streets and sidewalks. Transportation in the afternoons will be provided by motorcoach. 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.

After dinner, we will meet the Mad Science Team that we will be with during the week! They will lead us through an exciting interactive experiment.

At the hotel, we’ll have a buffet dinner with soft drinks, coffee, tea, water.

Day 2 Lego EV3 Robot, Chicago Science Museum Chicago, IL

Use of public transportation; stepping on/off subway cars, climbing up/down flights of stairs at some stations without elevators. Walking about 2 miles total throughout the day; city streets and sidewalks. Getting on/off motorcoach; driving about 18 miles roundtrip; 1 hour total; stops for field trips.

Setting out from the hotel on foot, we will take public transportation to the learning studio where we will join an expert and learn to build a LEGO EV3 Robot. During this session, we will unlock the wonderful world of technology creation using drag-and-drop commands. By integrating both hardware (robotic structure) and software (programming), we will learn to control powerful robots.

Next, we will transfer via motorcoach to the Chicago Science Museum where we will participate in the "Dream It, Design It, Fab It" program, during which we’ll put our inventing skills to use! Using cutting-edge software, we will design an idea, then create and print our designs in the museum's Fab Lab with the help of a museum staff member. Afterwards, we will have an opportunity to explore the museum independently.

At leisure.

At the hotel, the breakfast buffet offers a European inspired spread with cured meats as well as scrambled eggs, oatmeal, yogurt, fruit, croissants, quiche, and toast. Variety of juices, coffee and tea will be available.

At a local restaurant.

At a local restaurant.

Day 3 3D Printing, City Exploration, Movie Night Chicago, IL

Use of public transportation; stepping on/off subway cars, climbing up/down flights of stairs at some stations without elevators. Walking about 1.5 miles total throughout the day; city streets and sidewalks; periods of standing. Getting on/off motorcoach frequently during afternoon field trip; many short distance transfers totaling about 3 hours.

We will return to the learning studio by public transportation, this time focusing on an especially exciting technology that was recently invented: 3D printing! Using computer aided design (CAD) tools, we will have an opportunity to bring new designs to life right before our eyes. By the end of the week, our creations will be printed and ready for us to take home.

After lunch, we’ll board the motorcoach for a city field trip led by a local expert. As we drive, we’ll get a feeling for Chicago's bold character through its beautiful landmarks and fascinating backstories about history including the Great Chicago Fire, world-famous architecture, and contemporary life. We’ll walk around Millennium Park and see the Cloud Gate sculpture — known as The Bean.

Settling in at the hotel, we’ll gather for a fun pajama movie night that will relate to the program theme.

Hotel buffet.

At a local restaurant.

At the hotel.

Day 4 Virtual Reality & Video Game Design, Free Time Chicago, IL

Use of public transportation; stepping on/off subway cars, climbing up/down flights of stairs at some stations without elevators. Walking about 1.5 miles during group activities; city streets and sidewalks. Extent and duration of walking and other activities during free time according to personal choice.

Arriving via public transportation, we will join the experts at the studio to learn about designing and creating virtual worlds. Learning more about events and actions is the name of the game today. During this session, we will get a behind-the-scenes look at how video games are created and have the opportunity to design our own playable games.

Free time. This block of time has been set aside for your personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most. Please refer to the list of Free Time Opportunities. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

At leisure.

Hotel buffet.

At a local restaurant.

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 and give directions.

Day 5 Digital Hackers, Adler Planetarium, Pool Party Chicago, IL

Use of public transportation; stepping on/off subway cars, climbing up/down flights of stairs at some stations without elevators. Walking about 2 miles throughout the day; city streets and sidewalks; periods of standing. Getting on/off motorcoach; driving about 12 miles roundtrip; approximately 1/2 hour total; stops for field trips.

Once aboard our usual L Train, we’ll transfer from the hotel to the learning studio for our final morning session, during which we will become digital hackers by learning how to modify the popular game, Minecraft. Using the Java programming language and an integrated development environment, we will learn to create our own custom items and import them into the game. Through the projects, we will learn about the fundamentals of object-oriented programming to customize this popular game.

Next, we will continue by motorcoach to Adler Planetarium where we’ll join a STEM programming event for the whole family. Partners will lead hands-on, family-friendly programs and workshops with experiments, coding, dancing, and other STEM-focused activities. At the planetarium, participants will get to explore different exhibits focused on discovering the universe. All programs are designed to spark engagement, curiosity, and fun! We’ll then return to the hotel.

At leisure. Prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.

Hotel buffet.

Lunch will be on your own at Navy Pier. Participants will be able choose from plenty of options.

At the hotel, we’ll join one another near the pool for a farewell dinner and pizza pool party!

Day 6 Program Concludes Chicago, IL

Hotel check-out by 12:00 Noon.

If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. 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!

Hotel buffet. This concludes our program.