SCAD Museum of Art in Savannah has reopened to the public.

SCAD MOA is now open Thursday-Sunday with five new exceptional exhibitions.

Find tickets and more information about exhibitions, hours, and new safety procedures at scadmoa.org

Children younger than 14 are free.

The SCAD Museum of Art offers a unique experience for study and discovery. With checklists, lesson plans, visual aids and more, these educational guides provide information for teachers and parents to prepare themselves and students for learning opportunities at the museum and the Walter O. Evans Center for African-American Studies.

The SCAD Museum of Art is housed in an 1853 brick structure that was once a railway depot for the Central of Georgia Railway.

SCAD Museum of Art
601 Turner Blvd.
Savannah, GA

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Savannah Children’s Museum will reopen Thursdays through Saturdays, 9:30AM to 2:30PM, beginning Thurs. Sept. 24 2020.

Daily programming will be offered in addition to a special bottle rocket program at noon every day Thursday-Saturday. Please note that Savannah Children’s Museum is an outdoor site and closes during adverse weather conditions.

For the safety of all staff and guests, SCM follows social distancing protocols and will implement enhanced sanitizing procedures. Visitors are asked to adhere to the City of Savannah Government, Chatham County, Georgia Government and CDC mask regulations and recommendations.

Savannah Children’s Museum is also available for private bookings including birthday parties, field trips and homeschool groups Sunday through Wednesday and its Mobile Museum programs can be brought to your location any day of the week. Please contact Megan Alstad for more information at malstad@chsgeorgia.org

Savannah Children’s Museum admission is free for Coastal Heritage Society members and $8 per person aged 18 months and older. Find info on how to beome a member here.

Savannah Children’s Museum
655 Louisville Rd.
Savannah, GA 31401

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Fort Pulaski National Monument in Savannah has reopened.

The national monument has moved into Phase 2 of its Adaptive Recovery Operations and historic Fort Pulaski has reopened.

The fort will be open during regular park hours from 10AM-4PM. (The park is open for visitors 9AM-5PM). Interpretive programs are not being offered at this time. Staff will be available for visitor information.

Fort Pulaski, island trails, parking lots, and visitor center restrooms are open. The visitor center, and the north shoreline, Lighthouse Overlook Trail are closed.

Construction projects have closed the Lighthouse Overlook Trail and will limit access to the historic fort. Historic Fort Pulaski may not be accessible to everyone with mobility issues.

Find more information here.

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FREE ADMISSION DAYS 

Fort Pulaski National Monument is free on the these days in 2020:

Sat. Sept. 26 – National Public Lands Day
Wed. Nov. 11 – Veterans Day

Fort Pulaski National Monument is located on U.S. Highway 80, 15 miles east of Savannah. For more information, please visit the park website at www.nps.gov/FortPulaski or call (912) 786-5787.

Cut & Paste FREE Family Weekend @ Telfair Square, Savannah, Sept. 18-20

This weekend (Sept. 18-20 2020) Telfair Museums presents a three-day weekend of free admission for Savannah and Chatham County families to enjoy the exhibition ‘Cut and Paste: Works of Paper’ and provide fun, informal learning experiences.

Free admission for Savannah & Chatham Co. residents is spread out over three days during standard operating hours to allow for social distancing. Face coverings are required for the duration of your visit.

From 10AM-5PM Friday through Sunday, all Savannah and Chatham County residents will receive free admission to the large contemporary art space on the southwest corner of Telfair Square. Face masks are required. For more on Telfair’s safety procedures, visit telfair.org/hours-admission. Proof of residency required. Find a list if acceptable forms of ID here. 

Telfair Square in front of the Jepson Center @ Telfair Museums
207 W. York St.
Savannah GA 31401
Learn more here. 

Visitors to the Free Family Weekend are invited to tour current exhibitions and explore art activities led by Telfair’s education team.

From 2-4PM Saturday and Sunday, Savannah artist Amiri Farris, who is featured in the Telfair exhibition Breakout!, will provide live, distanced demonstrations of his process for works on paper.

A limited number of free art kits also will be distributed during the three-day period.

Exhibitions currently on view include Cut and Paste: Works of Paper, a special exhibition of paper works by Georgia artists, and Collecting Impressionism: Telfair’s Modern Vision, a sweeping survey of some of the museum’s most important paintings, as well as several other offerings.

