Telfair Square could also be called Savannah's art block, with two world-class art museums next to each other on two of the four sides of the square. The Jepson Center for the Arts, one of Savannah's three Telfair museums, houses an impressive collection of modern art and rotating exhibitions featuring some of the most notable names in the art world. More than 7,500 square feet of gleaming gallery space greet museum visitors, young and young at heart. Acclaimed colonial Savannah architect William Jay designed the impressive Telfair Academy in 1818 for Alexander Telfair, son of Revolutionary War patriot and Georgia governor Edward Telfair.
Ju Jepson, the Telfair Academy at the Telfair Museum, exhibits a magnificent permanent collection of 20th century American and European art. Fans of Frederick Frieseke and Childe Hassam will find exceptional works in the museum's 19th-century period rooms. The Savannah School of Art and Design takes a positive charge from Savannah's big and small town environment. In the same way, the city embraces SCAD and its mission to promote and encourage the arts.
The SCAD Art Museum, the university's main contemporary art museum, aims to educate students and improve visitor experiences with its wide range of works. Quarterly exhibitions showcase a variety of media by renowned professional artists, such as Saya Woolfalk and Masud Olufani. In Lafayette Square, an iron door and green shutters alert bystanders to the historic majesty of Andrew Low House. Designed by architect John Norris, this elegant villa served Andrew Low and his family in the mid-19th century, and has since been preserved and restored with its original Italianizing style.
The name Low should attract the attention of those familiar with Savannah's history. Low's daughter-in-law was none other than Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts of the United States. The Savannah River continues to play an important role in hosting ships and barges from around the world. The Maritime Museum of Ships of the Sea applies this perspective and more to naval and aquatic stories from the 18th and 19th centuries.
This specialized museum shows nine complete galleries of ship models, as well as paintings and nautical artifacts. Other must-see museums for the whole family include the Massie Heritage Center, the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum, the Fort Pulaski Museum, the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, the Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum and the Pinpoint Heritage Museum. And current and former Girl Scouts can't leave Savannah without visiting the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low, a museum house dedicated to the founder of the Girl Scouts. Savannah brims with slow-burning creativity in galleries, movie theaters and music hidden amidst the city's historic architecture.
The Battlefield Memorial Park, just across the street from the museum, commemorates the bravery of the 8,000 soldiers who fought in the Battle of Savannah on October 9, 1779, the second bloodiest battle of the American Revolution. Even Savannah's youngest explorers have their own mecca of discovery at the Savannah Children's Museum in Tricentennial Park. If you like interesting historical details and want to give your children free reign to roam and play, then head to the Savannah Children's Museum. The museum tells the story of the Eighth Air Force Division, which was activated in Savannah in 1942, just 53 days after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Guests can have lunch in a restored dining car before crossing the street to the museum, where they will find beautifully restored old locomotives and charming model trains, as well as a functioning circular shed and an old repair shop. After exploring the Children's Museum, head to the nearby Georgia State Railroad Museum and then have lunch at the Whistlestop Café, where you can dine in an authentic 1941 Pullman car. The Savannah Children's Museum is part of the Coastal Heritage Society's Tricentennial Park, which also houses the Georgia State Railroad Museum. Train lovers and railroad enthusiasts alike love the Georgia State Railroad Museum, considered the largest and most comprehensive pre-war railroad repair center still in existence.
The museum is located in the ruins of Georgia's former Central Railroad Station, adding an element of historic charm to this unique gaming space. Located in the beautiful brick railroad shed of central Georgia in Tricentennial Park, this must-see museum showcases Savannah's artistic and cultural milestones. The Jepson Center is part of the Telfair Museums, a series of three unique art centers in downtown Savannah that also includes the Telfair Academy and the Owens-Thomas House. The Telfair Academy is the oldest public art museum in the South and the first art museum in the United States founded by a woman.
This fascinating museum pays homage to the small community of Pin Point, a century-old African-American community on the banks of Savannah's Moon River. .
