Coastal Companion

Your ultimate guide to the coast

Things To Do in Savannah – February 2011

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When I started looking for things to do, festivals, events and celebrations for the month of February, I didn’t think about history or presidential birthdays – all I could think of was little red hearts, roses, chocolate, champagne and maybe even a romantic weekend getaway for two. At least, that’s how I imagine a perfect Valentine’s Day.
Click here to get ideas about what to do for Valentine’s day in Savannah.  Then, let’s continue with the rest of the month. After all, there is a lot more to February in Savannah, GA, than Valentine’s Day events.

Savannah Restaurant Week
Yes, we know – the event started already on January 28 and probably shouldn’t make it on the list for February, but who can resist a restaurant week? During this event you can visit participating restaurants and get a three course meal for $30. Maybe you can celebrate Valentine’s Day early since this year Valentine’s Day itself falls on a xxday anyway. Savannah Restaurant week continues until February 6, 2011. Check out our special Restaurant Week page for details and participating restaurants.

In addition to celebrating Valentine’s Day, the month of February is also a time of year when we celebrate history. In Georgia, we have the Georgia History Festival taking place February 1 – 11, 2011. This festival offers a variety of different activities and events for both young and old. You might remember this event as Georgia History Days.

Here are a few of the highlights:

Saturday Feb. 6, 2011 – Super Museum Sunday
On this day you can visit many of Georgia’s museums for free. Bring the whole family for a day out exploring our history.

Feb. 11, 2011 – Georgia Day Parade
School children participate in this parade led by Oglethorpe himself.

Check out our special Georgia History Festival page for all the details.

Also in February, Savannah Black Heritage Festival from February 1 – 13, 2011. The highlight of the event is Grand Festival Day, a day of top entertainment is held in the Savannah Civic Center’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Arena on Saturday, February 12, 2011.

For more details, visit our special page for Savannah Black Heritage Festival.

President’s Day weekend is going to be an action-packed weekend in Savannah, with two festivals at the same time. First up, the book festival.

Savannah Book Festival has a new date this year. The festival is scheduled for February 18 – 20, 2011, which is a new date for this festival. During this three-day event, you get the chance to mingle and rub elbows with authors and book lovers. Read more about the festival right here – Savannah Book Festival

One of the most popular events this month is the Irish Festival also taking place on February 18 – 20, 2011, which is said to be the largest Irish Festival in the South. Not bad! Four stages, irish dance, music, food and much more. Read more on our special page about the Savannah Irish Festival.

Colonial Faire and Muster at Wormsloe Plantation, Georgia

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This is one of the great living history events on the coast of Georgia that returns every year. On Saturday and Sunday, February 6-7, 2010, from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., it’s time again for the annual Georgia Days Colonial Faire and Muster.  Here you can take a giant step back into history on the site of one of the  most beautiful colonial-era plantations of the Georgia coast.  Have fun and learn about our past at the same time. Make sure to visit the ruins of the plantation house and slave cabin.

Highlights of this weekend-long event include cannon and musket firing; blacksmithing, craft, and cooking demonstrations; Native American and slave life interpretations; and period music and dance. This is a free event.

The Colonial Faire and Muster is part of GHS’s Georgia Days, a month-long commemoration of Georgia’s rich history, and GHS’s signature educational event of the year.

For more information about Georgia Days, visit www.georgiahistory.com and follow the Georgia Days links.

Click here to read more about events on Georgia Days

Related articles:

Super Museum Sunday in Georgia

Georgia Super Museum Sunday, Feb 7, 2010

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Georgia Days Super Museum Sunday Offers Free Access
to Area Museums and Historic Sites

The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) in conjunction with area museums and historic sites invites everyone to participate in and enjoy Georgia Days Super Museum Sunday on February 7, 2010, from 12:00 noon until 4:00 p.m.

Don’t miss this once-a-year event, as historic house museums, art museums, and other cultural organizations throughout coastal Georgia open their doors to the public at no charge during this annual Georgia Historical Society’s Georgia Days event.

Georgia Days Super Museum Sunday is part of GHS’s Georgia Days, a month-long commemoration of Georgia’s rich history, and GHS’s signature educational event of the year. Georgia Days Super Museum Sunday is free and open to the public.

