Jepson Center for the Arts: ArtZeum

Kid Tips

Toddlers & Pre-K: Toddlers will love all the exhibits in the ArtZeum, especially trying on hats (so you can look like a Doric column), the plasma machines, and the paint-on-the-wall area. Also popular is a huge metal magnet board with cool stuff (like paint brushes and muffin tins) to arrange into folk art.

School-Age Kids: Interactive art sleuthing on the computer and a set of really cool column-shaped blocks will intrigue school-aged kids for hours. Have them look for the portrait that inspired the image of George Washington on the $1 bill. Don't miss the rest of the collection of contemporary art.

Pre-Teens & Teens: Older kids (and their parents) will enjoy the ArtZeum as well. The art board game and the art-sleuthing computer games are popular with every age group.

Planning Notes

• Bring a sweater. It's hot in Savannah but many indoor venues, including this museum, are over air-conditioned.
• Go on Thursday if you have a toddler. Special toddler art programs run on Thursdays for children ages 2-5 (with parental participation) where they do an art project and have story time based on one of the exhibits (picture-frame making to celebrate the photography exhibit, for example). The museum is also starting family programming on the weekend, with free admission and performances. Call for more information.
• No food allowed. It's strictly food-free in the museum, but there's a nice, bright café with gorgeous picture windows and a nice kids' menu if anyone's having a blood sugar meltdown.
• Part of a triumvirate. There are three museums in the same complex: the Jepson Center, the Telfair Art Museum, and the Owens-Thomas House (which is a bit too stodgy for kids). If you're with older kids or sight-seeing types, consider buying a combo ticket to get into all three.
• Bring your AAA card. Members get a discount.

Just the Facts

Hours: Sun. noon-5 p.m.; Mon., Wed., Fri.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thurs. 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Closed Tuesday. Hours subject to change. Call the information line to confirm: (912) 790-8800.

Fees: $20 (for all three museums)

Recommended Time: 1 to 2 hours

Reviews of Jepson Center for the Arts: ArtZeum

What a disappointment

By mjreuben April 19, 2010

What we loved:
Projection art, magnetic art

What we didn't love:
Everything else

We went based on the reviews, but what a disappointment. Beyond the expense of visiting the museum for the family, the deion is WAY off. br/br/The "two floors" are more like two "quarter" floors, and the museum itself is small. So dont expect to spend 1-2 hours here if you have a toddler our daughter was about 3.5 years old when we visited. Had we actually been able to spend more than an hour here, the price would have been fine.br/br/There are two cool items -- one is where you stand on a spot and your image is digitized and "painted" on the wall in front of you. The other is a large magentic wall where you can use the pots and pans and other items on it to make art I thought this would be a great idea for a kids room if you had the space for it. Many of the items were too advanced for toddlers to truly appreciate. Skip it. Read More

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