Afternoon in the Wildlife Refuge
July 12, 2009
I took the girls down to the Harris Neck Wildlife refuge, which is approximately 30 minutes (or less) south of Savannah. It is a bird watcher’s paradise! I saw a bird that I’ve never seen before, ummm, darn it what was it called? Gotta go get my bird book….
Common Moorhen, (Gallinula chloropus). They were a joy to watch and their call is quite colorful and full of character. Loud, too!
redbug
bumble
what could she be thinking?
afterlife
wading bird paradise
Olivia games
she hears mama calling, and laughs as she runs
hard at work
stare down, who's gonna make the first move? female fiddler.
piling
piling2
butterfly, butterfly
"hey, neighbor!"
Shhh!!!! don't tell the DNR
ehh! all in the name of exploring the world.
dream of the georgia coast
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Wonderful photos. The bee image did remind me of how last year the youngest decided it was a good idea to pet a bee. Life lessons.
Beautiful pictures!!
Faye
What a beauitful outing. The pics are lovely. Your children are adorable explorers. You just showed me why I feel Savannah will be the perfect place and space to live.
I stumbled on to your blog as I was looking over where to move in or around Savannah. The Refuge looks incredible. We are looking to find a Intracoastal property to lease or lease/option in Savannah or near.
We live in Asheville NC. We are leaving Sept 15th for Savannah. Do you recommed a particular area to look at? Or do you know a really Wonderful Realtor to work with to find a dreamy home? If so please let me know.
Cheers
Lynn Starkey
Hi! Thanks for stopping by my blog. I grew up in the midwest, in an university town that had an abundance of intellectuals who were on a mission to make sure the children of the “hood” received as much supplemental education as possible. arts, humanities, nature, science. really.
So, with that behind me, I have discovered that in Savannah, it simply takes seeking out and finding the resources you want. And it really is here! You just have to know where to look to find it.
As far as outdoors/science-
Oatland Island Wildlife refuge, hosts wildlife that are native to the southeast. the animals are contained within a natural setting, and there are hiking trails that lead you to the exhibits. they have some beautiful birds of prey, wolves, bobcats, florida panther, black bear, deer, gators, red fox, cranes, and also a farm animal exhibit. they host weekly “toddler tuesdays”, and admission is incredibly cheap, $5 for an adult, children under 3 are free.
The Savannah National Wildlife Refuge system- actually contains 7(?) refuges. Pinckney Island, Savannah Refuge, and Harris Neck are accessible by car and include hiking trails. The others are accessible by boat/ferry and at least 2 are prohibited. I like the refuges over state parks. The setting is much more natural, and like the name indicates, the chances for spotting wildlife are high. They are still easily accessible that taking the family is easy… there are more throughout Georgia… I just visited the Okefenokee swamp last month for the first time, and just last weekend visited the Eufala National Wildlife refuge on the Chattahoochee river.
Forsyth Park- ummm what’s better than a giant inner-city park with a fountain, and a coffeeshop and natural foods market at one end? free entertainment for little kids…. and if they’re good they can get a snack before leaving!
Beach- ummm, again, free! I frequently go to Hilton Head, but most savannahians choose Tybee Island.
Tybee Island Marine Science Center
Skidaway Institute of oceanography- an extension of UGA, has a great aquarium (small, but worth WAY more than the $2 admission)
Bamboo Farms- an extension of UGA, berry picking when in season, botanical gardens
Wildlife/birds of prey Exhibit at Georgia Southern in Statesboro- I have not been yet, but have it on my list of things to d0.
Planetarium at Georgia Southern- haven’t been yet, but they have public showings approx. once/month.
Arts-
The Jepson Center for the Arts has children/youth educational offerings. Example, Third Thursday, every third thursday of the month they have a preschooler morning. Also they have something called First Saturday, which I’ve never attended but is for children of all ages, and they also offer regularly scheduled art classes.
The City of Savannah Cultural affairs also offers art classes for children/adults of all ages and various disciplines.
History-
several forts… Pulaski, Jackson, McCallister, King George….
The Savannah Roundhouse- if you have a thomas lover, or train lover of any size, the roundhouse is fun, and they also have occasional children’s “mornings”, I’ve never attended an actual children’s event there, but have been to visit during normal visiting hours, oh and you can also host birthday parties there, as well.
Just driving down highway 17 will broaden your horizons.
As far as neighborhoods, it all depends on where you work, how far you want to drive, and where you want to send your kids to school…
also, checkout http://www.southernmamas.com , she is a columnist for the Savannah Morning News, and started this website a few years ago and has an ABUNDANCE of information for coastal empire moms. Oh, and there is a free circulation, Coastal Family, http://www.coastalfamily.com/ has a lot of great information on similar resources… things to do, schools, happenings, athletics, etc.