MTOA ECLIPSE ESCAPADE OVERVIEW
CHARLESTON AND GEORGETOWN, SC
August 18th thru August 22nd
Eclipse Escapade - SIGN UP
Eclipse Escapade Itinerary
The Southern Operations Director, Deana Martino, is facilitating a cruise/land trip to Georgetown S.C. to view the August Eclipse on August 21. A presentation, “The Great American Total Eclipse” by Kathleen Hendrix has been scheduled by Deana prior to the Eclipse viewing. Required ISO certified Eclipse glasses will be funded by Curtis Stokes & Associates. The Eclipse Escapade will conclude with a group social, and cook-out dinner sponsored by Curtis Stokes & Associates, (hot dogs, hamburgers, beer, wine and bottled water)-(appetizers, side dishes, and desserts to share are welcome but optional. Peter Colket will provide entertainment during the evening following dinner. Volunteer cooks are needed; references are not necessary. A suggested optional Tour Itinerary for sight-seeing in Charleston, Mt. Pleasant, and Georgetown, SC is available.
A detailed Event & Tour Itinerary is posted on the MTOA web-site. Registration for the Event and payment for the listed Itinerary Tours must be made via the MTOA web-site. Go to MTOA.net, click on to Events Calendar, go to August and click on the event date. Note: All tour costs include taxes and reflect a 4% credit card fee as directed by John Esch. Gratuities are not included.
The Tour Itinerary identifies two days of touring: Charleston, (8/19), Mt. Pleasant (8/20) and touring the museums in Georgetown on the late afternoon of 8/21. The per person cost for 8/19 & 8/20 touring is $100.88. The Rice Museum in Georgetown costs $5; the others are unknown at this time. No Registration fees are required for this itinerary and it is open to all MTOA Members.
The Tour Itinerary suggests arriving in Georgetown on 8/18. It suggests staying in Georgetown from 8/18 thru 8/22, because of the competitive costs of hotels in Georgetown vs Charleston, and also because Georgetown is the better location for Eclipse viewing. Deana has negotiated a very competitive rate at the Belmont Inn & Suites, $80/night. But there are only 20 rooms blocked out for MTOA. Deana will send you the Belmont Inn discount reservation code, after you register for the event on the web-site. If all taken, you will have to look elsewhere There are three other hotels in Georgetown, Quality Inn, 843-546-5656, ($96/night, Hampton Inn, 843-545-5000, ($152/night) and Rodeway Inn, 843-546-5111, ($88/night) per their web-sites. Better rates may be available by booking through Bookings .com, or Hotels.com. These rates compare favorably with the lowest rates we could find in Charleston for the same period. For example, the rates for hotel rooms in Charleston for Hawthorne Inn are $131/night; and for the Comfort Inn $135/night. We plan on carpooling and driving into Charleston and Mt. Pleasant. The distances from Georgetown to Charleston and Mt. Pleasant are 60 miles and 52 miles respectively, (1.5 hrs. and 1 hr. + driving time). Attendees are free to decide for themselves the hotel accommodation that works best for them. You will be making your own hotel reservations.
There will be two MTOA groups traveling to Georgetown, SC to view the Eclipse. For simplicity purposes, we have titled them the ‘ABC Group’, (Attending By Car), and the ABB Group, (Attending By Boat). For those folks in the ‘ABB Group’, who may wish to participate in any part or in all of the Tour Itinerary, you are invited to ‘car-pool’ with the ‘ABC Group’, as we commute to Charleston and Mt. Pleasant, as well as tour the Georgetown Museums. The itinerary identifies where and when we plan to gather/depart Georgetown on 8/19, & 8/20.; use the web-site registration form so we know you need a ride, then show up, announce you need a ride and we’ll find a seat for you.
On 8/19 we plan a 90 minute narrated Greyline bus tour: City of Charleston Historic District followed by a self-guided tour of the Joseph Manigault Mansion. The per person costs for this combo tour is $29.12. We have contracted for two - 25 seat capacity vans to ensure seats for all. If more than 50 register for this tour, additional vans/buses will be added. Assuming two vans, the first van will depart the Greyline Visitor’s Center at 0900. The second will depart at 0930. If there is an overflow group, they would take the 1000 van. (Because the next scheduled tour isn’t until 1500 hrs. we have identified two optional sites within walking distance of the Mansion that is of historical interest for visiting either before or after lunch, ( i.e. St Michael’s Church, which is the oldest surviving religious structure in Charleston dating from 1761, and the Charleston Museum, America’s 1st Museum.) At 1500 hours, we plan a narrated cruise of the Charleston Harbor aboard the ‘Carolina Bell’, which lasts for 90 minutes. We have contracted for 40 seats, but because the capacity of the boat is 200 passengers, adding attendees will not be a problem. They know we are coming, and we got the group rate. The per person cost for the cruise tour is $22.88. We plan to return to Georgetown after the cruise expecting to arrive in Georgetown no later than 1830 hours.
