Coming soon to Savannah: a new indoor playground and birthday spot.

Monkey Joe’s – which offers bouncing, sliding, and jumping fun for kids 12 years-old and younger – will open a Savannah location at 309 Eisenhower Drive next to Dr. Ramon Ramos’ office.

The exact opening date is not confirmed yet, but a spokesperson said the estimated opening time is the end of September/early October.

Monkey Joe’s features an inflatable play center including inflatable slides, jumps, and obstacle courses where kids can bounce, jump, slide, and have fun. Kids 3 years-old and younger have their own play area.

Read more here.

Wanted: volunteers to help transform a vacant plot into a Pooler community-built park.

The aim is to build a 17,000-square-foot park that is the largest and most unique playground in the area, custom-designed by children and built entirely through volunteer efforts.

The West Chatham YMCA in Pooler donated the land adjacent to Pooler Parkway between the YMCA and the new Pooler Recreation Park.

Volunteers will be needed to do most of the work – organization, fundraising, procurement and volunteer recruitment, even meal preparation and child care for the workers. Design, drafting, project management and construction supervision will be left to playground developers Leathers and Associates of New York.

The estimated $500,000 project will be funded in part by donations and fundraisers.

The proposed playground will be free and open to everyone, providing play opportunities for children of all abilities.

For more info, click here or call (912) 748-9622.

Harbour Town treehouse

The playground in Sea Pines definitely ranks as one of the best in the Lowcountry. It has it all, including shade and benches for mom and dad. Other features include: a treehouse complete with steering wheel; tire swing; regular swings and baby swings; numerous slides; motorcycle rocking horse (pictured above); wooden bridge (pictured above); lots of climbing bars, jungle gym bars, monkey bars, parallel bars; a balance beam; tic-tac-toe board; and terrific live oak tree that’s ideal for climbing.

Just outside the fenced-playground is a water fountain; picnic table; bathrooms; and plenty of spots for lunch, drinks or coffee. Cost is the $5 Sea Pines gate fee.

Don’t forget your children’s swimsuits next time you hit Hull Park.

The FREE spray pools are open at various Savannah parks including Hull Park at 55th Street and Atlantic Avenue in Ardsley Park and Forsyth Park at Drayton and Hall streets.

The pools, a chance for kids to play in cool water under adult supervision, are open 10 AM-2 PM Mon-Fri until Aug. 14.

The Hull Park fountain is also open 10 AM-3 PM Saturdays. For more info, click here.

SouthernMamas is always telling you about free or low-cost Savannah area children’s activities.

Especially when it comes to finding fun, inexpensive ways to enjoy your summer staycation in Savannah with the kids.

But not until now did we have all those low-cost children’s summer activities in one place. Check out our new page entitled Low-cost Savannah summer kids’ activities. Check it out here.
Let us know what events you love or which ones need improving by sharing your comments.

Thanks to Lynn Adams for compiling this list.

Have a great SouthernMamas summer.

The u-pick blackberry field is now open @ the Bamboo Farm and Coastal Gardens.

Cost is $3 per pound.  9 am-4 pm (or until picked out for the day)  Mon-Sat.

Call ahead to make sure the field is open. 912.921.5497. The field can be picked out quickly at the beginning and end of the season.

More information can also be found here.

OK, so the annual free summer concerts in Savannah’s city squares don’t actually include children’s music.
But the live concerts are a fun way to expose your kids to some of Savannah’s finest musicians.

Sixteen concerts are planned from this Wed. June 3 through July 31. Concerts are @ 11:30 AM on Wednesdays and Fridays and will alternate between Johnson and Wright Squares.

The concert series is being produced by the New Arts Ensembles (NAE), a Savannah-based group that showcases some of the region’s finest musicians.

The series kicks off on this Wed. June 3 with modern jazz group Silver Lining in Johnson Square.

Concerts are free and open to the public.
For more, 912-651-6417 or click here.

2009 Summer Concerts in the Squares Schedule

June 3, 2009: Silver Lining in Johnson Square (Modern jazz)
June 5, 2009: Roger Moss with Eric Jones in Johnson Square (Mercer standards)
June 10, 2009: The Jimmy Wolling Band in Wright Square (bluegrass)
June 12, 2009: Gina René Quartet in Wright Square (Jazz)
June 17, 2009: Claire Frazier in Johnson Square (Jazz)
June 19, 2009: Doug Carn and Marielouise in Johnson Square (Jazz)
June 24, 2009: Claire Frazier in Wright Square (Jazz)
June 26, 2009 Bottles ‘n Cans in Wright Square (Blues)
July 8, 2009: Silver Lining in Johnson Square (modern jazz)
July 10, 2009: The Jimmy Wolling Band in Johnson Square (bluegrass)
July 15, 2009: Lolintar Trio in Wright Square (Latin Jazz)
July 17, 2009: Bottles ‘n Cans in Wright Square (Blues)
July 22, 2009: Roger Moss with Eric Jones in Johnson Square (Mercer standards)
July 24, 2009: Gina René Quartet in Johnson Square (Jazz)
July 29, 2009: Lolintar Trio in Wright Square (Latin Jazz)
July 31, 2009: Doug Carn and Marielouise in Wright Square (Jazz)

Add this to this week’s kids events we highlighted in your weekly SouthernMamas newsletter (If you didn’t receive yours, email anne@southernmamas.com): crafts and coastal reptiles @ Skidaway Island State Park on Fri. Sept. 5.
2 pm: crafts and critters bags @ the park’s interpretive center.
4 pm: coastal reptiles. Learn all about them. See live ones. Bring your camera for pictures.
8:30 pm: sensory awareness night hike. Learn about different creatures that come out at night and awaken your senses with experiments on this hike.
For more info, call 912.598.2300. For driving directions, click here.

Looking for a little diversion from the pool?

Kids can cool off for free in the popular splash fountains @ Hull Park , the diamond-shaped green spot smack in the center of Ardsley Park. The kid-friendly fountains are in the concrete amphitheater near the baseball diamond. The only drawback is hitting the park at the right time when the fountains are on. There doesn’t seem to be a set schedule. Best bet is 10:30ish to lunchtime.

The park bisects Atlantic Ave. @ 55th Street. There’s also a playground, complete with an unusual find these days, a merry-go round. But be prepared, there’s not much shade other than a picnic pavilion – which makes the splash fountain much more appealing this time of year.