Peering out from under her green frog-hat, 2-year-old Ariel Witry dug a strainer into the wet sand and pulled up a seashell.
She fidgeted with it for a moment then dropped it back down into the sediment on the table in front of her — part of a model of a marsh ecosystem called the “Great Excavation” — and buried it.
She turned and trotted toward an old, brick archway and descended down the steps into a low-lying play area where a spiral slide, a life-size maze and dozens of other interactive children’s activities were nestled among the remains of a former Central of Georgia Railway building.
Ariel was just one of hundreds of children Saturday morning to delve into Savannah’s newest children’s attraction, an outdoor exhibit area built by the Coastal Heritage Society called Exploration Station.
The grand opening, said William Rhangos, Coastal Heritage Society’s board chair, was better than anticipated.
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“You can see really quickly how successful this thing is,” Rhangos said. “It’s apparent just by the way the kids have come in here and reacted. It’s the first time they’ve come in here and they don’t need their parents or anything. They’ve just come in, found activities, and whether they know it or not they’re learning while they’re here.”
The two-story play and learning area — that was made possible by a $200,000 grant from the Paul Newman Foundation — is the first of two phases of the Savannah Children’s Museum to be built by the
nonprofit organization that aims to preserve the culture of coastal Georiga.
The group is currently collecting donations to build the second phase, a more traditional, 34,000 square foot indoor children’s museum next to Exploration Station at the 655 Louisville Rd. site adjacent to the Georgia State Railroad Museum, said Patricia Knight, Coastal Heritage Society’s marketing director.
For now, Knight said, Exploration Station — open Tuesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and costing $7.50 per person over 1 year old — is the culmination of years of hard work.
“The whole project has gone on for five years, but really the details have come together in the last nine months,” she said. “And today you can look at this site and just see the dedication that’s gone into it and the way the kids are responding.”
Only months ago the ruins that are now the beginning of the Savannah Children’s Museum were overgrown with weeds and small trees, Rhangos said.
The city had even considered tearing it down, Savannah Mayor Edna Jackson said.
“I can tell you many years ago when we first took a look at this place what we first saw as a mess (Coast Heritage Society CEO) Scott (Smith) saw as a vision,” the mayor said. “What we saw as what we should tear down, he said we should build it up. What we saw as something that maybe would not work, he’s seen through to reality along with his staff.”
And, Jackson added, Exploration Station and the future children’s museum fill a much needed void in the area
“One of the things we’ve been lacking in this community is an activity or projects for our children,” she said. “But this is what you really like to see where they can come and play, but it’s also a learning experience for them.”
DONATE TO THE SAVANNAH CHILDREN’S MUSEUM
People interested in donating to the Savannah Children’s Museum can do so at the Savannah Children’s Museum website, http://www.savannahchildrensmuseum.org/Support.html.