Family Fun Around Pooler

Family Fun
Around Pooler

Story by Cindy
Reid

We are
fortunate to live in an area full of enjoyable things to do as a family. From
beaches to cities, we have it all.

One thing we
have in abundance are local museums and other learning experiences. These can
be the very best family outings and most incorporate hands-on exhibits
specifically for children. Learning is a lot more than viewing dusty items on a
shelf these days!

In this
article we tried to list some of lesser known museums and historical sites,
with a few perennial favorites, all no more than one hour away from Pooler.
Address, phone number and admission information are included but please call
ahead as hours, rates and events are subject to change.

Choose one,
load the family in the car and check out something new. You might be surprised
at what you learn!

Historic Effingham Society Old Jail Museum and Living History Site

The Old Jail
Museum is full of interesting items, such as Native American artifacts and
military hardware from the American Revolution.

The Living
History Site includes ten buildings that depict a real farm: The 1790s Morgan
barn, Dasher Smokehouse, a blacksmith shop, syrup boiling shed, cane grinding
shed, equipment shed with carpenter’s shop, several family houses, the Blanford
Depot, the Bethel One-room School, the Whiskey Still shed, and the Rincon Post
Office. Self-guided Tours.

Call for hours
and admission rates.

912-754-2170  |  1002
Pine St., Springfield

The National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force

This museum is
dedicated to preserving the history and stories of the Eighth Air Force, the
“greatest air armada of all time.”

Hear the
unforgettable stories of bravery, experience a bomber mission and briefing, and
see the ongoing restoration of the World War II B-17 Flying Fortress “City
of Savannah” inside the Museum’s Combat Gallery.

Adults: $12,
Seniors & Retired Military: $11, Active Duty Military & Children ages
6-12: $8, Children 5 and under & WWII Veterans are free.

912-748-8888  |  175
Bourne Ave., Pooler

Children’s Museum of Pooler

The Children’s
Museum of Pooler provides hands-on learning opportunities and discoveries for
children through engaging exhibits and programming. There are many permanent
exhibits and activities as well as new ones periodically. The museum is
currently featuring the traveling exhibit “Discover America’s Wolves,” which
encourages interactivity through games, quizzes, and discussion points.

Adults and
children over 1: $9.50, Children under 12 months old are free, Military
Personnel and Educators receive a 10% discount off admission.

912-307-9503  |  200
Tanger Outlets Blvd Suite 589, Pooler

Georgia Southern University Botanical Garden

Centered on an
early 20th century farmstead, the Botanical Garden offers visitors a unique
view of the cultural and natural heritage of the southeastern coastal plain, an
area rich in unique and endangered plants. The eleven acre site, located in the
middle of the city of Statesboro, includes walking woodland trails, the Bland
Cottage Visitor Center and Gift Shop, Heritage Garden, Rose Arbor, Children’s
Vegetable Garden, Camellia Garden, Native Plant Landscape Garden, Native Azalea
Collection and Bog Garden.

Free
Admission.

912-871-1114  |  1505
Bland Avenue, Statesboro

Georgia Southern University Center for Wildlife Education

Watch the
eagles take flight, touch Monty the Python, or explore the different habitats
of raptors, reptiles and mammals at the Center for Wildlife Education and the
Lamar Q Ball Jr. Raptor Center.

With more than
five acres featuring diverse habitats and species, an amphitheater, and an
indoor classroom, the Center features a wetland preserve that includes a beaver
lodge, a cypress pond, and a waterfowl pond. Resident species of birds of prey
include eagles, hawks, owls, falcons, kestrels, and vultures. Reptiles and
amphibians are also on display.

On Saturdays,
see flighted raptor demonstrations (weather permitting), or stroll along
self-guided nature walks, and visit the Children’s Discovery Trail.

Adults: $4,
Children (ages 3-11): $2, Military (with ID): $2, Senior Citizens: $2

912-478-0831  |  1461
Forest Dr, Statesboro

Savannah Ogeechee Canal Museum and Nature Center

More of an
outdoor walking site, the Historic Savannah – Ogeechee Barge Canal is a prime
example of a historic southern canal. There is a museum and nature center
featuring information and exhibits on Canal history, archeology, birding, and
local attractions as well as over two miles of hiking trails from the SO Canal
Museum and Nature Center to the Ogeechee River.

Adults: $2,
Students & Seniors: $1, Children under 5 are free.

