Monthly Archives: June 2021

Friday (5 November) is travel day.  Folks travel to northeastern Jacksonville, Florida and check into the Meet Hotel.  The Meet Hotel is the Aloft hotel, 751 Skymarks Drive, Jacksonville, Florida 32218.  This is our base of operation for the 2021 Fall Meet.  Click the following link to make reservations.  Discounted Room Rate for Morgan Owners Group South  Breakfast is an unknown at this time.   They may have something, they may not.   According to the hotel COVID changed certain things so I would assume the worst case and plan on finding breakfast somewhere else.  There are lots of restaurants serving breakfast in the area.  

The Hospitality Suite is at the hotel’s bar.  There is no separate room available to serve as our Hospitality Suite this time!!  

At 10am (Saturday, 6 November) we gather up at the front door of the hotel, and travel as a convoy to Amelia Island, Fl along FL-105, Heckscher Road, A1A, Fletcher Road.   This drive should take us about an hour and a bit.  This is a wonderful Morgan drive as it skirts the St Johns River with its scenic bridges, watery vistas, marsh grasses and lots of marine activity.  No doubt the local folks will be out fishing and boating as we go by. 

Once onto Amelia Island we will pass by some exquisite housing areas, exceptional golf course and fine hotels.  This is the home to the famed Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, in my mind the finest Concours d’Elegance on the east coast.    We will follow the ‘round abouts’ along the coast road (A1A / Fletcher Road) and across the various islands to the quaint town of Fernandina Beach, FL.  We will all park downtown Fernandina Beach (parking is a challenge so it will everyone for themselves!) and spend a few hours perusing the shops and boutiques.  Lunch is on your own so find something appealing at one of the many restaurants in town.   Just make sure you don’t miss the boat, leaving from 1 N. Front St, Fernandina Beach, FL (Yes, it is on the water!) at 3:30pm.

We will all board a few minutes early, at 3:15PM.  The Cumberland Island Tour Boat has been chartered just for MOGSouth folks and will cost only 20$ per person.  Again, MOGSouth is subsidizing the costs of this boat charter, so you can feel good about getting your money’s worth for your 2021 MOGSouth dues!!   (Wait a minute!  We didn’t have any dues for 2021?)

The Charter will provide us with a leisurely tour of Cumberland Island and take about an hour and a half.  It will be fully narrated by a knowledgeable guide, giving us the back stories as well as a great sense of the island’s interesting history.   At this time of year there is also a good possibility of Right Whales sightings or sightings of other wildlife as we motor along!

After the tour, but no later than 6PM, we will all gather at one of the Fernandina’s great restaurants for a group dinner.  (Note: we are still working the specifics of the dinner, so standby for more information.)

The dinner should end around 7:30-8PM and we will all gather back up and convoy, again along Fletcher Road, A1A, FL-105, Heckscher Road back to the Hotel in northeast Jacksonville.  Again, there is no separate room for the Hospitality Suite so those interested in continuing to visit will gather in the Hotel’s bar.

Sunday is check out day and the time to travel home.

Friday (3 December) or Saturday (4 December) could be travel days, depending on where you are!!  I would think that folks traveling a long(ish) distance to Peachtree City will want to arrive early, like on Friday afternoon / evening, and get there in time to relax and wind down.  Folks coming from Atlanta or other locations a bit closer to Peachtree City will probably want to travel early on Saturday but be advised the party starts a bit earlier this year!

The meet hotel is the Crowne Plaza in Peachtree City, GA  (201 Aberdeen Pkwy, Peachtree City, GA 30269.)  This is our base of operation.  We have negotiated a reduced rate for the MOGSouth membership, but you need to call ASAP to make your reservations.  Use GROUP NAME: MOGSouth Car Club and GROUP CODE:  NH9 to identify the group.  The cutoff date for booking rooms Nov 3, 2021. 

