Savannah with kids – win my guidebook

A thoughtful friend of mine in Savannah, Georgia picked up a book for me a few months ago, but I’m just now getting around to writing about it.

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!