Savannah & Golden Isles Attractions
Savannah & Golden Isles Attractions
 | 4-H Tidelands Nature Center 100 South Riverview Drive Jekyll Island, GA • 912-635-5032 This nature center, connected to the nationwide 4H program, provides kayaks tours of Jekyll Island through its tidal marshes and rivers, canoe trips on Rixen Pond, and nature walks along the islands beaches, forests and marshes. The center's exhibit area gives kids hands-on learning experiences with its touch tanks. Kids will meet sea turtles, crabs, snakes, alligators and other wildlife native to Georgia. Best For: Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace 10 East Oglethorpe Avenue Savannah, GA • 912-233-4502 For all your Girl Scouts, visit the birthplace of its founder. Built in 1820, the home was restored and furnished to depict the 1870s, when Gordon Low resided here. The site was named Savannah's first National Historic Landmark in 1965. Best For: Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum 175 Bourne Avenue Savannah, GA • 912-748-8888 Aviation-loving kids, such as my son, adore this Air Force Museum, built original to honor World War II veterans. The 90,000 square foot museum features authentic war regalia and a fleet of restored aircraft used in battle, including a B-17 Bomber. Best For: Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | Neptune Park Fun Zone 550 Beachview Drive St. Simons Island, GA • 912-279-2836 Newly opened in 2009, the village of St. Simons offers a city pool and playground that is packed from Memorial Day weekend through the summer season. Besides the lifeguard-monitored pool, the fun zone include an 18-hole miniature golf course, concession stand, and playground, all in the shadow of the lighthouse and overlooking the ocean and neighboring Jekyll Island. The pool is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and 1 to 7 p.m. on Sundays, seasonally. Daily passes are $7. Best For: Tots (0-2)•Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12) |
 | Oatland Island Educational Center 711 Sandtown Road Savannah, GA • 912-395-1212 Between the city of Savannah and Tybee Island awaits a wildlife center featuring animals like alligators, Eastern timber wolves, Florida panthers and more in a natural habitat. A "native animal trail" winds through the area's salt marsh, wetlands and forest. Best For: Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | Roundhouse Railroad Museum 601 West Harris Street Savannah, GA • 912-651-6823 And for those children who love trains, future engineers will enjoy Savannah's railroad museum. Steam engines and model trains are on display daily, and train rides are available seasonally. Best For: Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | Sea Island Beach Club Sea Island, GA For families visiting Sea Island, this will be home base. Located right on a five-mile stretch of beach, the Beach Club is also home to two large family pools, and adult pool, a playground, a beachside restaurant, a candy shop, and old-fashioned ice cream parlor, bike rentals, a movie theater (showing G-rated films at 4 and PG-rated films at 7:30) and the resort's kids' club called The Meeting Place. At the kids club, children 3 to 12 are divided up by age groups for daily activities in a supervised, camp-like environment. Best For: Tots (0-2)•Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | St. Simons Lighthouse 610 Beachview Drive St. Simon Island, GA • 912-638-4666 Smaller than Tybee Island's lighthouse, the 129-step climb is still enough of a workout worthy of it's seaside views. The 75-foot lighthouse and its museum, once the home of the light keepers family, is available for daily tours. However, this is not the site's original lighthouse, which was destroyed during the Civil War by the Confederates to prevent it being used by the Union soldiers. This lighthouse was constructed in the late 1800s, and the Victorian-style home was a residence from 1872 until 1950, when the lighthouse became automated. $8 adults; $4 children 6 to 11; free children under 6. Best For: Tots (0-2)•Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | Summer Waves Water Park 210 South Riverview Drive Jekyll Island, GA • 912-635-2074 When the beach and hotel pool aren't enough, head over to Summer Waves, an 11-acre water park featuring six water slides, a lazy river, a wave pool, a splash zone and a kiddie area. The park is open seasonally in the summer months, with discounts for visits after 3 and 4 p.m., two-day tickets, and groups. Children 3 and under are free, but must be wearing an approved swim diaper. Best For: Tots (0-2)•Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | Tybee Lighthouse and Museum Tybee Island, GA • 912-786-5801 Georgia's oldest lighthouse is also it's tallest, with climbers taking 178 steps to reach the top. Built in 1736, the lighthouse welcomes ships into the Savannah River. Its museum, built in 1897, served as a coastal artillery battery and is now open 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Adults are $6; children $5.50. If you're not in the mood to climb, you can walk around the white-picketed grounds for free. Best For: Tots (0-2)•Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
Read more about Savannah & Golden Isles Resorts Read more about Savannah & Golden Isles Family Vacations
© Copyright 2012. The Independent Traveler, Inc.
All rights reserved. This file may be downloaded for personal
use only. Other copying or reproduction is expressly prohibited.
All rights reserved. This file may be downloaded for personal
use only. Other copying or reproduction is expressly prohibited.
- Independent Traveler independenttraveler.com
- Cruise Critic cruisecritic.com
-
FREE Family Travel Newsletter -
Family Travel Tips (10 New)
– Family Planning and Tips
Sure, free drinks and complimentary Wi-Fi rank high on the lists of most desirable hotel perks among travelers in general, but when it comes to visiting with kids in tow, which hotel amenities are most revered by families? From onsite airline check-in to in-room babysitting and kid concierges, con...
Favorite family biking locales in North America combine stunning scenery with a relatively easy grid of bike trails and uncongested backcountry roads. All of these locales offer exhilarating rides, guaranteed to inspire all ages to travel on two wheels. Many of the cities on the list, like San Anton...
1. Celebrate a Historic Anniversary. Boston's historic Fenway Park celebrates its 100th anniversary this year -- the perfect time to take in a ballgame while enjoying the history of America throughout the city. Give your school-aged children an up-close and personal history lesson by visiting some ...
The unofficial start to summer is nearly here, and this May 25 to 28 weekend is filled with enticing deals for families. Get out there and start your summer!
Broadmoor Resort, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Escape to the Colorado mountains for a two-night Memorial Day Family Escape at the Broadmoor. ...
There are few rites of passage as exciting as taking a child on his or her first camping trip. Families bond while roasting hot dogs and marshmallows, making shadow animals on the tent wall, chasing after fireflies and inhaling fragrant whiffs of pine. Whether you are an experienced camper from pre-...
1. The National Mall
There's no question that the National Mall, the two-mile strip of wide-open green stretching between the Lincoln Memorial and the U.S. Capitol and surrounded by Smithsonian museums and national monuments, is a must-see destination for kids. "The Mall," chock full of our nation'...
1. gogo Kidz Travelmate
If you're traveling with a child weighing less than 50 pounds, you won't want to leave home without this ingenious contraption that in seconds lets parents convert most car seats into a stroller. With the gogo Kidz Travelmate, there's no more lugging both a heavy car seat ...
On a recent ski vacation, my family of five traveled with five cellphones, three laptops, three iPads, two iPods and just for good measure, a GPS! Given the prevalence of electronic devices in our daily lives and our somewhat compulsive reliance upon them, taking a true vacation feels almost imposs...
The 1969 film, "If It's Tuesday, This Must be Belgium," depicted a funny, but sometimes all too true, look at a tour group of Americans traveling through Europe so quickly they barely knew where they were and what they were seeing.
Today, tour groups are quickly becoming an attractive option for ...
When you think of an all-inclusive vacation, your mind goes straight to the Caribbean, doesn't it? But you don't need to leave the country to get an all-in-one vacation -- resorts in the U.S. also provide all-inclusive getaways with accommodations, meals, and activities all packaged in one easy pric...