Use this link MOGSouth Car Club Room Block to make reservations or call the hotel at IHG Reservations at 1-877-227-6963.  Be sure to use the Group Name and Group Code. 

The Hospitality Suite is at the Sutherland Suite on Friday afternoon/evening (this is a one day only location.)  The Hospitality Suite goes mobile and moves to Falcon field on Saturday afternoon!!  

On Saturday morning folks can either take advantage of the hotel’s breakfast or try one of the other restaurants in Peachtree City.  The cost of the hotel breakfast isn’t included in the hotel room rate, but you can buy a discounted breakfast voucher when you check in.   The breakfast is a full buffet, an omelet station as well as other continental breakfast items.   I have tried it, the selection is quite good and the food is tasty enough!  

Basically, if you arrived on Friday, Saturday morning is available for you to relax, sleep late, attend to some imperative Morgan maintenance issues, get gas in the car or visit the various shops, boutiques and neighborhoods of Peachtree City, GA.  It is an interesting place, to be sure!!   If you are in Peachtree City already, Saturday lunch is on your own.  

For those traveling in on Saturday (4 December), just be sure to be at the Crowne Plaza by 1pm. 

Right after lunch on Saturday, at 1pm, we will form up in a convoy in front of the hotel’s registration building and then move to Commemorative Air Force’s hanger at Falcon Field (Falcon Field is the Peachtree City, GA municipal airport.)  This is a short drive, some 5 miles or less.   

Once at the Commemorative Air Force’s hanger we will get situated and folks can take in the Commemorative Air Force’s numerous war birds, peruse the interesting items in the small museum or visit the maintenance shops to see what is currently in work.  There will be folks from the Commemorative Air Force there to answer any questions you might have.   There may be a photo opportunity with the Morgans and the Commemorative Air Force’s aircraft (war birds) depending on the weather, availability of aircraft, etc.   

Then around 4pm we will re-open the MOGSouth Hospitality Suite and folks can enjoy a glass of wine, beer or whatever, etc.

The Holiday Party banquet is a fully catered event and the caterers will be setting up the dinner buffet as we mill around the hangar.   Also during this time the caterers will be passing out hors d’oeuvres (chicken skewers, fried green tomatoes, and seared crab cakes) to whet your appetite before dinner!

Dinner will include all the good stuff . . . Grilled Chicken Romano, Prime Rib with Rosemary Cabernet Jus & Horseradish Cream, Mashed Potatoes, Butternut Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Molasses Glaze, Grilled Asparagus with Honey Vinaigrette with just about everything Gluten Free.  Beverages will be available, e.g., iced tea, water, etc., (in addition to those you might have gotten from our mobile Hospitality Suite!)

Dinner is scheduled for 5PM with coffee and dessert included.  The dinner will only cost you $25 per person this year.  MOGSouth has once again subsidized the cost of the dinner so you should feel good about your membership in such a wonderful and generous club as MOGSouth!  

And yes, we will have a few MOGSouth club remarks (yes, I know!  Keep it short!)  as well as, the Mother Courage Award presentation. 

The dinner should end around 7 and we will all gather back up and convoy back to the hotel.  Again, there is no separate room for the Hospitality Suite at the hotel, on Saturday, so those interested in continuing to visit will need to gather in the Hotel’s bar.   Sunday is check out day and the time to travel home.

This document is intended to be a worksheet identifying the hotels we will stay in along the way. You have to make your own reservations at each hotel. Instructions on how to do this is provided in the document. Simply print this document out and use it as a check list.

In most cases we have negotiated reduced rates or special discounts. If you don’t follow the procedures provided in the worksheet document, you most likely will not get these reductions or discounts.

There is only one other activity scheduled during the trip that you have to book ahead of time. This is the Fury Sunset Cruise in Key West. Instructions on how to book this activity are also provided in this document. Be advised there are other activities that will incur some ticket price or entry fees. Credit cards may not be viable in all cases so be prepared to pay cash or by check.