Historic Bluffton Arts & Seafood Festival, Old Town Bluffton
Oct. 16-23, 2011
A showcase of locally-harvested seafood, cuisine, history, art and Southern hospitality with a boat parade and tours, concerts and performances, kayak tours, book signings, races, Art Around Town, a street festival and much more. www.blufftonartandseafoodfestival.com

Cajun Festival hosted by the Island Rec. Center at Shelter Cove Community Park, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Authentic Cajun food, live music, a Kid’s Zone, Business Expo, Crawfish Eating Contest and more. Proceeds benefit the Rec. Center’s Children’s Scholarship Fund. 39 Shelter Cove Lane. (843) 681-7273 or islandreccenter.org.

12-4 p.m. Sample food from Village restaurants with sidewalk shopping, carnival games, prizes, live music, kid’s fun and games and Jake the Salty Dog. (843) 671-2233 or saltydog.com.

October 13 – 16 & 20 – 23:
Main Street Youth Theatre presents the fractured fairy tale, “Into the Woods” by Stephen Sondheim, at the Hilton Head Island High School Visual & Performing Arts Center. Thurs.-Sat. at 7 p.m.; Sun. at 2 p.m. 70 Wilborn Rd. (843) 689-MAIN (6246) or msyt.org.

Oatland Island Wildlife Center
Wildlife and education programs
711 Sandtown Rd.
Savannah, GA, 31410

(912) 395-1212

Toddler Tuesdays nature and animal programs are held at Tuesday mornings. Click here for more info.

Oatland Island Wildlife Center of Savannah is conveniently
located less than 5 miles from Savannah’s historic district off of Islands
Expressway (President Street).

From I-95 via I-16

From I-95, take the I-16 East exit and follow I-16 until
it ends at Montgomery Street/Downtown Savannah.  Get into the extreme right hand
lane and make a right at the first traffic light onto Liberty Street.  Follow
Street to the sixth traffic light and make a left onto East Broad Street.  At
the second traffic light, make a right onto President Street.  Drive
approximately five miles on President Street.  Oatland Island Wildlife Center of
Savannah will be on the right.

From Hilton Head/Beaufort South Carolina via
Downtown Savannah

Follow US 17 south over the Talmadge Bridge.  Get off at
the Oglethorpe Street exit and follow Oglethorpe.  At the sixth stop light, make
a left onto East Broad Street.  Make an immediate right on President Street.
Drive approximately five miles on President’s Street.  Oatland Island Wildlife
Center of Savannah will be on the right.

From Southside Savannah

Take the Truman Parkway North towards Downtown Savannah.
Take the US 80 east through Thunderbolt, up over the Thunderbolt Bridge and
through Whitemarsh Island.  Make a left onto the Islands Expressway/President
Street just after the Whitemarsh Plaza.  Follow the Islands Expressway/President
Street for 1.3 miles and make a left into Oatland Island Wildlife Center of
Savannah.

From Tybee Island

Follow US 80 West 10 miles through Wilmington/Talahi
Island.  Bear to the right at the split of US 80 and Island Expressway/President
Street.  Oatland Island Wildlife Center of Savannah will be on your left 1.2
miles after the split.

The Island Recreation Association and title sponsor South Carolina Bank & Trust will host the 10th annual Hilton Head Oyster Festival on Fri. Nov. 11, Sat. Nov. 12 & Sun. Nov. 13, 2011. Since it’s the 10th annual, we’re making it a big deal this year by adding Friday night for the first time and having the legendary Bobby Ryder perform from 5 – 8 pm. Saturday and Sunday will be from 11 – 5pm and as usual this all takes place at Shelter Cove Community Park.

Musical line-up includes Bobby Ryder on Friday, Candace Woodson & the Domino Theory Band, the Good Times Band and the Matt Mackelcan Band are just a few of the bands that play Saturday and Sunday.

This family event features oysters and local shrimp from Captain. Woody’s and for those non-oyster lovers, Street Meet is on hand cooking hamburgers & hot dogs. All food is sold separately. Live music and a kid’s zone including moon bounces, carnival games and prizes are on hand for the kids. Thanks to Custom Audio Video, football fans can catch both the NFL and college games at the park.

