Going, seeing, learning, doing: Discover more about your local community and the “Sunshine State” on ECxplore Florida educational trips
Level of Activity Guide
The OLLI staff will make every effort to accommodate any special dietary or physical access need you might have. Please alert us to these needs when you register for a class or trip.
* Low level of activity. Not much walking or climbing required.
** Medium level of activity. More than 15 minutes of walking required or some stairs.
*** Higher level of activity. More than 30 minutes of walking, biking, or lots of stairs.
1842 Pinter’s Betrayal at American Stage *
Thursday, June 19, 4:00 - 11:00 pm
Instructor: Dedee Aleccia
Harold Pinter, one of England’s great modern dramatists, challenges traditional theatre forms of complex dialog and backdrops. His plays, simple and stark in language, action, and setting, reflect the stark realities his characters face. Betrayal, based on Pinter’s affair with TV Journalist Joan Bakewell, presents the love triangle of husband, wife, and wife’s lover/husband’s best friend. The play is structured in a primarily reverse chronology and focuses on the characters’ memories and recollections of past events. The scenes reveal small deceptions and subtle comments, and expose the various betrayals that destroy their relationships.
Join OLLI for a pre-theatre lecture on Pinter’s Betrayal, an on-campus dinner, a theatre performance at American Stage, and an after-play discussion with the cast.
Location: Continuing Education Center
Member: $75; Non-member: $95
Dade City, Florida *
1843 Continuing Education Center Departure
Friday, October 3, 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
1844 Palm Harbor/Dunedin Departure
Friday, October 10, 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Located in the rolling hills of eastern Pasco County, Dade City typifies what many people think of as “old” or “historic” Florida by virtue of its physical features, its pioneer heritage, and the spirit of its residents. Originally settled as Fort Dade in the 1840s, Dade City is the county seat of Pasco County, and also serves as the commercial center for an area encompassing more than 71,000 residents. Its downtown restaurants and antique gift shops are popular attractions for visitors from the Tampa Bay and Lakeland areas.
On this trip through small town America, we’ll take a trolley tour through historic Dade City, stopping by the Old Courthouse, old county jail, charming Church Street, and the vibrant downtown, famous for great shopping and dining. Our guide will relate stories about raucous moonshiners, romantic southern tales, and spooky ghost legends.
A highlight of the trip will be our gourmet dining experience at Lunch on Limoges, a wonderful restaurant located in the former men’s department of the Williams family’s clothing and dry goods store, which was founded in 1908 – and is still run by a descendent today. Lunch is a work of art, and the fabulous desserts alone draw visitors from neighboring counties. We’ll save some time after lunch for strolling and shopping opportunities.
Member: $65; Non-member: $85
1845 Day of the Dolphins **
lnstructor: Ann Weaver
Saturday, October I l, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
You may have already enjoyed seeing dolphins in captivity perform, or you may even remember our old TV friend Flipper. Now you can learn a great deal more about our local species and then have a chance to observe them in their native habitat.
This entertaining class begins with a fascinating lecture about the amazing bottlenose dolphins who live in our local waters. Our lecturer, Dr. AnnWeaver, is the writer of the popular weekly column “Dolphin Watch,” based on twenty-five years of studying dolphins around the world. She will discuss the remarkable range of similarities between us and them and explain how to identify individual wild dolphins and how to interpret their behavior.
The lecture will be followed by a delicious boxed lunch supplied by Integrity To Go. Then it’s off to a guided dolphin boat tour at John’s Pass. Be ready for the time of your life!
Departs from Eckerd College West Lodge
Member: $69; Non-member: $89
1846 Souvenir *
Instructor: Dedee Aleccia
Thursday, July 24, 4:00 - 11:00 pm
As we all know from “American Idol,” sometimes it’s better to be really bad at something than to be good at it. This was certainly the case with Florence Foster Jenkins (1868-1944), who is still considered by many people to be “the greatest bad singer ever.” Lack of pitch, lack of rhythm, and a complete inability to sing characterized her voice, but she firmly believed herself to be a great coloratura soprano. Fortunately for this wealthy but eccentric society woman, she had the means to share her delusions with the world. She started out by “treating” her friends to an annual recital at the Ritz Carlton hotel, where she lived. As reports of her truly horrible but hilarious performances spread, more and more people wanted to join her audience. When she capped off her career by offering a single concert at Carnegie Hall in 1944, it sold out in two hours.
Souvenir, a play based on her life, is told through the recollections of Cosme McMoon, her longtime accompanist. A classically trained pianist, he has had to adjust his playing style and eventually, over the years, his attitude. By the end of their association, he regards her with friendship and affection.
Join OLLI for a pre-theatre lecture, an on-campus dinner, a theatre performance at American Stage, and an after-play discussion with the cast.
