the best kid-friendly things in savannah, ga
We recently spent 3 days in Savannah with our kids. We found a few restaurants and activities that pleased the whole family. And we found some things we’d not repeat again. Here is what rose to the top as the best kid-friendly things to do in Savannah for us!
1. & 2. savannah children's museum & ga state railroad museum
These are at the same address and tickets for both can be bundled. Both are primarily outdoor so plan accordingly with weather. We spent 3+ hours between both of these and the kids would have stayed longer at the children’s museum if we’d let them.
Good-to-know Tidbits: (1) The train ride at the railroad museum isn’t really worth it with kids. It just a few hundred yards into another building where they keep other train cars. It was hard to keep the kids contained and entertained here safely. (2) The tickets to both were kinda pricey ($80 for our family of 4). Pick the children’s museum if you can only do one. The tickets are good for 2 or 3 days so you can return if you end up with more time. (3) There is a three-park pass that we were tempted to do but the clerk honestly told us that the other museums/sites are better for adults (except Fort Collins which is currently closed for filming of The Walking Dead – that only made me want to tour it more!).
3. fort pulaski
This was my favorite thing from the whole trip. It’s beautiful and so rich in history. It was also the first mote I’ve ever seen! The kids did really well here and we easily spent 2-3 hours.
Good-to-know Tidbits: (1) Drive into Tybee Island and stop at Tybean for a coffee/latte before touring the fort. (2) Lunch at Sundae Cafe is excellent. Looks fancy (and it is a nice restaurant) but lunch here is fine with kids in tow. (3) There are several murals on Tybee Island.
4. City Market & the squares
Downtown Savannah holds so much history, dining, shopping, and more. You’ll have to spend some time downtown but my best advice is to have a plan. It gets overwhelming with young kids quickly if you don’t know where you’re going.
Maybe even consider doing a trolley tour. In hindsight, I wish we had. we would have gone with this one. It makes 14 stops at all the most significant historical sites while saving your patience and not wearing out little legs.
5. Dining in starland district
We stayed in the Starland District and ate most of our meals there. We love food and have lived in some awesome foodie cities so we don’t like to compromise when it comes to meals. There were some real standouts that rank high for being delicious and kid-friendly (and just really cool spots).
Green Truck Neighborhood Pub | Excellent burgers, salads and decent kid options too. Outdoor seating options. Easy parking.
Big Bon Bodega | Bagels in the AM, Pizza in the PM. Outdoor seating. Easy street parking.
Sundae Cafe | Tybee Island. Excellent food. Would only go with kids at lunch, too fancy for dinner.
Bull Street Taco | Loved everything about it. Food, location, staff. We almost ate here twice.
6. bonaventure cemetery
I have a deep love for walking through cemeteries. And Bonaventure is known as one of the world’s most hauntingly beautiful and also Savannah’s most haunted cemetery. But it was so peaceful and fascinating during the day. Tours are available on certain Saturdays but you can look up lots of info about it online to get a feel for the history and notable gravestones.
7. savannah's murals
After our mural hunting trip to Lake City, the kids and I are all about spotting murals! And it’s easy to do in Savannah with this handy guide. Many are pretty easy to get to because they’re in more commercial or residential areas and a few are even in Tybee Island. We just snapped a few as we spotted them but didn’t specifically seek them out.
try these if you have more time or particular interest
TYBEE ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE & MUSEUM | We would have totally done this if we had more time. The kids were tired after the morning at Fort Pulaski so climbing a lighthouse wasn’t in the cards on this trip. But we did drive by to get a visual and the reviews I read were positive. Also, there is a cute little playground a couple of streets over.
RICHMOND HILL AREA (HISTORY MUSEUM and FORT MCALLISTER) | I can’t say I’d wholeheartedly recommend driving down to Richmond Hill. It was a good 40+ minutes so unless you’re super into Henry Ford or automotive history I think I’d skip it. Fort McAllister is cool but you’ll have plenty of other old forts to keep you busy in closer to Savannah.
WORMSLOE STATE HISTORIC SITE | This was neat but I think we’re spoiled by Brookgreen and all the history available at other plantations in coastal SC. Because of that, I thought this was majorly lacking. The neatest thing was the 1.5-mile-long stretch of Oak trees and the re-enactment area where employees are dressed in period costumes to demonstrate life in the 1800s in coastal GA. The museum and tabby ruins are pretty minimal and otherwise, it’s just some trails through the property. I’d skip it if you’re short on time. We did enjoy driving the Isle of Hope when we left though.
SKIDAWAY ISLAND & UGA AQUARIUM | We did not do this but it caught my eye. If we didn’t have other cool aquariums near us already we might have made it more of a priority.
