She wrote:

“I am hoping to go visit my girlfriend in Atlanta. She has a three year old and I have a one year old. We want to take a long weekend to Savannah with the girls! This would be perfect!”

Have a great time there with your kids, Sara!

Around Savannah – Where To Go And What To Do With Children is a handy guide to family-friendly places all around the city, plus ideas for short trips nearby.

(For more ideas in the Peach State, see my travel with kids in Georgia post or this Budget Travel Trip Coach article for Savannah and Charleston.)

I’ve only been to Savannah once myself, but I was impressed by its lovely, walkable layout, “pocket parks” every few blocks in the historic area, support for the arts at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) / Telfair Museum of Art and FOOD….can you say Paula Deen?

Here’s what I like about this guidebook by Gwen McKee and Kacey Ratterree:

***  Lots of good specific information about each attraction, including all-important bathroom and food availability, plus hints especially for parents and suggestions of other sights nearby.  Warning – many outdoor places include the “bring bug spray” hint.

***  Fun quotes from the author’s and illustrator’s children (“I want to see all the birds and I like to fish.”)

***  Plenty of variety: historic sites like Girl Scout founder Juliette Gordon Low’s Birthplace, nature trails and parks, events like the November Savannah Children’s Book Festival,   special restaurants like The Pirate’s House (I’ve eaten there….fun Treasure Island tie-in) and gems like the Beach Institute African-American Cultural Arts Center and its incredible Ulysses Davis folk art sculpture collection.

***  Helpful discussions of how to visit some of the nearby coastal barrier islands, most of which are accessible only by boat.  One example is Sapelo Island and the community of Hog Hammock, which is “the last intact Geechee/Gullah community in the Sea Islands of Georgia and comprises direct descendants of slaves brought to Sapelo Island in 1802.”

If all this sounds like your kind of book, here’s what to do to win my copy:

—–>  Leave a brief comment below about why you’d like to read “Around Savannah.”

—–>  At the end of this week, on Friday, August 21, 2009, I will randomly pick one of your comments using one of the cool tools on Random.org, then I’ll announce the winner in a separate post.

—–>  If you win, I’ll email you at the address you leave when you comment (to get your snail mail address,) then I’ll box up the book and send it to you. Yes, I’ll mail to places outside the US.

Thanks for participating!

There are “the obvious” sites in Atlanta, but I tried to look beyond that and cast a statewide net.

How about:

** Cohutta-Chattahoochee Scenic Byway – A nationally-designated scenic route in northwest Georgia, this byway includes the Appalachian cultural legacy of Prater’s Mill (especially during their annual Columbus Day weekend Country Fair) and New Echota, the Cherokee Nation capitol in 1825 and the site of the first Indian language newspaper office. Cabins and camping are available in Fort Mountain State Park along the route.

** SAM Shortline Excursion Train – The Savannah, Americus and Montgomery (SAM) is part of a rail system that used to connect Savannah and Montgomery, Alabama. Nowadays, it’s a good way to visit President Jimmy Carter’s home and museum at Carter National Historic Site in Plains, and Habitat for Humanity’s headquarters in Americus. Visitors can tour Habitat’s Global Village; 15 representative Habitat houses from around the world, including Papua New Guinea and Ghana.

** Sapelo Island and Hog Hammock – Fans of the children’s television program “Gullah Gullah Island” already know a little about the unique Gullah/Geechee African-American culture in this part of the South. Today, the remote Sapelo Island and its only town, Hog Hammock, are still inhabited by the descendants of slaves who preserved their language dialect and food thanks to that isolation. Get here on a state-operated ferry from Meridian and take the guided tour, or contact writer and island resident Cornelia Bailey about her Geechee tours and lodging.

For the other 17 suggestions, please visit Family Friendly Must-Sees in Georgia, and feel free to comment and add your suggestions in the comments section here or at the original Education.com article.

Related posts:

• Swim in FDR’s Little White House pool in Warm Springs, Georgia

He spent time away from Washington, DC in Warm Springs, Georgia, seeking pain relief and perhaps some measure of recovery in the area’s spring waters.

The house where he stayed became known as Roosevelt’s Little White House, and he died there of a cerebral hemorrhage in April 1945.

Today it’s a Georgia State Park and open to visitors, with New Deal-era memorabilia and the surroundings as he left them, including features like his famous Fireside Chats recorded and played over a 1930s radio.

Late this summer, park visitors can participate in a unusual treat.

The pool where he swam is normally kept empty for preservation, but for three days it will be filled with naturally warm spring water, and for an extra fee, you can jump into FDR’s swimming pool.

The details for A Dip Into the Past, from the park Web site:

Saturday, Sept 4, 2010 to Monday, September 6, 2010  10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
1.5 hour swim sessions beginning at 10:00 a.m. Ages 6 and older.
Reservations suggested – space limited to 80 per session.
$20 adults; $12.50 ages 6 to 17. Family package $75.

[Phone] 706-655-5870.

There are other unique events, like the annual tribute to his Scotty dog Fala (all Scottish Terriers are welcome to attend, on a leash) and a Warm Springs Thanksgiving, featuring music by descendants of band members who used to play for Roosevelt. (2010 update – couldn’t find these any more on the Park website. There is a Fala Day 2010 through a local Scottish terrier organization. Don’t know about Thanksgiving.)

Still, the chance to swim in that pool sounds really special.

Any of my readers who live near there willing to dive in and send us a report?