For those not joining the Tour, Deana has planned a group BYO drinks and snacks at the marina at 1700 hrs. If you plan to attend, please register on line. Dinner is on your own.
On 8/20, there are two options planned:
Option 1 includes a Brunch at Eddy Chacon’s in Georgetown from 1100 to 1300 hrs. Deana has reserved a private room. The rate is $24, includes tax and gratuities; Bloody Mary’s are $6, plus Tax and gratuities. Please pay at the door. At 1400 hrs, an optional tour of the Rice Museum is scheduled, (about a 20 minute walk from Eddy’s). The fee is $5 pp. Please register on line for the Brunch, and register and pay on line for the Museum.
Deana has planned a group BYO drinks and snacks at the marina at 1700 hrs. If you plan to attend, please register on line. Dinner is on your own.
Option 2: We plan a Tour of the Boone Plantation in Mt. Pleasant, SC. The Boone Plantation tour includes a pre-paid ‘Farm to Table ‘ lunch, the menu of which is based on the crops currently growing on Boon Hall Farms, and includes two entrees, two sides, a dessert, and drinks. During lunch there will be a Gullah Presentation, (Gullah is an African American Slave culture/language that existed in the low country of Georgia and S.C. This will be presented through stories and songs). After lunch, there is a narrated Tractor Tour of the Plantation. Following this, there is a 30 minute guided tour of the Mansion. Afterwards, there are 3 optional self-guided tours at the Plantation: Black History in America Exhibit, the Garden Tour, and the Butter Fly Tour. NOTE: We have contracted for 50 attendees, which is the limit that Boon Plantation places on the Mansion Tour at any one time. There is a minimum of 40 for the luncheon/presentation.
The capacity of the Tractor Tour is 52. If we have more than 50 attendees, Boon Plantation will cycle the over 50 attendees thru the Mansion Tour and on a second tractor run. The per person cost is $44.88. Both before and after the optional tours you are free to walk the Plantation and or return to Georgetown. The Plantation closes at 1630 - Plans for group social gatherings for 8/19 & 20 are listed on the Tour Itinerary. If you plan to attend, please register on line. Dinner for both nights is on your own.
On 8/21, the Eclipse Presentation by Kathleen will be held by the pool area of the Hampton Inn from 9:30 till 1130, then lunch on your own, and a re-gathering on the Marina docks for the viewing of the partial eclipse at 1315 hrs. The total eclipse will take place at 1446 hrs., and lasts for 1 min & 46 sec., The after side of the eclipse is expected to conclude by 1500 hrs. Plans for visiting Georgetown museums can be made after that. We have developed a partial listing of 8 potential sites of interest in Georgetown.
At 1700 hrs, at the Marina, there will be a group social and cookout sponsored by Curtis Stokes. BYO adult beverages; appetizers, side dishes and desserts are welcome but optional. During the evening, Peter Colket will provide the entertainment.
On 8/22, it is the Captain’s choice. Safe Cruising…Safe driving
WHAT YOU NEED ‘ TO DO’/KNOW IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE IN ANY PART OR IN ALL OF MTOA ESCAPADE ECLIPSE EVENTS:
- By August 1, Log on to the MTOA web-site, register, and pay for the tours you select.
- You can cherry pick the itinerary, or develop your own.
- You must make your own hotel reservations.
- Please complete the full Registration questions / requirements as early as you can.
- The total per person costs of identified Tours and lunch at Boon Plantation is $100.88 includes tax and CC fee of 4%.
- If you register by 8/1, and your plans change, we will try to get re-imbursement for all paid Tour Itinerary fees if you cancel with us by 8/10.
- If you have any questions on the Tour Itinerary, please contact the Gellenes: agellene38@gmail.com/410-271-1103
- Please bring your folding chairs to the Eclipse Presentation & viewing, and every group social /dinner you attend.