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Major photography exhibition set to open

Also on view at the Jepson Center starting Sept. 18 will be a new photo exhibition featuring some of the most prominent names in 20th-century American photography, including Gordon Parks, Helen Levitt, and Bruce Davidson. Youthful Adventures: Growing Up in Photography considers the experience and expression of youth from the 1940s to the present.

Among the featured images will be several by the celebrated American photographer Davidson, which Telfair acquired in 2018 as part of a group of 347 of his works.

Telfair also is offering a free virtual opening lecture for Youthful Adventures at 6PM Sept. 17. Those interested can register for the lecture at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_shFxHllMTPemwZAWg7lBwA.

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As we wait for Fort Pulaski National Monument in Savannah to fully reopen (trails are open, visitor center and fort are closed),  here are some daytrips you can take to national monuments, sites that are open including:

*Fort Sumter National Monument, Charleston, S.C.
*Cumberland Island National Seashore, Ga.
*Fort Frederica National Monument, St. Simons Island.
*Congaree National Park, near Columbia, SC

Your kids can become a Junior Ranger 

Take advantage of the fact that we live within a day’s drive of multiple national parks & monuments & have your kids become a junior ranger at one or many of these sites.

When you take kids to tour national parks, you never know how much they are getting out of the visit. Especially for those of us parents who aren’t exactly history experts.

Which is why you need to pick up the Junior Ranger booklets at the visitor centers of national parks you visit. The Junior Ranger program kids engage more during the visits.

Junior Ranger booklets have activities about the national parks for ages 5-12. Junior ranger books are free to any visitor and usually are available at the visitors’ centers. Often, similar programs with more advanced activities are also available for older kids. Just ask at the site’s visitor center.

While doing the activities, children enjoy earning a badge and a certificate.

FREE Family Weekends 2020 @ Telfair Museums, Savannah

September 2020

Cut and Paste Free Family Weekend
Sept. 18 at 10AM–Sept. 20 at 5PM
@ Jepson Center
Telfair presents a three-day weekend of free admission to the Jepson Center for Savannah and Chatham County families to enjoy the exhibition Cut and Paste: Works of Paper and provide fun, informal learning experiences. Free admission to the Jepson Center is spread out over three days during standard operating hours to allow for social distancing.

Learn more here.

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November 2020

Impressionism Free Family Weekend
Nov. 13 at 10AM–Nov. 15 at 5PM
@ Jepson Center
Families can explore Telfair’s beloved collection of impressionist art in a new light at the Jepson Center in this weekend of free admission for Savannah and Chatham County residents. Family Activity Kits include scavenger hunts in the museum galleries along with at-home art making kits. Family Weekends are free of admission to the Jepson Center only for City of Savannah and Chatham County residents. Investment is provided by the City of Savannah.

Learn more here.

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Three of Coastal Heritage Society’s museums in Savannah will be open for Labor Day on Mon. Sept. 7 2020 from 9AM-5PM.

Guests can enjoy interactive exhibits and engaging tours at each site through hands-on, immersive activities that illustrate the narratives of Savannah’s past at Savannah History Museum, Georgia State Railroad Museum and Old Fort Jackson.

On Mon. Sept. 7 only, residents of Chatham, Effingham, Bryan and Liberty Counties will receive a special rate of Buy One, Get One free for site admission.

Georgia State Railroad Museum and Old Fort Jackson – both in Savannah – are both large, open-air historic sites with plenty of space for safe social distancing.

For the safety of all staff and guests, these facilities will be observing social distancing protocols and implementing enhanced sanitizing procedures. Due to the City of Savannah and Chatham County mandates, guest are required guests to wear masks and adhere to public health safety protocols at all of these sites.

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Massie Heritage Center in Savannah will reopen to the public this week with proper COVID-19 prevention and safety measures.

Please visit and stay safe. Learn more about Massie Heritage Center here.

Attention Beaufort County students and families:

To support those families with children in grades K-4th, the Sandbox Children’s Museum new museum program is designed with you in mind.

In small multi-age pods with strict health and safety guidelines, students will not only have support for virtual lessons, but also access to staff-led hand-on enrichment activities in S.T.E.M. literacy, art, and movement, and free play in the museum. Children will also have free play in the museum during the day.

