Grandkids age 9 (girl) and 11 (boy) really liked the tour. They especially loved making their own…read morekazoos! We found the whole experience to be enjoyable and worth the low price.

Hard to believe it took me this long to finally visit, but I'm glad I did. I arrived with more than…read morean hour to spare before the next guided tour, so I wandered through the museum on my own, picked up a fridge magnet and a kazoo, and continued on my way. I also picked up a few fun facts along the way. First off, the movie was a delight - dancing and singing kazoos narrating the history of this humble little instrument. Kazoobie Kazoos has been cranking out high-quality plastic kazoos in the U.S. since 1999, with nearly a million shipped each year to destinations around the globe. The museum's exhibits walk you through the kazoo's evolution, from early wooden and metal models to the brightly colored plastic versions we know today. One of the standout displays is a giant American flag made entirely of red, white, and blue kazoos - a cheerful tribute to the kazoo's uniquely American roots. Admission is free, the fresh kazoos from the baskets are inexpensive, and the history is genuinely entertaining. Definitely worth the stop! [Review 1304 of 2025 - 1314 in South Carolina - 24856 overall]

Great museum celebrating the marine corps. Gate guards were great to talk to my kid is definitely…read moreinterested in joining.

This is an on-base museum, and one has to provide license and registration to MP's at the gate. The…read morefirst time I tried, the base was closed to anyone who wasn't active duty military, which I don't think is an uncommon situation given what I read elsewhere. This is an area where you want to have an alternative destination in mind if it doesn't work out. Comes with the territory. Once admitted, you're on the training grounds for recruits into the Marine Corps. As someone who just visited the massive new USMC museum near DC, being here is just a different experience. The sea island environment is rugged, biting insects are numerous, and even in the shade, the heat is sweltering. The museum is an older-looking, utilitarian building, but the exhibits are extensive and I spent around two hours and certainly did not read every detail. The training program itself is extensively described, and I don't think I would last very long. But given the lack of discipline in the civilian world, the nature of training here illuminates the differences and is educational even for someone who is not a Marine. I was also surprised with the level of detail in which the history of the island was covered. There was quite a lot about colonial history, and you'll learn about Native Americans, the Gullah people who were left behind here after the Civil War, and the introduction of women into the service. I also found it notable that the museum wasn't quite as jingoistic as some of the other military sites I've been to. You can see exhibits on the Fall of Saigon or John Brown that aren't exactly America's finest moments. Don't get me wrong, the museum still certainly has a perspective, and you couldn't leave without getting a very clear impression of what the values of the Marines are. A visitor center within walking distance was closed, but once inside the base, the other area that I found tourist-friendly was a historic area near the golf course which talks about Spanish and French colonial history and gives you a nice view of the natural environment. I come from an Army-Navy family myself and I don't have any strong ties to the subject, but one can't help but walk out with an appreciation of the relevance of our Marine Corps to the way the rest of us are able to live our lives.

Interactive play. Go…read moreonline and make reservations if your children want to experience the museum. They fill up fast. You have morning and afternoon sessions available. There are both indoor and outdoor activities. You would have to see if it is a place your kids would want to play and learn.

This is the second time my daughter and I took my granddaughter to the Sandbox Children's Museum…read more The first time we went, there were no issues at all. The little one had a great time and we felt very welcomed by the staff. However, this time we felt the experience was not as good and the main reason was because of the attitude & actions of some employees. First off, while we were checking in, the staff was not as friendly and helpful as they were on our previous visit. They had a bit of an attitude because we didn't make reservations before coming. We have a toddler- it's not always easy to preplan your whole day when you have a toddler. Reservations were not full so we were able to go right in. Later on, my granddaughter, who will be three in a month, wanted to play in the area marked for children two & under. At the time, there were no other children playing in that area, so we let her play. An employee walked by and asked how old she was. We told her and she rudely said that she had aged out and that she needed to leave that area. So we left the museum. We could understand if there were children younger than her playing there at the time, but there was no one else in there at all! And my granddaughter is a toddler, not a 6 or 8 year old child, for goodness sakes! It was silly. Use common sense and reasonable discretion when deciding when to enforce certain policies! But truly, the rude & condescending attitude of the employee is what made it so irritating. My daughter did reach out to the Executive Director to discuss the situation and received an apology, so we will give them another chance next time my daughter & granddaughter come to visit. The place is pretty small overall and I would not recommend for older kids as all of the exhibits/play spaces are limited and really geared for younger kids. I personally think $12 per person for admission is a bit much for what the place actually has to offer, but as long as my granddaughter is entertained, we are willing to pay it. She wil likely "age out of it" in a few years unless they add some new & more advanced exhibits/play areas.

Located in Beaufort, SC, the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park is quite possibly one of…read morethe smallest historical parks under the jurisdiction of the National Parks Service. It's said to be spread out over 3 distinct sites in Beaufort County, but the main visitor center is housed in a single small brick building (formerly a firehouse) with several exhibits and is free of charge to visit. It's supposed to be open daily, but may be closed at random during a government shutdown, as was the case when I stopped by for a quick visit. Since it was closed, I only got to admire the brick exterior and a few placards placed out front. As I was already visiting Beaufort on a day trip, I wasn't overly disappointed, but may have been if I had made a trip from out of town to visit only to find it closed. If you are interested in history of the reconstruction era and find yourself in this part of South Carolina north of Savannah and Hilton Head, this small historic park might be worth a quick stop.

What an interesting national park and museum! Very detailed exhibits on the reconstruction era and…read morea very cool gift shop. This is one of 3 reconstruction park locations - the other 2 are in close proximity to Beaufort. We also took a 1 hour tour with Park Ranger Emma who is extremely knowledgeable on the Reconstruction era and how Beaufort was somewhat of an "Experiment " on reconstruction.