Departure from Eckerd College West Lodge
Member: $75; Non-member: $95
1848 House of Moves *
Tuesday, April 8, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Have you ever wondered how those animated figures on TV and in films become so lifelike? Their every motion so much like ours? We’ve discovered the answer at the University of Central Florida. A new state-of-the-art motion-capture studio, run by the Los Angeles-based House of Moves, opened recently on the grounds of the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy, UCF’s graduate video-gaming school located in downtown Orlando. The 3,500 square foot studio is considered to be a world-class facility for teaching “motion capture,” a process that generates animations for games and film by capturing movement with cameras and sensors placed on human subjects. At first glance, they look like dotted stick figures dancing on computer screens. Digital artists then use the data to create lifelike electronic animation. The Los Angeles House of Moves’ motion-capture work has appeared in such films asTitanic, Spider-Man 2, The Polar Express, and Beowulf.
Our visit to UCF will begin with an exhibit at their Visual Arts Department which features the work of current Master of Fine Arts graduates. We hope to have some of the artists on hand to provide explanations of their work. After lunch at Harvey’s Bistro in downtown Orlando, we’ll board our bus and head for our tour at the House of Moves.
Departs from Eckerd College West Lodge
Member: $55; Non-member: $75
1849 Green Power:
Protecting Weedon lsland **
Friday, October 24, 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Instructor: Hal Hultman
Since the 1950s, the Bartow Power Plant of Progress Energy on Weedon lsland has been providing reliable electricity to the St. Petersburg area. However, with the burgeoning demand for its product resulting from the renaissance of St. Petersburg, Progress Energy has initiated a “repowering” project at the Bartow plant which will convert it to “clean” natural gas while also doubling its operating capacity. This three-year project will replace three oil-fired steam boilers with four state-of-the-art combustion turbines and heat recovery steam generators which will more than double the electricity capacity. It will also dramatically improve the efficiency of electricity production and reduce sulfur dioxide emissions by 98%. All of this will be accomplished within the current “footprint” of the plant.
OLLI members will begin this full-day excursion with an on-campus presentation/discussion of the characteristics of this innovative technology and the broad “Green Power” advantages accruing from this enlightened approach to cleaner electric power. We’ll then board the bus and travel to the Bartow power plant to receive a briefing on the overall project and a tour of the existing facility. Following this, we’ll return to the Campus for a “power lunch” and discussion of this timely project.
Departs from Eckerd College West Lodge
Member: $20; Non-member: $30
The Nielsen Media Research Global Technology and lnformation Center
*1851 Eckerd College West Lodge Departure:
Thursday, April 10, 9:00 am - 2:30 pm
1852 Palm Harbor/Dunedin Departure:
Thursday, April 17, 9:30 am - 2:00 pm
Whether your favorite TV program lives or dies depends to a large extent upon its standing in the Nielsen ratings. And where do these oh-so-important ratings originate? Right here in the Tampa Bay area at the Nielsen Media Research Global Technology and Information Center in Oldsmar. This $80-million state-of-the-art epicenter for technology, science, research, and domestic and international operations opened in 2003, replacing a similar but smaller installation in Dunedin. Every day, viewing information from thousands of homes all around the country is transmitted electronically to the Oldsmar facility, where it is compiled and analyzed for presentation to Nielsen’s clients. On our trip to the Center, we will learn about the equipment which collects information on television viewing and how it is installed in homes. We will also see how the data is collected, processed, and delivered to the clients, which include TV networks, local TV stations, advertisers and advertising agencies, etc. By this time, we should be ready to impress all our friends with our “insider” knowledge of how this world-famous company operates and why it has such an impact upon television programming.
After our tour and talk, we’ll enjoy lunch at the award-winning Alberto’s Italian Restaurant.
Member: $35; Non-member: $55
1853 Earth Boxes *
Wednesday, May 7, 9:30 am - 3:00 pm
How would you like to have homegrown vegetables without the hassle of a garden? With the amazing EarthBox, you too can harvest “fresh-picked”
vegetables and herbs right from your patio in the “smart garden that tends itself.” Anyone can grow herbs, vegetables, and flowers without any work or gardening experience. The EarthBox automatically provides the perfect amount of moisture, nutrients, and tender loving care, 24 hours a day. There are no weeds, no guessing, and no fretting – the EarthBox makes gardening carefree and fun. It even works when you’re away on vacation!
Join us on a trip to the EarthBox Research Center in Ellenton for a demonstration on how this revolutionary growing system works and how to take full advantage of it at your own home. Then after learning the techniques and tricks of Florida Earthbox Gardening, we’ll enjoy a delicious lunch at one of our favorite spots in that area, Gio’s Fabulous Pizza and Martini Bar.
Please wear closed-toed shoes for your comfort and safety. Cost includes transportation and lunch.
.
Departs from the Eckerd College West Lodge
Member: $40; Non-member: $60
Hindu Temple of Florida *
1854 Eckerd College Departure
Friday, May 2, 9:30 am - l:30 pm
1855 Palm Harbor/Dunedin Departure
Friday, May 9, 9:30 am - l:30 pm
Are you interested in learning about our local Hindu community and their place of worship? The Hindu Temple of Florida, located in the Carrollwood section of Tampa, is a beautiful spiritual center catering to the needs of Hindus in the greater Tampa area. It is a great religious and social institution where devotees offer prayers to obtain ethereal bliss and enduring joy.