The new program for children in grades K-4th is at both the Hilton Head and Bluffton Sandbox locations.

Find more information and registration forms online here. Or email the Sandbox through the Contact Us tab.

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Cannon firings programs return to Old Fort Jackson in Savannah, 11AM & 2PM Wednesdays through Sundays, with additional programs throughout the day.

Old Fort Jackson
1 Fort Jackson Rd
Savannah, GA 31404
Find admission costs here. 

About Old Fort Jackson

Old Fort Jackson celebrated its bicentennial in May 2008, making it the oldest standing brick fortification in Georgia! A National Historic Landmark, the fort is one of only eight Second System fortifications (a series of forts built prior to the War of 1812) still standing in the United States. Join thousands of visitors who enjoy the fort every year, and experience military exhibits, daily cannon firing demonstrations during the summer, and a serene environment with a great view of the Savannah River.

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Coastal Heritage Society in Savannah is now offering new single-family birthday parties as a safe birthday party alternative at Savannah Children’s Museum.

Your party will be hosted outdoors only and include extra cleaning procedures. Parties will be limited to 25 people. All of Coastal Heritage Society’s amazingly fun themes are available starting at $225. Contact lbooth@chsgeorgia.org for more information.

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Make Your Own Slime – RSVP Required
Port Royal Sound Foundation
310 Okatie Hwy.
Okatie, SC 29909
Saturdays in August 2020, 9-10AM

DUE TO COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS, YOU MUST CALL 843-645-7774 to TO REGISTER FOR THIS PROGRAM – LIMITED SPACE AVAILABLE.
$5 per participant; age 5 & younger FREE
Learn how to make slime during Saturdays in August 2020, 9-10AM @ Port Royal Sound Foundation
Bring your own container to take your slime home. All ages are welcome – children must be accompanied by an adult.
COVID-19 Precautions:
– A cloth mask or other face covering is required while on our campus (ages 3+). All PRSF staff will also be wearing a mask.
– The number of participants will be limited in all programs in order to maintain social distancing, so please RSVP!
– All ages welcome, children must be accompanied by an adult.

Learn more here or call 843-645-7774.

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Exploring Insects, RSVP required
Port Royal Sound Foundation
310 Okatie Hwy.
Okatie, SC 29909
Tuesday Aug. 4 & 18 in August 2020, 10-11AM

DUE TO COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS, YOU MUST CALL 843-645-7774 TO REGISTER FOR THIS PROGRAM – LIMITED SPACE AVAILABLE.
$5 per participant; age 5 & under FREE
Explore the life of insects by seeing what we can catch! All ages welcome – children must be accompanied by an adult. This is an outside activity so please bring a water bottle, sunscreen and sunglasses.
COVID-19 Precautions:
– A cloth mask or other face covering is required while on our campus (ages 3+). All PRSF staff will also be wearing a mask.
– The number of participants will be limited in all programs in order to maintain social distancing, so please RSVP!
– All ages welcome, children must be accompanied by an adult

Learn more here or call 843-645-7774.

The Sandbox Children’s Museum, both locations, are open with reduced occupancy, online ticketing and reservations, and increased cleaning procedures!

For your health and safety, all guests age 3 years and older wear masks.

The Sandbox Children’s Museum is also holding their summer camps with small groups in a private setting. Are you interested in a private playdate with close friends? Call the museum for more information. Bluffton 843-705-6235, Hilton Head 843-842-7645

The Sandbox
18A Pope Ave.
Hilton Head Island, S.C. 29928

The Sandbox at Tanger 2
1414 Fording Island Rd, Suite E-180
Bluffton, SC 29910

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Coastal Heritage Society Railroad Operations’has blacksmithing demos inside the historic Blacksmith Shop at Georgia State Railroad Museum.

Come out and see. Georgia State Railroad Museum and Old Fort Jackson are open 9AM-5PM, Wednesday-Sunday.

Book your ticket in advance online at www.chsgeorgia.org

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The Sandbox Children’s Museum, both locations, are open with reduced occupancy, online ticketing and reservations, and increased cleaning procedures!

For your health and safety, all guests age 3 years and older wear masks.

