Tybee Vacation Rentals Concierge and Tybee Information Site

COASTAL HERITAGE SOCIETY – June 28, 2010 IT WAS GREAT – LOOK FOR NEXT YEAR’S EVENT

 Independence Day celebration for the Family!

 Did you know there was a Revolutionary War battle fought in Savannah? The Coastal Heritage Society invites the public to join us to celebrate Savannah’s role in the fight for independence with two days of fun family activities at two very historic sites on Saturday, July 3, 10am to 5pm and Saturday, July 4, noon to 5pm. Park the car once and spend your day downtown at the historic Battlefield park to learn about the 1779 Siege of Savannah with musket firings, check out real artifacts from the battle at the Savannah History Museum, catch a ride on the steam locomotive train ride at the Roundhouse Railroad Museum, and enjoy a delicious brunch or lunch at the Whistle Stop Café. Special activities for children, including colonial games and art projects, will be offered at the Roundhouse on Sunday, July 4^th only. Step into the shoes of a historic soldier by trying on period uniforms, cannon and musket firings, and learning about life as a Civil War soldier.

Old Fort Jackson, the Savannah History Museum, the Roundhouse Railroad Museum, and Battlefield Park are operated by the Coastal Heritage Society, a non profit organization that preserves two National Historic Landmarks. The mission of the Coastal Heritage Society is to preserve the cultural heritage of coastal Georgia and adjacent regions and to provide relevant educational experiences for the public.

The public is invited to attend and regular admission to each of the museums is charged. For more information, please contact the Roundhouse Railroad Museum at 912.651.6823 or Old Fort Jackson at 912.232.3945, or check out our website at www.chsgeorgia.org.

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Recently I visited the UGA Marine Science Center on Skidaway Island. It’s a great little gem, worth a visit especially if children are with you. They have a wonderful set of aquariums, featuring over 200 animals that represent 50 species native to Georgia’s coastal waters, where you can see and study marine life up close and personal, and they have a touch tank where guests can pick up and touch marine animals.  Their displays include a nurse shark, a loggerhead sea turtle and seahorses. They are located on the Intercoastal Waterway, and you can bring a picnic lunch and sit at the picnic tables and lull away an afternoon watching the water. Birds land a take off there, so if you are a bird watcher, it’s great, for that as well. I sat under a pear tree, enjoying the breeze and reading a book while I waited for my group. They do special programs for groups using microscopes, marsh walks and films to illustrate marine life and to teach guests about environmental issues; I was the tour leader for one of those groups.

They have a myriad of posters that are FREE, some of which make wonderful works of art, if framed (Georgia’s Salt Marsh Official Habitat). Some are great for kids rooms (Marine Fishes of Georgia), and they have a great map of the Coast of Georgia. We framed the latter and have it hanging in our rental unit—it always gets interesting comments. We also have a framed copy hanging in the Concierge’s office at Tybee Vacation Rentals.

One particular poster caught my eye.  It was titled “Marine Debris from Land and Sea—In the Environment a Long, Long Time.” I was appalled at the information it provided. It featured a beach and shore, and the shore water had items one might commonly find in the ocean—that is, those things that people toss away–and how long it took for those things to break down.

Did you know that those plastic beverage holders take 400 years to “breakdown” to nothing? Four hundred years!!!!! And people toss these out all of the time. Disposable diapers? Continue Reading »

May 31st is Memorial Day. All active duty military and military vets will be recognized and will receive a special admission rate of $5. Visitors will receive an American Flag and be encouraged to pay tribute.

June is Community Appreciation Month and tickets to the museum will be discounted: $5 for adults and $3 for kids.

June 14th is Flag Day and visitors will be given flags to place in the Memorial Gardens Flag Retirement Ceremony.

June 20th – Father’s Day and all fathers will receive a special admission price of $5.

The Museum will offer children’s camps this summer for ages 6-11. They will learn about the home front, airplane navigation, bombardier and pilot training during WWII. The half day camp will be 9-noon (snack included) on June 28 to July 2; July 19 to July 23rd; and August 2 to August 6. Full day camps will be from 9-4:00 (includes lunch and model airplane building) June 21 to June 25. Register today by calling 912.748.8888.

The Tybee Island Marine Science Center will offer some terrific Sea Camps for the 2010 summer, and all camps are taught by staff marine science educators or certified teachers. Class size is limited to 15.  Here is a list of what will be available. For more information, or to register for the camps contact Karen Rhodes at 912.786.5917 or go to KRhodes@TybeeMarineScience.org .

Pre-K and K

Mini Beach Explorers – June 14, 16, 18 from 10-11:30
Ocean Commotion – July 5, 7, 9 from 10-11:30
Coastal Critters – July 19, 21, 23 from 2:30-4:00
Sea Squirts – August 2, 4, 6 – from 10-11:30

Grades 1-2

A Hidden Universe – June 21-24 – from 10-12:30
Peanut Butter and Jellyfish – July 5-8 –  from 2-4:30
Sea-sational Science – July 19-22 –  from 10-12:30
Sea Camp Junior – July 26-29  – from 10-12:30

Grades 3-4

Wacky World of Invertebrates – June 21-24 – from 2-4:30
Water Wonders – June 28-July 1 – from 2-4:30
Coastal Adventure – July 12-15 – from 10-12:30

Grades 5-6

Marine Quest – June 28-July 1 – from 10-12:30
Sea Turtle Investigation – July 12-15 – from 2:00-4:30

The Tybee Island Marine Science Center offers unique outdoor learning experiences for all ages. Choose from the classroom, field and coastal gallery modules to fill in a two-hour time slot. The programs correlate to the Georgia Performance Standards which are aligned with the National Education Standards. Here are the modules available.

Dock Lab – Students investigate live animals that reside underneath a floating dock. invertebrates are identified using a Dock Lab Guide, and the importance of estuaries is discussed. They use a flexible camera to get an up close look of the organisms. Kindergarten and up (1/2 hour).

Squid Dissection – An amazing video clip introduces students to key external features and the locomotion of squid. Third grade and up. (1 hour)

Gyotaku Fish Printing – The Japanese art of fish printing, Gyotaku is Continue Reading »