The 14,573-square-foot temple is designed and decorated in the traditional fashion, with a relatively simple interior and ornately sculptured outer walls. A 70-foot-tall tower, called a Rajagopurarn, also ornately sculptured, serves as the entrance to the temple. It is the tallest one in the United States.
After a tour of the temple, we will enjoy a specially prepared vegetarian lunch at the temple’s canteen. Out of respect for the temple community, participants are kindly asked to refrain from wearing shorts, tank tops, short skirts, or any other revealing clothing. Shirts or blouses with sleeves are recommended. Cost includes transportation and vegetarian lunch.
Member: $29; Non-member: $49
Graphicstudio *
1856 Eckerd College Departure
Thursday, October 2, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
1857 Palm Harbor/Dunedin Departure
Thursday, October 30, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
USF’s Graphicstudio is a university-based atelier engaged in a unique experiment in art and education, committed to research and the application of traditional and new techniques for the production of limited edition prints and sculpture multiples. Graphicstudio, the Contemporary Art Museum, and the Public Art Program form the Institute for Research in Art in the College of Visual and Performing Arts at the University of South Florida.
World-renowned artists such as Robert Mapplethorpe, Chuck Close, Ed Ruscha, Vik Muniz, Robert Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein, Louise Bourgeois, Roxy Paine, and Jim Campbell have all worked with Graphicstudio to realize their artistic visions. Through the years, Graphicstudio has received wide popular and critical acclaim. Leading museums and collectors including the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the New York Public Library, and the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota have acquired Graphicstudio’s editions.
During a lecture, we’ll learn about the activities taking place at Graphicstudio, view some of the artwork produced there, and observe the printing process in action. After lunch, we’ll proceed to USF’s Contemporary Art Museum for a docent-led tour.
Member: $49; Non-member: $69
Forever Florida
Saturday, April 12, 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
1860 By Horseback ***
1858 By Safari Coach (Swamp Buggy) **
Forever Florida began as a young man’s dream. Allen Broussard loved roaming the area next to his family's Crescent J Ranch as a boy, and when he became a Wildlife Ecologist, he came to understand its ecological value. Alan’s parents founded the Allen Broussard Conservancy, a not-for-profit Scientific Corporation created for the purpose of purchasing the land and keeping it as a wildlife preserve.
Today, Forever Florida, together with the Crescent J Ranch, comprises a 4,700-acre cattle ranch and nature preserve combining “Old Florida” charm with an exciting and educational opportunity to view native animals and plants in their natural environment.
Upon arrival, we will enjoy a traditional barbeque with all the trimmings at the on-site Cypress Restaurant. After watching a short orientation film, it will be time for our adventure. Some will mount up and participate in a three-hour rawhide cattle roundup. Those not wishing to sit in a saddle will ride in a covered safari coach with comfortable individual seats and a good view of the countryside. Everyone will see part, although not all, of the cattle roundup.
Anyone choosing the guided horseback safari must remember to wear long pants and closed-toed shoes as a part of the Ranch’s safety assurance policy. The rest of the group will take the coach safari. First we will tour the Crescent J Ranch, where we’ll see cattle and horses descended from those left by the Spanish centuries ago, as well as modern breeds.
We’ll also see some Florida wildlife – alligators, turtles, often the colorful wild turkey and many other birds, depending on the season and weather conditions – and luck.
Next we will pass into Forever Florida, the nature preserve. There are not many unspoiled Florida ecosystems left anymore, and the contrast between the well-run ranch and the wilderness of the preserve is evident. Among the animals we may see are whitetail deer and feral hogs, and perhaps even some black bears, coyotes, and bobcats. By the time we return to the Visitor Center, we will feel as if we have been on a real adventure in old-time Florida.
Departs from Continuing Education Center
Horseback Cost
Member: $175; Non-member: $195
Safari Coach Cost
Member: $129; Non-member: $149
Refund/Cancellation Policies
Cancellation Policy: In the event a class or trip has to be canceled, every attempt will be made to notify you before the start of the event. You will receive a full refund for any event that OLLI must cancel.
Withdrawal - Refund Policies
General Information
- To withdraw from a class or trip, please notify the OLLI call center (864-7600) as soon as possible.
- Each individual registered will be charged an administrative fee of $10 for each activity from which you/they withdraw.
- Additional refund information is listed below for classes and trips.
- Withdrawals from any activity for which the fee is $25 or less are non-refundable.Withdrawal from Classes
- If you withdraw at least 24 hours before the first class session you will be refunded the full amount of the class less the $10 administrative fee.
- If you withdraw from the class less than 24 hours before the first session, there is no refund.
- No shows forfeit their registration fee.
Withdrawal from Trips
Unless otherwise noted for a specific trip, the following general policies will apply:
- If you withdraw from a trip at least seven days before the date of the trip you will be refunded the full cost of the trip minus the $25 administrative fee.
- If you withdraw between six days and one day before the date of the trip, 50% of the trip cost will be refunded minus the $10 administrative fee. In other words, the $25 administrative fee will be deducted from your refund.
- If you withdraw less than 24 hours before the date of the trip there is no refund.
|
