7 Exciting Adventures For Kids In Savannah

With its beautiful, Spanish moss–draped trees, graceful city squares and cobblestone streets, Savannah, Georgia, often tops lists of the most romantic cities in America. It has everything most travelers seek: a beautiful riverfront, great restaurants and shopping, and historic appeal, making it a draw for visitors from around the globe. Explore our guide to Savannah for travel tips. Savannah is also a great place for families to visit, with plenty of kid-friendly activities to offer young travelers. Here are seven of our favorite things to do in Savannah with kids.

Feed their imaginations

Located in the shell of the old Central of Georgia Railroad’s carpentry shop and courtyard in downtown, the Savannah Children’s Museum opened in 2012 and features more than a dozen exhibits designed to stimulate young minds and bodies. The two-level, all-outdoors museum spans a full acre. Educational activities are offered daily, but kids can explore the sensory garden and exploration maze on their own—or snuggle into the reading nook for some quiet time.

Get a ticket to ride

Adjacent to the Savannah Children’s Museum, the Georgia State Railroad Museum offers adventurous kids and their families a chance to explore the city’s railroad roots at what is the oldest and most complete antebellum railroad manufacturing and repair facility left in the United States. Exhibits include historic railcars and a fully operational turntable. Admire a variety of locomotives and don’t miss the model train. Visitors can also ride on a handcar or tour the museum by train.

Meet local wildlife

A few miles east of downtown Savannah sits the Oatland Island Wildlife Center, home to more than 150 animals from 50 species. Dress for the weather because the animals are exhibited in large, natural habitats along a rustic trail that winds through forest and marsh. The popular Wolf Wilderness exhibit includes gray wolves, armadillos, flying squirrels, screech owls and reptiles—but while you’re here, you’ll also have a chance to spot cougars, bobcats, bison and alligators.

Explore the home of the Girl Scouts of the USA

The founder of the Girl Scouts is one of Savannah’s favorite famous daughters. At the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace, you’ll find lots of Girl Scouts earning their way to new merit badges, but the Federal-style home, built in 1821, is also a draw for architecture, art and history lovers, with original and period furnishings, a large art collection and an interactive library exhibit. “Girls Writing the World: A Library, Reimagined” is a library and museum exhibit created by, for and about girls. Rooms are filled with historic artifacts—including a jeweled “Thanks Badge” Low gifted to Mrs. Woodrow Wilson on behalf of the Girl Scouts in 1917.

Mark history with a bang

Tour Old Fort Jackson, a National Historic Landmark and one of the oldest brick forts on the East Coast, with great views of the Savannah River. But the fort’s history—it was built at the authorization of President Thomas Jefferson, designed to protect Savannah from attacks by sea and was an important Confederate stronghold during the Civil War—is celebrated every day through interactive programs for all ages and daily cannon firings in the spring and summer.

Walk into a piece of art

Normally, walking into a piece of art isn’t encouraged, but at the ArtZeum, the interactive children’s museum at the Jepson Center on Telfair Square, it’s encouraged! Step into a reproduction of artist Gari Melchers’ home, inspired by his painting “The Unpretentious Garden” (the original is on view nearby). Inside, you’ll find reproductions of other artworks from the Telfair collection, and you can act as curator to decide which art to display. Admission is free for children ages twelve and under ($20 for adults), but art lovers of all ages will enjoy the ArtZeum’s many activities that explore what art is and why it’s valued.

Pretend to be a fighter pilot

A short, 20-minute drive from Savannah, the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force features more than 90,000 square feet of exhibits, kid-friendly interactive displays, historical artifacts—and, yes, airplanes. In the museum’s Combat Gallery, you’ll admire the World War II B-17 Flying Fortress “City of Savannah,” which came over from the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. Whether you want to check out the museum’s collection of retired airplanes or discover how an average farm in East Anglia, England, was transformed into an airfield during WWII, there’s a lot to see here.

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