Don’t forget to check out the Holiday Craft Show and Silent Auction featuring items such as rounds of golf, art from local artisans, and gift certificates from local restaurants are all up for bid.

Admission: $5/per person with children 12 and under being free. All proceeds go to the Island Recreation Association’s Children’s scholarship fund which insures that “no child is denied” our recreation opportunities.

For more information go to www.islandreccenter.org , call the Island Recreation Center at 681-7273 or email info@islandrecccenter.org .

The Junior League of Savannah invites you to attend a debate on women and children’s issues between Savannah’s mayoral candidates: Floyd Adams, Ellis Cook, James Dewberry, Jeff Felser, Edna Jackson, and Regina Thomas. The debate will be on Tues. Oct. 18 at the Coastal Georgia Center, 305 Fahm Street. Doors open at 5:30pm.

This event is sponsored by the Chatham-Savannah Youth Futures Authority, Healthy Savannah, The Junior League of Savannah, Savannah-Chatham Family Violence Council, and Voices for Georgia’s Children. The debate, moderated by Mary Willoughby, will feature candidate discussion from 6-7:30 PM of pre-submitted questions, followed by individual questions from the floor. At 7:30 candidates will be available for press interviews and meet and greet with attendees.

The first Tuesday of each month starting October 4th, Monkey Joe’s will close at 6 pm to allow our family’s with special needs to enjoy a special night of fun and bouncing! Monkey Joe’s will remain open until 8 pm on these nights to allow the families more time to play! For more information, call 912-349-2528!

SouthernMamas.com has now added local Halloween happenings to our Corn Mazes/Pumpkin Patches/Fall Festivals 2011 page. Click here.

Highlights include the ever-popular Halloween Hike at Oatland Is. Wildlife Center; Wag-O-Ween trick or treat with your dog in downtown Savannah; Tricks, Treats & Trains at Georgia State Railroad Museum (Roundhouse Railroad Museum); The Haunted Forest at the Savannah Moose Lodge; several Trunk R’ Treats; and much more.

You can access this list by clicking on this link. Or by clicking on Corn Mazes/Pumpkin Patches at the top of our home page and going to Savannah Halloween Events in the drop-down menu.

A big thank you to SouthernMamas.com reader Lynn Adams for helping compiling this list.

November 6
Open House for Prospective Families
12:30 – 2:30 p.m.
Presentation for all ages at 1 p.m.
WWW.SAINTSCHOOL.COM

October 22
7 – 10 p.m.
Live from St. Andrew’s, It’s Saturday Night
Silent Auction on campus
$30 per person includes dinner
Reservations at www.saintschool.com/auction

Cannon Firings every weekend in October at Old Fort Jackson & Fort Pulaski. Details here.

Guided Birding Walk and Talk – Wormsloe
Oct 9 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Author Joe LaFleur will provide a free audiovisual program and a guided bird walk. The introductory program will help you identify birds by sight and sound and will also review preferred habitats where each species is likely to be encountered. The walk features hands-on identification of migrant and breeding birds in a variety of habitats. Beginners are welcome. Meet at the visitor center theater. $3.50-$6.00 912-353-3023.

Sunday, October 9, 2011 7:00am

At the Battlefield Memorial Park. Free and open to the
public!! Walk in the footsteps of Patriots during the annual memorial service
commemorating the soldiers who fell in the Siege of Savannah, one of the
bloodiest battles of the American Revolution fought on October 9, 1779.
Attendees gather in the Savannah History Museum parking lot. 912.651.0911 x307
West Harris Street Savannah, Georgia 31401

