Greece: Athens & Beyond May 16 - 26, 2008.
OLLI offered an international excursion lead by Dr. Thomas Renna, a professor of European History at SVSU. This 11-day trip Greece adventure included three evenings in Athens at the beginning of the trip and an additional two evenings in Athens at the end. In between, we spent two days in Olympia and two days in Nafplio. We saw a variety of archaeological sites and learned about the fascinating history of this area from professor Renna who teaches classes at SVSU on the Middle Ages, Ancient Rome, Ancient Greece and the Italian Renaissance. Click here for more details of this trip: Greece: Athens & Beyond
Click here to see photos from Greece Trip |
SPRING & SUMMER TRIPS WITH OLLI
Fall Trips
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SPRING
(021) Day-Trip: MSU Horticultural Gardens & Museum
Everything will be coming up roses, perennials and annuals on this motorcoach trip to East Lansing! If you enjoy gardening mixed with a measure of natural and cultural history, this trip is for you. We will begin the day at the MSU gardens where we will enjoy a guided tour of the 4-H Children’s Garden, and the Horticultural Demonstration Gardens. The children’s gardens are delightful and include a tree house built out of twigs and limbs, a garden house, an amphitheater and themed gardens, such as pizza and Peter Rabbit. The demonstration gardens include impressive floral displays that include annuals, perennials and roses. Lunch will follow at Clara’s Lansing Station where you will have your choice of seven entrees. After lunch we head to the MSU Museum which has three floors of exhibits devoted to natural and cultural history with an emphasis on the Great Lakes regions. This will be a self-guided tour. The trip includes admission to the gardens and museum; a guided tour of the garden; lunch; deluxe motorcoach transportation from SVSU to East Lansing; and snacks on the bus. Please note that this trip does require some walking.
Friday: May 30 from 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Price: $69 Members; $89 Non-Members
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(022) Day Trip & Pre-Trip Class: Hemingway on the Road
Join Mike Federspiel, a CMU History professor and current President of the Michigan Hemingway Society, on true adventure. We’ll head off for the Petosky area where Ernest Hemingway spent his summers on Walloon Lake. On the bus, you’ll listen to some interesting background on Hemingway’s formative years and watch some videos. Our day will include: a stop at the Little Traverse Historical Museum; lunch at the City Park Grill in downtown Petosky, where you will have an opportunity to sit on "his" barstool; time in Horton’s Bay and Walloon Lake to see the General Store, Red Fox Inn and Windermere Cottage; and a little free time to shop in Petosky. The price includes deluxe motorcoach transportation from SVSU, lunch, admission to the museum and snacks on the bus. It also includes a pre-trip class on Monday, June 2nd with Federspiel, which will provide more biographical and literal information on Hemingway. It is suggested that you read The Nick Adams Stories prior to the day trip.
Pre-Trip Class - Monday Night: June 2 from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Monday Day Trip: June 16 from 7:30 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Price: $89 Members; $109 Non-Members
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(023) Day Trip: Detroit - Much More than Sports Teams & Casinos
Join Bob Goldsmith with Detroit Tour Connections for an interesting day in the "big city" which will feature downtown highlights, historic churches and theaters, ethic communities, private clubs and more. Bob will join us on the motorcoach for a portion of the tour, which he will narrate as we drive by many historic and interesting sites. We will also step off the bus and tour a number of locations with Bob and another guide. Bob was born in Detroit, grew up in Southfield, and then went to college and law school at the U of M. He started giving tours of Detroit for Preservation Wayne in 2001. His law practice is now in a downtown skyscraper and he lives in an apartment near the Fox Theatre and Comerica Park. We’ll enjoy lunch at Fishbone’s Rhythm Kitchen Café which has captured the fine dining and festive atmosphere of the New Orleans French Quarter. Our family style lunch will include some Cajun dishes, plus some more traditional fare. The trip includes the tours, lunch, deluxe motorcoach transportation from SVSU to Detroit, and snacks on the bus. Please note that this trip does require some walking.
Tuesday: June 10 from 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Price: $79 Members; $99 Non-Members
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(018) Overnight Trip: 4th Annual OLLI Stratford Extravaganza
Join OLLI members and friends for a two-day whirlwind motorcoach trip to Stratford, Ontario. We’ll see three shows, including two Shakespearean plays. The package includes: A+ seating at Cabaret, Romeo and Juliet, and Love’s Labour’s Lost; your choice of a chat with the actors, warehouse tour, or shopping in town; lodging at the Festival Inn; lunch on Wednesday at the delightful Trattoria Fabrizio; dinner on Wednesday and breakfast on Thursday at the Festival Inn; round-trip deluxe motorcoach transportation from SVSU to Stratford, and to all the shows and meals; and beverages and snacks on the bus. Learn more about the shows by visiting the Stratford Festival website at www.stratfordshakespearefestival.com Sign up early, this trip always fills up quickly.
