Savannah, Georgia Day 3--More Island Hopping

We began our fun at Old Fort Jackson, Georgia's oldest brick fortification. When we arrived, a Junior or Cadette troop was participating in a Girl Scout Militia Program.  We sat on the edge listening and learning.  The soldier (aka presenter) had a lot of great information to tie Girl Scouts, Juliette Gordon Low, and her family to the Civil War.  We also learned how to shoot a cannon along with the troop.

We drove over to Oatland Island and visited the Oatland Island Wildlife Center.  This involves a two mile walk, which is 98% shaded, to see birds, turtles, cougars, foxes, alligators, barn animals, deer, American Bison, wolves, and more.  It didn't even feel like 2 miles, and with all the shade, it didn't feel like near 100 degree weather either.

All of our walking and learning built up a mighty appetite, so we went to The Pirates' House for a late lunch. It has been welcoming visitors since 1753. The Southern Buffet was delicious, and we loved looking around at the historical building, learning the history, imaging what it was like back in the 1700s, and looking for ghosts.

After a nap and a swim, we went back to River Street to walk along the shops and river.  We had to check out Savannah's Candy Kitchen and get something sweet.

Savannah, Georgia Part 2--Island Hopping

Island Hopping Day
Wilmington Island to Cockspur Island to Tybee Island . . .

On our second day in Savannah, we wanted to focus on something more masculine (since we did the more feminine Girl Scout adventure yesterday), so we started with Fort Pulaski. It is 15 miles east of Savannah on Cockspur Island. They have guided tours, or you can head out on your own with a map/brochure.  My niece and nephew became Junior Rangers by completing the tasks in their Junior Ranger booklets. (We are awaiting their patches in the mail.) We spent several hours, despite the heat, going in out of tunnels, up and down narrow staircases, checking out the top, which has no rails, and learning about guns by watching a shooting demonstration. The kids were fascinated with the moat and looking for the alligator or crocodile that lives nearby. The film in the Welcome Center is very informative.

Next, we headed to Tybee Island. We went to the Tybee Island Light Station and Museum. We got our tickets to go up 178 steps in a spiral staircase inside the Lighthouse.  It was hot and humid, so the air out on the deck at the top felt great.  After looking around, we headed back down 178 steps.  We looked around at the historical buildings on the property that showed what life was like for the lighthouse keeper and his family.

Across the road is Fort Screven, and it is part of your Lighthouse entrance. It is a smaller museum with lots of reading to get the history of Tybee Island, Fort Screven, and more.  There is even a Girl Scout display showing the history of Girl Scouts on the island. The items in the display belong to the woman working the entrance and her mother.  My niece and I enjoyed talking to her and seeing the display. (She also had a very cute Girl Scout shirt on that I had never seen,)

We drove further onto the island and found a great parking place and Lighthouse Pizza.  The kids loved it.  Just a simple pizza place, but we were starving by this point.

It was right around the corner from the Tybee Island Marine Science Center. They have a small gallery of Coastal Georgia critters, but they do beach walks, turtle talks, and more.  They also have programs for Girl and Boy Scouts.

After visiting the public restroom on the side of the Science Center to change clothes, we headed out to the beach. We had fun playing in the Atlantic Ocean.  Don't forget the sunscreen!  We didn't have to worry about jellyfish like we do on the Gulf.  There was plenty of seaweed, but it didn't hamper our playing.

Since we ate later in the day, we decided to end our day of fun with a special treat.  We went to Leopold's Ice Cream in Savannah. It was quite delicious, and the decor was great!  Girl and Boy Scouts can earn a patch here--just for eating ice cream!