By Sherri Smith Brown

The gopher tortoise, which lives in dry, sandy regions and is native to Georgia’s coast, can be see in the wild at Oatland Island Wildlife Center.

American bison, white-tailed deer, gray wolf, red fox, nine-banded armadillo, peregrine falcon, sandhill crane, gopher tortoise and bald eagle—these are just some of the natural wildlife of Georgia and the nation that you can see at the Oatland Island Wildlife Center of Savannah.

Located less than five minutes from Savannah’s historic district, the wildlife center has over 100 acres of maritime forest and exhibits 50 species of animals. Outdoor exhibits include the Wolf Wilderness, Alligator Wetlands, Predators of Georgia, and Birds of Prey. Goats, pigs, donkeys and sheep are just some of the animals found in the Georgia Farm area. (more…)

 By Sherri Smith Brown

Art is a real hands-on experience at the High Museum’s “Toddler Thursday” and”Saturday Studio” workshops in the Greene Family Learning Gallery.

There are numerous reasons to visit the High Museum in Atlanta—everything from the wonderful current Louvre Atlanta exhibition to the Monet Water Lilies exhibit, which opens June 6. But did you know about the ongoing family programs that the High hosts each week?

Toddler Thursday is just that—on Thursdays between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., you can drop by the Greene Family Learning Gallery (a space designed for children where families can play together in five fun activity areas) with your 2 – 5 year old to create a piece of art. Remaining projects for Toddler Thursdays this month are creating a painted folk art flag with cardboard and decorative button wire (April 23) and constructing a miniature chair or sofa, using Popsicle sticks and recycled fabric (April 30). (more…)

By Sherri Smith Brown

Logistics is obviously important when traveling with kids. Is it a 15-minute drive or do you need to pack a lunch and their favorite toys? Do you need to book a hotel or can you get to your destination and back home without a lot of backseat grumbling?

From my perch in Fayette County, I try to cover a lot of ground around the state. One of my favorite places to travel to in Georgia—and take children along—is Savannah. There are two times a year when that lovely city particularly calls my name—spring and the holidays. So, right now, I am starting to long for River Street and the smell of pralines and ocean air. For me, this means about a four-hour drive, without stops.

A piece of advice—whether you live in the Savannah area or, like myself, need to plan an overnight trip with a child, a great website to visit is SouthernMamas.com. Anne Hart, a Savannah mom who writes the website, has the scoop on where to stay, what to see, where to eat, and every worthwhile activity that you can enjoy with your family while in that marvelous area. You can even subscribe for a free, weekly e-mail newsletter “This week for kids in Savannah & the Low Country.”

Learn more about SouthernMamas.com here at Brown’s Guides.

By Sherri Smith Brown

“In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines lived twelve little girls in two straight lines.”

Remember that? It’s the opening line to one of my favorite childhood books, Ludwig Bemelmans’ “Madeline.” The series of Madeline books are ones I’ve read to my oldest daughter and now my five-year-old many times. There hasn’t been a new Madeline book for 50 years, but recently we traveled to the Decatur Book Festival in Decatur to hear Bemelmans’ grandson, author John Bemelmans Marciano, read from his new book “Madeline and the Cats of Rome.”

The Decatur Book Festival is in its third year and although you might not think of a book festival as a fun jaunt with your young one, think again! The festival holds a children’s parade at 9am on Saturday morning where children come dressed as a favorite storybook character. This year the parade theme was Madeline, of course, and we arrived early with our Madeline-bedecked Brianna, expecting about 30 to 50 kids to show up. Imagine my surprise when there were more like 500! (more…)