Wednesday and Thursday: June 25 & 26 (leave SVSU at 8 a.m. and return approximately 10 pm)
Trip Fee: Double Occupancy: Members $475; Non-Members $505. Single Occupancy: Members $555; Non-Members $585
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Summer Trips 2008 With OLLI
(101) Michigan Shakespeare Festival & Ella Sharp Museum
Established in 1995, this festival was designated "The Official Shakespeare Festival of the State of Michigan" by the governor and senate in 2003. It is housed on the campus of Jackson Community College and its high-quality performances feature local and professional actors, including Equity performers. We will enjoy a 2 p.m. matinee performance of the romantic comedy All's Well Than Ends Well. This play offers captivating themes of male versus female, society's view of merit and rank, and the value of honor and integrity. Prior to the show, we will visit the Ella Sharp Museum of Art & History which expanded to five galleries in 2006, including the 1,000 square foot Andrews Gallery of Wildlife Art. There are also historic buildings, galleries and a gift shop. Our lunch will be catered by the museum's restaurant, Ella's Granary which features soups, salads and sandwiches. This trip includes deluxe motorcoach transportation from SVSU; the play; admission to the museum and guided tour of Ella Sharp's house, lunch, and snacks on bus.
Saturday: July 19 from 7:30 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Price: $79 Members; $99 Non-members
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(002) Stargazing Gourmet Dinner & Cruise on the Appledore
Our menu will be the "Marine Marche" which includes hors d'oeuvres (assorted canapes and wraps); a pasta table with two sauces and assorted garnishes; chicken and seafood entrees; a carving station with filet of beef; side salad and assorted breads; a dessert table; and a variety of tea and fresh brewed coffee. (Fill free to bring your own adult beverages.) The boat will leave from downtown Bay City. Please note that the trip will be held rain or shine, as the boat does have an awning. Also, the boat does have a restroom down below, but the "ladder-like" stairs may be difficult to navigate if you don't consider yourself sure footed.
Monday: July 28 from 8 p.m. - midnight
Price: $89 Members; $109 Non-members
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(003) Charity Island Dinner Cruise
Back by popular demand, we are offering another trip to Charity Island! Located approximately ten miles offshore in the middle of the Saginaw Bay, Charity Island consists of almost 300 acres of forest and three miles of shoreline. Many rare and protected species grow on the Island and it is home to a very unique arachaeological site. This trip will include deluxe motorcoach transportation from SVSU; the cruise to the island on the 50 foot passenger ferryboat the Northstar; a tour of the marina and the Lightkeeper's house; a lecture about the history of the island; dinner on the deck of the house (your choice of lightly breaded lake perch or sirloin tips); and dessert on the return trip to AuGres. Our return trip will coincide with the sunset. Complimentary soft drinks and bottled water are provided (bring your own beer and wine). Please note that once on the island, there is a quarter mile walk up to the lighthouse.
Monday: August 11 from 2-10 p.m.
Price: $105 Members; $125 Non-Members
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(004) Western Comedy at the Purple Rose Theatre
Hard on the heels of Escanaba in Love, Jeff Daniels introduces his first western, Panhandle Slim & the Oklahoma Kid. This winsome comedy tells the fateful tale of a prairie showdown between a vagrant outlaw and a singing cowboy. This World Premiere features original songs, as well as scoundrels, a six-guns, and a horse named Buttermilk. Prior to the 3 p.m. show, we will tour the Chelsea Milling Company, which has been producing Jiffy Baking Mixes since 1930. The company is considered a "complete manufacturer" as they store the wheat, mill the wheat into flour, uset that flour in the mixes, and even make their own boxes. Aftr the factory tour, we will enjoy lunch at the Common Grill. (Should you prefer to shop rather than tour the Jiffy plant, the motorcoach can drop you off downtown.) The trip includes round trip deluxe motorcoach transportation from SVSU; the play; the factory tour; lunch at the Common Grill; and snacks on the bus.
Wednesday: August 20 from 8:30 - 7 p.m.
Price: $85 Members; $105 Non-Members
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Click here to enlarge Purple Rose Theatre trip poster
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For More Information
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
Saginaw Valley State University
7400 Bay Road
University Center, MI 48710
Telephone: (989) 964-4475
Email: olli(at)svsu.edu