University of Vermont

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at UVM is introducing two new travel courses to its Spring 2011 offerings. The first, "An Insider's Tour of Key West," will be taking place from Jan. 27-Feb. 3, and the second, "Music, Culture & Food: A Week in Oaxaca, Mexico," will be taking place from March 4-12.

Leading "An Insider's Tour of Key West" are UVM Emerti faculty Bill Averyt and Eric Nichols, current island residents. The program is a seven-day exploration of Key West's colorful history and culture and also includes seminars on living well in later life. The Old Town district guards the nation's largest collection of well preserved historic wooden buildings, ranging from magnificent mansions of sea captains to the cigar-makers' humble "Conch cottages." The district also contains a wide range of attractions -- spectacular Caribbean sunrises, cafes, art galleries, museums, pre-Civil War forts, poetry readings, musical offerings of all types, boisterous night spots on Duval Street, sunset celebrations at Mallory Square, and enchanting lanes and byways flush with palms, bougainvillea, and tropical flowers. This trip explores Old Town Key West through daily walking tours, local cuisine and lecture-discussions on a variety of topics related to the unique character of Key West.

Lane Series Director Natalie Neuert and UVM Music Department Professor Alex Stewart will be guiding the tour of Oaxaca, Mexico, where they will take the group off the tourist path to explore the extraordinary cultural treasures of Oaxaca. The tour will be based in Oaxaca City, home to museums, nearby archeological sites, botanical gardens, and music of many genres from classical, to jazz, to traditional. They will attend formal concerts in venues like the beautiful Teatro Acala, and/or the contemporary Teatro Benito Juarez. During the night, they will hear jazz at the Collectivo Centrale and other hot spots in this city where traditional brass and string bands perform. Other nightlife options include community dancing in the town square or Zócalo, outdoor movies in Spanish and English, and roaming the enchanting colonial city.

For more information on these two OLLI trips, including itinerary and pricing, please call 802-656-3131, visit the OLLI website at learn.uvm.edu/olli, or e-mail uvmolli@uvm.edu.