We came to see the lighthouse. I did not climb to the top. I am unable to climb that high any…read morelonger. I wish I could. There were many busses there and individual family's there. This lighthouse is located in a quaint and cute neighborhood. We did not stay long, as we're on our way to where I wanted to go:Sugar Shack. Then we're were going g to head home:Jacksonville, Florida. Recommend? Only younger people who can climb many steps.

We took a day trip from Savannah Georgia, where we were staying over to Tybee Island, which is a…read morequick jaunt and it was worth the day trip. We headed over to the lighthouse and got the tickets. They have senior discounts, military discounts, and various deals, but the price is very reasonable and it includes your trip up the lighthouse and you also have the museum across the street that has so much detail you can spend hours there. The view from the top of the lighthouse gives you such an amazing perspective of Tybee Island and the beach is enormous and you can see quite a bit of it from the top of the lighthouse. Make sure you're in good physical condition to walk up 196 stairs, which is like six levels up. They limit the number of people that can go up the lighthouse all at one time so it doesn't get congested up at the top. They keep just a handful of people going at one time.

The end of a long day we decided to come here. It was just perfect for that after a long day but…read morestill something to do kind of activity. Wish we walked around more but as my son kept saying he was tired of walking lol. Of course he wasn't to tired to go check out the gift shop :P

The Coastal Discovery Museum came up in a search of things to do on a rainy day in Hilton Head…read more While there is a museum component in the main house, much of the attractions are outdoors, so something to keep in mind should you visit when it's raining or when the weather isn't ideal. The outdoor component includes several boardwalks, sculptures, a butterfly enclosure, and gardens. It's meant to introduce you to the coastal ecosystem and marsh life, which makes it quite unique. Admission is complimentary and there's a decent amount of parking. The main house and museum (the Discovery House) I would rate a 3.5 out of 5 stars. The volunteers on hand do a good job in welcoming guests and introducing the site so that guests aren't just left to wander on their own. While the permanent exhibits explaining the local area, ecosystem, and history were decent, I felt the more modern artwork was quite underwhelming, with many of the works on display having price tags (leads me to believe it was amateur artwork for sale). It left me wishing the weather was nice so I could explore the grounds, but that wasn't meant to be as there was a downpour of rain outside. If you have free time in Hilton Head, I'd recommend a visit to the Coastal Discovery Museum, but probably moreso when the weather is nice so you can explore the grounds.

What a wonderful educational day trip this place makes for people or children of any age. You can…read morelearn more about the environment and animal life that can be found in this area. They also offer tours (which we didn't try yet but certainly plan to). You can walk around for free (however they do kindly ask for a donation).

A drive through the islands leads one past this building (perhaps an old oyster factory from the…read morelooks of things) with a spectacular view and a story to tell. There are a couple of rooms worth of free exhibits describing the environment, the wildlife, and the human interactions with the area. It's free, and notably there is a loop that runs under the highway so it is reasonably easy to get to the museum from either direction. The place is not open on Sunday, which is common in the South but not ideal from my perspective as that would be when I would most likely be wanting to do some outdoor activity. When I finally found my way there on a Saturday, albeit kind of an unplanned visit, I saw that they offered kayak tours, but apparently these require advance registration and I could not go on one having just shown up, which is kind of disappointing. It looks like a very nice area to see from the water. I would certainly encourage tourists to make the stop regardless.

Want to understand the marine ecology here on Tybee Island? This is your stop, informative exhibits…read moreand native animals that encapsulate the island.

This place is good for kids more so than adults. Although they do offer a senior/military discount,…read morethe entry fee was $12 per person. That's not bad considering the monies go towards the upkeep and some charitable endeavors, The turtles are cute to see in all sizes.... There's a room with various fossils. And there wasn't much in the touch tank -- a few different types of tiny hermit crabs. Other than that, there's a reproduction of a right whale they've adopted with some history about them. Downstairs they have a play area and an area for kids' activities, and one big turtle, by itself in a tank -- if you have the patience to watch it move from one of its corners. Accessibility-wise there are some challenges. A long wooden ramp entrance that is not covered and very hot. An elevator to get downstairs, but the doors to the car park exit were closed. And a loft area with something (not sure what) only accessible by stars, too. The kids there at the time we were there were mainly enjoying the playground.

Whoa, I was not prepared for how amazing this place was!…read more When we first arrived I thought it would be just kind of a silly tourist trap thing, but boy was I wrong! It is a very large collection of everything spooky, odd and strange! There are entire rooms focused on serial killers, such as Gacy, HH Holmes and Richard Ramirez. We were in there for a very long time and learned so much from the women running the tour. There was even a guy in our group who had been childhood friends with one of Gacy's victims, which was incredibly surreal and really hit home how real all of this was, and not just entertainment. They also have, or are going to have, another location in Chicago which is very exciting and I would definitely seek that out next time I am there. All in all a 10/10 experience.

This museum was MUCH bigger than I anticipated. We spent about an hour and a half and easily could…read morehave spent another or so in there learning and listening to the gals educate the group. There was so much to read, so much to see, and so much to experience. This is a very dark museum so if you have a weak stomach, are faint of heart if easily disturbed I would not recommend. Even still you are heavily warned about what is in each room should you not want to see or experience something by the staff. They were so helpful!! Their regular price is $25 OR $50 for a two day pass, tshirt, tote (or a pin), and sticker. Absolutely great deal if you're wanting some merch. Very spooky, eerie, and overall an interesting time!