The Sandbox Children’s Museum is also holding their summer camps with small groups in a private setting. Are you interested in a private playdate with close friends? Call the museum for more information. Bluffton 843-705-6235, Hilton Head 843-842-7645

The Sandbox
18A Pope Ave.
Hilton Head Island, S.C. 29928

The Sandbox at Tanger 2
1414 Fording Island Rd, Suite E-180
Bluffton, SC 29910

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FREE Savannah Families Weekend
July 17–July 19 2020
Jepson Center in Savannah

Explore Juneteenth connections and current exhibitions at the Jepson Center with an extended period of free admission for City of Savannah residents during regular hours during this three-day period. In lieu of the museum’s Free Family Day, the museum will expand free admission to the Jepson Center over a three-day weekend to allow for smaller numbers and social distancing. Family Art Activity Packets with suggested activities for the museum visit and at-home art making are available for pickup in the Jepson Center lobby during this period.

Please note: This program applies to the Jepson Center only.

The museum may have limited capacity at peak hours due to social distancing measures. Presented thanks to investment provided by the City of Savannah.

Learn more here.

Jepson Center
207 W. York St.
Savannah, GA 31401

Savannah Families Free Weekend @ Telfair Museums Jepson Center
July 17–19 2020
Free and open to residents of Chatham County

Explore Juneteenth connections at the Jepson Center  in Savannah with an extended period of free admission for City of Savannah residents during regular hours during this three-day period. Art Activity Packets with family activities for the museum visit and at home art making are available for pickup in the Jepson Center lobby during this period.

Jepson Center
207 W. York St.
Savannah, GA 31401

Georgia State Railroad Museum in Savannah will now be open Wednesday through Sunday from 9 am to 5 pm, beginning Thurs. July 9 2020. Guided tours, blacksmithing and limited turntable demo/switching demos will resume.

For the safety of all staff and guests, the museum will be observing:
*Social distancing protocols
*Implementing enhanced sanitizing procedures.
*Changes to the exhibit flow and daily programming for guest safety.
*All persons entering the museum must wear a face covering or mask, per the emergency order issued June 30, 2020 by the Mayor of the City of Savannah. Any person who is unable to safely wear a face covering due to age, an underlying health condition or is unable to remove the face covering without assistance of others is exempt from this order. For more information about Savannah’s Face Covering order, please visit www.savannahga.gov.

Capacity will be limited to 30 guests at a time every half an hour, first come, first served, so please call ahead to check availability. Visitors can purchase tickets in advance online here or on-site at Georgia State Railroad Museum.

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On Fourth of July 2020, Old Fort Jackson in Savannah will host many Revolutionary War themed activities for a “A Family Fourth” event.

There will be a range of family-friendly activities throughout the entire weekend, July 3 through July 5.

Old Fort Jackson’s 4th of July programming will focus on Savannah’s Revolutionary War history, featuring cannon firing programs, musket firing demonstrations, and readings of historic documents. Come and celebrate America’s birthday at Georgia’s oldest brick fort.

All “A Family Fourth” activities are included in the price of Old Fort Jackson museum admission and are free for Coastal Heritage Society members.

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Telfair Museums in Savannah has a brand new schedule of in-person and virtual camps for Summer 2020, completely redesigned to ensure social distancing and health and safety protocols while providing engaging, fun, and educational experiences for young people.

Space is limited. Register online here as soon as possible.

In-Person Camps @ Jepson Center 

Digital Photography Camp
June 29 – July 3 (Ages 10-12 years)
July 6 – 10 (Ages 13-16 years)

Summer Art Club! Painting and Drawing Camps
July 13 – 17 (Ages 9-12 years)
July 20 – 24 (Ages 12-14 years)
July 27 – 31 (Ages 9-12 years)
August 3 – 7 (Ages 12-14 years)

Parent-Child Art Club: Afternoon Adventures in Art
(Ages pre-K – 8 years, and parents or caregivers)
June 29-August 3

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NEW! Virtual Camps & Youth Classes

Virtual Art with the Pros Class
(Ages 6-10 years)
June 29 – August 3

Virtual Video Game Camp
July 6-10 (Ages 12-14 years)

Virtual Crafters’ Class/Crafting with S.T.E.A.M.
June 29- August 3 (Ages 8-12 years)

Register online here

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Savannah History Museum will now be open Wednesday through Sunday from 9 am to 5 pm, beginning this Wed. June 24 2020.