For a map of participating museums, click here!

For more Georgia Day events and activities, click here.

For more information visit www.georgiahistory.com and follow the Georgia Days links.

Photo: Fort Pulaski, Savannah

Georgia Days 2010

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Georgia Days is the signature educational program of the Georgia Historical Society held every year. The events take place around the anniversary of the founding of the colony of Georgia on February 12, 1733. The event tries to bring history to life through a variety of programs including a series of school events and curriculum, crafts workshops, and the two-day Colonial Faire and Muster living-history program held at Wormsloe State Historic Site. The colorful Georgia Day parade is one of the most popular highlights of the Georgia Days celebration.

Georgia Days Kick Off Event & Lecture
Featuring an evening with National Public Radio’s Scott Simon, author of Jackie Robinson and the Integration of Baseball
Tuesday, February 2, 2010, 6:00 P.M.
Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum Annex – 460 Martin Luther King Blvd, Savannah

Savannah Book Festival
Friday and Saturday , February 5-6, 2010
Various locations around Telfair Square, Savannah

Colonial Faire and Muster
Saturday (Family Day) and Sunday, February 6-7, 2010, 10:00 A.M. – 4:00 P.M.
Wormsloe State Historic Site, Savannah

Take your family back in time to the site of one of the earliest and most beautiful plantations of the Georgia coast for this popular annual living-history event featuring costumed re-enactors.

Georgia Days Super Museum Sunday
Sunday, February 7, 2010, 12:00 – 4:00 P.M.
Multiple Savannah-area sites.  Experience coastal Georgia’s rich history and cultural life as historic sites, house museums, art museums, and other points of interest in Savannah and coastal Georgia open their doors to the public at no charge during this annual Georgia Days event.  From Statesboro to Darien, more than 40 sites participate in this event, providing visitors a rare opportunity to experience the history in our own backyard.

Georgia Day Parade


Thursday, February 12, 2010, 10:30 A.M.
Bull Street from Forsyth Park to City Hall, Savannah

Thousands of costumed local school children participate in the annual parade. The kids will march behind banners in commemoration of Georgia’s founding in 1733. The parade also include local dignitaries, costumed characters, musicians, and a military color guard. The Georgia Day Parade starts at Forsyth Park and ends with a program in front of City Hall. Here the mayor and other officials will give out awards for the annual Banner Competition.

Oglethorpe Arrives at Darien
Friday, February 13, 2009, 10:00 a.m.
Fort King George State Historic Site, Fort King George Drive, Darien

On January 19, 1736, Scottish Highlanders arrived at the site of Fort King George on January 19, 1736. James Oglethorpe visited the site a month later.  Witness a re-enactment of the historic landing and hear Oglethorpe’s speech to the new Highland settlement. For more information please call 912.437.4770.  This is a free event.

Georgia Days Birthday Bash and Annual Awards Gala
Saturday, February 14, 2010, 7:00 P.M.
Hyatt Regency, Savannah

The Georgia Days Birthday Bash and Annual Awards Gala is the lavish culmination of GHS’s two-week commemoration of the founding of the Colony of Georgia. The celebration will be held under the stars on the banks of the Savannah River.

Fort Frederica Living History Festival
February 21, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Fort Frederica National Monument, 6515 Frederica Road, St. Simons Island
This annual event commemorates the founding of Frederica in 1736. Activities throughout the day will immerse visitors in the history of Frederica and the struggle for empire between Great Britain and Spain in the 18th Century. Programs include tabby making, hands-on musket drills, colonial children’s games, journal making, and archeology programs. This event is organized by Fort Frederica National Monument. For more information, please contact the Fort Frederica Visitor’s Center at 912.638.3639.

Georgia Days Scottish Highland Dinner
Saturday, February 20, 2010, 7:00 P.M.
Fort King George State Historic Site, Fort King George Drive, Darien

This annual event features a Scottish dinner, hosted by Oglethorpe himself, at the Fort King George barracks. This event is organized by Fort King George and the Lower Altamaha Historical Society. For more information, please call 912.437.4770. Reservations required; a fee will be charged for dinner.

For more information about Georgia Days events, click here.

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