912-748-8068  |  681
Fort Argyle Rd., Savannah

Pin Point Heritage Museum

An exploration
of a community founded in 1896 by freedmen after the Civil War. Located in the
former A.S. Varn & Son Oyster and Crab Factory, which has been transformed
into an educational center for visitors to authentically learn about the
Gullah/Geechee culture directly from residents who grew up in the small,
close-knit community.

Guests can
discover these unique lifeways, from daily life to religion, language, and
food. Part of the Coastal Heritage Society.

Adults: $9,
Children (age 2 – 12): $5

912-651-6840  |  9924
Pin Point Ave., Savannah

Congregation Mickve Israel

The third oldest
Jewish congregation in America and the first synagogue built in Georgia,
Congregation Mickve Israel has a rich and unique history.

Guided tours
of the synagogue begin in the magnificent sanctuary and in the award-winning
Lawrence & Nancy Gutstein Museum, you will find artifacts, documents, and
other historical items going back to the founding of Savannah and Congregation
Mickve Israel in 1733, featuring congratulatory letters from many presidents
(including George Washington) and a 15th Century Torah (the first five books of
the Bible), the oldest Torah in North America.

Adults: $10,
Children under 12: $5.

Tour funds are
used for the upkeep and maintenance of the historic sanctuary. Call for
reservations.

912-233-1547  |  20
East Gordon St, Savannah

Savannah African Art Museum

The Savannah
African Art Museum holds an education collection of over one thousand objects
from West and Central Africa.

The collection
of African art highlights a range of educational reproductions, ceremonial and
spiritual objects from the 19th and 20th centuries made from ceramics, metal,
and wood. The Museum’s collection spans more than 28 countries that bisect the
continent of Africa and represents more than 180 cultures. The museum offers
educational workshops and family craft days, free to members of the community.

Free
admission.

912-721-7745  |  201
E 37th Street, Savannah

Richmond Hill History Museum

The building
in which the museum is housed was built in 1940 by Richmond Hill’s most famous
residents, automobile industrialist Henry Ford and his wife, Clara, for a
kindergarten for local children.

Today it
serves as a place to illustrate the history of the small town of Ways Station,
Georgia, now known as Richmond Hill.

Out buildings
include Carpenter’s Barber Shop, used by Bailey Carpenter, the local barber,
for more than 50 years.

Adults: $8,
Children: $4, Members of the Society, and children five and under: free, Family
Rate $15.

912-756-3697  | 
11460 Ford Avenue, Richmond Hill

Coastal Bryan Heritage Trail

This driving
tour of the Coastal Bryan Heritage Trail will take you along public roads, to
the front of private homes and through historical, though still active
cemeteries and churches.

Maps are
available at the Richmond Hill Museum, Fort McAllister, and the Richmond Hill
Visitors Bureau.

For a narrated
Self-guided driving tour, download a free Mobile Driving Tour App for
smartphones and tablets on the website. https://365publicationsonline.com/RichmondHillDrivingTrail/mobile/index.html

Historic Baptismal Trail

This is
another outdoor walking tour site.

For almost 100
years this site was an active holy place where the ancestors of the local
Geechee communities baptized new members into their faith. Oral and written
church history from the surviving descendants of the First African Baptist
Church indicate that as early as the 1840s this site was used as a place where
baptism was performed by leaders of a congregation of enslaved people.

The site
features a boardwalk, benches, and picnic tables as well as interpretive
signage regarding the surrounding natural habitat and the historical
significance of the site.

Self-guided
tours, Free Admission.

912-884-2986  |  8805
E.B. Cooper Highway, Riceboro

Seabrook Village and Living History Museum

Seabrook
Village is a unique, African-American cultural museum on the Georgia Coast
depicting life & culture from 1865-1930.

The Seabrook
Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to research, education, and
the authentic portrayal of the Reconstruction culture and environment of its
rural African-American community in coastal Georgia.

Restored
houses, personal artifacts, domestic gardens, and the rural landscape convey
the legacy of a religious, self-sufficient, turn-of-the century community.

Tours may be
suspended due to Covid pandemic, call for updated info and admission rates.

912-884-7008  |  660
Trade Hill Rd, Midway

Fort Morris State Historic Site

Visitors can
stand within the earthwork remains and view scenic Saint Catherine’s Sound. A
museum and film describe the colonial port of Sunbury and the site’s history.

Adults: $4.50,
Seniors: $4, Youth: $3, Children (under 6) are free.

912-884-5999  |  2559
Fort Morris Road, Midway

For more ideas
visit www.exploregeorgia.org