For the safety of all staff and guests, we will be observing:

*Social distancing protocols

*Implementing enhanced sanitizing procedures.

*Changes to the exhibit flow and daily programming for guest safety.

Guests are strongly encouraged to wear masks and adhere to public health safety notices.

Museum staff will be also limiting capacity to 30 guests at a time every half an hour, first come, first served, so please call ahead to check availability. Visitors can purchase tickets online here or on-site at Savannah History Museum.

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FIND MORE SAVANNAH-AREA PLACES THAT HAVE REOPENED IN OUR EVENTS CALENDAR HERE. 

The trails @ Fort Pulaski National Monument near Savannah are open, but Historic Fort Pulaski and the visitor center remain closed due to COVID-19.

Following national, state and local guidance, Fort Pulaski National Monument is increasing recreational access to Cockspur Island.

Fort Pulaski National Monument has reopened access to:
• Fort Pulaski parking lots, trails, and restrooms, 9AM-5PM
In addition, the following spaces continue to be available:
• Lazaretto Creek Area
• McQueen’s Island areas of the park

With public health in mind, the following facilities remain closed to the public at this time:
• Visitor Center
• Historic Fort Pulaski
• Savannah River North Shoreline

Park entrance fees at Fort Pulaski National Monument will be charged. Credit and debit cards are the preferred method of payment. You can also pay your entrance online and in advance here.

Details and updates on park operations will continue to be posted at www.nps.gov/FortPulaski and social media

Telfair Museums in downtown Savannah will reopen its three sites—the Telfair Academy, the Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters, and the Jepson Center for the Arts—beginning Fri. June 26 2020. The three museums closed to the public in mid March because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The museums, which share a single $20 admission fee, will be open 10AM-5PM Thursdays-Mondays. During the initial reopening phase, they will be closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

The museums have implemented a number of new health initiatives for visitors and staff, including social distancing, regular deep cleanings, hand sanitizer, plexiglass, face masks, and reduced-contact admissions procedures. In particular, the Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters, a National Historic Landmark, will have family-sized tour groups and a new audio component to help ensure the safety of guests on the 200-year-old property.

To celebrate the museums’ reopening and give back to the public, Telfair is offering a new Free Family Weekend from Friday, July 17-Sunday, July 19, with free admission to all Savannah and Chatham County residents in partnership with the City of Savannah.

Telfair Museums reopening highlights
Reopening date: Fri. June 26 2020
New hours: 10AM-5PM Thursday-Sunday; closed Tuesday-Wednesday
Admission: $20 to visit all three sites; see telfair.org/hours-admission for special pricing and safety information.

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Savannah fabric artist Jessica Pope started making facial masks for the Savannah community during the COVID-19 pandemic because she had to do something to help and keep herself calm.

With her partner Trae Gurley, Pope currently runs Savannah-based company Buck and Doe, which specializes in unique personal and home accessories. Their most popular products are handcrafted, brightly patterned bowties featuring quirky scenes. So when coronavirus began, shifting her focus to sewing whimsical fabric face masks was a natural transition. Pope started making the masks for the Savannah community, but it quickly became a national effort.

“We have made a little over 1,000 masks and have requests for 1,000 more and growing every day,” Pope said in a Telfair Museums media release.

Pope has had a lot of help meeting that demand her 86-year-old grandmother, Mariella of Eagle Idaho, who has now cut over 2,000 masks.

In 2019, Pope’s work was featured as part of Telfair Museums’ Boxed In/Break Out project showcasing local artists. Her installation Folklore, consisting of six large-scale paper quilts centered around repurposed Kodachrome slides, was shown in the Jepson Center’s exterior windows. Now the artist and the museum are partnering again.

In addition to commissioning 30 of Pope’s masks to protect frontline employees when Telfair reopens, the museum will sell Pope’s wares in the Jepson Center gift shop. In its support of local initiatives during the pandemic, the museum also has ordered hand sanitizer locally from Ghost Coast Distillery on Indian Street and is exploring more ways to collaborate with other businesses and artists.

Learn more about Buck and Doe masks here.

Learn more about Telfair Museums and its virtual offerings during the pandemic closure here.

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