Make It and Take It
This craft program features a seasonal or holiday themed art activity.
Celebrate Halloween with a pumpkin design!
Ages 4 and up.
Bull Street Library, Tuesday, Oct 25, 4:30 p.m.
Islands Library, Thursday, Oct. 27, 4 p.m.
Oglethorpe Mall, Saturday, Oct. 29, 3 p.m.
Port City Library, Tuesday, Oct. 25, 4:30 p.m.
Southwest Chatham Library, Thursday, Oct. 27, 4:30 p.m.
Tybee Library, Friday, Oct. 28, 4 p.m.
West Broad Library, Thursday, Oct 27, 4 p.m.
W. W. Law, Wednesday, Oct 26, 3 p.m.
More info here

Savannah Storyteller Lillian Grant-Baptiste presents storytimes featuring author Virginia Hamilton’s “The People Could Fly,” a moving collection of folktales and stories about slavery and freedom.
Islands Library: Tues., Oct. 4, 4 p.m.
Hinesville Library: Wed., Oct. 5, 4 p.m.
Southwest Chatham Library: Thurs., Oct. 6, 4:30 p.m.
Carnegie Library, Sat., Oct. 8, 4 p.m. (all ages)
Bull Street Library, Tues., Oct. 11, 11 a.m.
Rincon Library, Wed., Oct. 12, 4:30 p.m.
Pooler Library, Thurs., Oct. 13, 4 p.m.
West Broad Library, Fri., Oct. 14, 4 p.m.
Oglethorpe Mall Library, Sat., Oct. 15, 4 p.m.

Integrative Therapies for Breast Cancer
10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, October 8,

You’re invited to breakfast, speakers, and music by violinist Jadde Nolty from the Savannah Philharmonic orchestra. Learn about and sample some of the integrative therapies at the Curtis and Elizabeth Anderson Cancer Institute at Memorial University Medical Center, including chair yoga, acupuncture, massage, reflexology, and guided meditation. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Wendy Partain at 912-350-5903.

For the first time in Sea Pines history, a community garage sale has been organized to benefit the Sea Pines Forest Preserve Foundation.

Linda Dawson, former appraiser for Antiques Roadshow will be present from 10 a.m. to noon doing verbal appraisals for a small donation to the Forest Preserve Foundation.

Boy Scout Troop #245 will be selling a limited breakfast fare, coffee, juice, soft drinks and water with the proceeds going to an Eagle Scout project to benefit Sea Pines and the Forest Preserve Foundation.

The community garage sale is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 15 with a rain date of Oct. 22. The sale will begin at 9 a.m.

Wilmington Island Presbyterian Church Annual Fall Festival
Saturday, October 15th from 11:00 to 2:00
Games, Inflatables, Food, Face Painting, Prizes, Pony Rides
Everything is free of charge
For more info, call church office: 897-1840

The annual Polar Bear Plunge will offer the opportunity to jump into the Atlantic Ocean for a brisk and refreshing way to start the New Year. On Sunday, January 1 at noon, don your favorite costume and gather at the pier on the island’s south end for an invigorating dip.

Tybee for the Holidays is an annual series of events jointly sponsored by the City of Tybee Island, Tybee Island Better Hometown Program, and the Tybee Island Tourism Council. The events attract visitors from across the Southeast and around the country. For more information about Tybee for the Holidays and for a complete schedule of events, please visit www.tybeefortheholidays.com .

This popular annual event features an invigorating New Year’s Day dip in the Atlantic Ocean off Tybee Island, Ga. This year, attendees will attempt to set a new Guinness World Record™ for the “Largest Gathering of People Wearing Swim Caps.” Participants are invited to wear crazy costumes or funny hats as they jump into the waves. All event proceeds benefit the restoration of the Tybee Post Theater on Tybee Island. Participants will receive a 2012 Polar Plunge t-shirt and swim cap with registration. Event sponsors include WRHQ, WJCL/FOX 28, Savannah Morning News, Southern Eagle Distributing, Tybee Island Tourism Council and Kool Coatings..
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Polar Plunge at noon
Tybee Island Pier and Pavilion
Tybrisa St. and Strand Ave.
Tybee Island, Georgia
Visit www.tybeepolarplunge.com or call 912-667-8702
Registration table open at the base of the pier from 9 a.m. to 11:45 am on New Year’s Day COST:$25 per person

New Year’s Eve Fireworks on Saturday, December 31 to ring in 2012 at the stroke of midnight. Enjoy the fireworks display from the pier, the beach or wherever you choose. This year, the Tybee Island Tourism Council will offer a free on-island New Year’s Eve shuttle to help revelers ring in the new year safely.

Tybee for the Holidays is an annual series of events jointly sponsored by the City of Tybee Island, Tybee Island Better Hometown Program, and the Tybee Island Tourism Council. The events attract visitors from across the Southeast and around the country. For more information about Tybee for the Holidays and for a complete schedule of events, please visit www.tybeefortheholidays.com .

The popular Tybee Floating Christmas Parade, which features boats, skiffs and yachts decorated in their holiday finery, departs from the dock at the Crab Shack on Saturday, December 10 at 7:15 p.m. Don’t miss all the fun!

Tybee for the Holidays is an annual series of events jointly sponsored by the City of Tybee Island, Tybee Island Better Hometown Program, and the Tybee Island Tourism Council. The events attract visitors from across the Southeast and around the country. For more information about Tybee for the Holidays and for a complete schedule of events, please visit www.tybeefortheholidays.com .

For kid-friendly holiday activities happening in Savannah & the Lowcountry, visit the SouthernMamas.com Holiday Guide here.

The Tybee Island Christmas Parade kicks off Saturday, December 3 at 1 p.m., running from the 14th Street parking lot to the YMCA on 5th Street. Get into the holiday spirit at this old-fashioned Christmas parade filled with the spirit of the season.

For more kid-friendly holiday activities happening in Savannah & the Lowcountry, visit the SouthernMamas.com Holiday Guide here.

Izo the Snowman Will Make a Special Appearance at the Tybee Island Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 3. Come out and take your picture with Izo the traveling snowman at the Tybee Gym located at the Tybee Island YMCA at 5th Street. Izo will ride on The Crab Shack’s float in the Tybee Island Christmas Parade. Visitors are encouraged to take pictures with Izo following the parade at the Tybee Gym and to post photos to his photo album on Facebook and Twitter.

Izo, a snowman who has traveled to Georgia in search of a more temperate climate and authentic holiday experiences. Izo is visiting holiday events, festivals and destinations across the state through January 8, 2012. Izo is sharing his experiences via www.facebook.com/exploregeorgia  and www.twitter.com/exploregeorgia .

“Izo Explores Georgia” is an opportunity for the state’s tourism office to promote Georgia holiday special offers, festivals and events via the state’s social media channels and www.ExploreGeorgia.org. The campaign encourages visitors and locals to “follow” Izo as he travels across Georgia.

The Tybee Island Christmas Parade kicks off on Saturday, December 3 at 1 p.m.

The Tybee Island Christmas Parade begins at the 14th Street Parking Lot and travels up Tybrisa, runs along Butler Avenue and ends at the YMCA on 5th Street. Izo will be available for photos following the parade at the Tybee Gym located at the Tybee Island YMCA at 204 5th Street.

Tybee for the Holidays is an annual series of events jointly sponsored by the City of Tybee Island, Tybee Island Better Hometown Program, and the Tybee Island Tourism Council. The events attract visitors from across the Southeast and around the country. For more information about Tybee for the Holidays and for a complete schedule of events, please visit www.tybeefortheholidays.com.

The Lights On for Tybee Celebration begins on Friday, December 2 at 6:30 p.m., when Mayor Jason Buelterman lights the Christmas tree at the Tybrisa/Strand Roundabout on the east end of the street.

The evening will include variety of entertainment, extended store hours and special offers and complimentary refreshments at locations throughout downtown Tybee Island. Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus will also make a special appearance at this much-loved event.

Tybee for the Holidays is an annual series of events jointly sponsored by the City of Tybee Island, Tybee Island Better Hometown Program, and the Tybee Island Tourism Council. The events attract visitors from across the Southeast and around the country. For more information about Tybee for the Holidays and for a complete schedule of events, please visit www.tybeefortheholidays.com.