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FAQ

Are self-guided tours available?

The Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace is only accessible via guided tours. 

What is the Birthplace Guided Tour exactly?

The Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace is offering guided tours exploring the fascinating life and world-changing legacy of Juliette Low, Founder of Girl Scouts, through stories, art, and artifacts held in her childhood home.

When are Birthplace Guided Tour available?

We are currently selling tickets for guided tours in person or online up to 6 months in advance.  Please click here to purchase your tickets.

We are currently open Fridays - Tuesdays, 10am - 4pm and the last guided tour is offered at 3:30pm.

Do I need a reservation for the Birthplace Tours?

Reservations are not required for the Birthplace Tours; however, space is limited and tours can fill up in advance. For this reason, we recommend reservations, particularly for groups, to guarantee a specific date and time.

You may purchase tickets in person and online up to 6 months in advance.  Please click here to purchase your tickets.

How do I make a reservation for the Birthplace Tours?

You may purchase tickets in person or online up to 6 months in advance.  Please click here to purchase your tickets.

What are your discounted rates?

Currently registered Girl Scouts: $10

Students (ages 5-21): $12

Seniors: $12

Military with ID: $12

Child (4 and under): Free

Do you offer discounts to non-Girl Scout groups?

Tour companies and other non-Girl Scout groups of 10 or more may tour the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace.  Please call 912-233-4501 to speak with a reservation specialist.

 

Are my fees refundable?

100% of fees are refundable up to 60 days prior to visit.

50% of fees are refundable 59-31 days prior to visit.

No refund of fees 30 days prior to visit.

How can I find out about area hotels and attractions?

Please visit www.visitsavannah.com

Are pets or service animals allowed onsite?

We welcome only registered service animals onsite.

Can I bring food or beverages onsite?

Open food and beverages are not allowed in the historic part of the house.  Alcohol is prohibited onsite.

Will I receive a copy of Birthplace Bound Troop Information booklet?

Birthplace Bound 2023-2024 is currently being made. If you are a Savannah business interested in advertising, contact Danielle Christian, Community Relations Manager, for more information. 

In the meantime, we suggest exploring www.visitsavannah.com for suggestions on hotels, restaurants, and other activities for your troop.

Please click here, to check out other Savannah sites where Girl Scout history was made.

 

Why did GSUSA purchase the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace in 1953?

GSUSA purchased the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace to offer girls a place to experience Girl Scouts as Juliette would’ve wanted—with spirit, curiosity, and courage—rather than to establish a traditional historic house museum. This intention is documented in a 1955 letter to the Girl Scout Movement from then-national director (CEO) of Girl Scouts, Dorothy Stratton:

Although the house itself is interesting as an example of Regency architecture, it is not primarily for its historic interest that the Girl Scouts have bought it. Generally speaking, it is not within our purview to own or restore old houses... Nice as it is to own this house and to restore it to its former beauty, it is not to be a period piece unrelated to the life of the Girl Scouts in the second half of the twentieth century. Ms. Low was a woman of action. If we merely preserved her home, we would fail to realize completely the possibilities of her birthplace. To be true to her ideals and her plan for the girls of the United States, the birthplace must provide opportunities for girls to talk about their dreams, their ambitions, ways of serving their country, ways of making friends in school, their town, their country, and other countries.

Read more about the mission and history of the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace.

What is GSUSA’s strategy for preserving the site and making it accessible to tens of thousands of visitors each year?

Work at the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace reflects critical thinking, innovation, and best practices in the field. GSUSA’s strategy for stewarding the birthplace ultimately aligns with our mission, commitment to girls, and attention to Juliette’s legacy.

  • GSUSA devotes significant resources to repairing, restoring, and maintaining the site, ensuring that it will be enjoyed for generations to come.
    • For example, upon purchasing the birthplace, GSUSA dedicated considerable funds to repairing and in part restoring the site following numerous changes made by Juliette Gordon Low’s family in the preceding decades.
    • From 2012–2014, GSUSA allocated a large portion of board-designated funds for exterior renovations.
    • Completeed in 2021, the most recent renovation increased accessibility of the entire site, including the historic house, program spaces, and museum shop.
  • GSUSA ensures the birthplace is preserved according to best practices in the field. For its efforts, GSUSA was honored with Historic Preservation Awards from Historic Savannah Foundation in 2004 and 2015, the Excellence in Preservation Award from the Georgia Trust in 2015, and a preservation award from AIA Savannah in 2016.
  • GSUSA stewards the site with care, adhering to all requirements for maintaining its National Historic Landmark designation. We work to carefully preserve the buildings, grounds, and collections while balancing our need to provide access and innovations/interactivity for visitors. This approach is supported by local and national experts in historic preservation and is considered to be standard practice within the field.
  • GSUSA interprets the site in accordance with the Statement of Significance for the Juliette Gordon Low Historic District, as outlined in the National Historic Landmark designation:
    • Person of significance: Juliette Gordon Low
    • National Historic Landmark themes: expressing cultural values; creating social institutions and movements
    • Historic context: social and humanitarian movements
    • Period of significance: 1860–1927

Read more about the history of GSUSA’s efforts to responsibly preserve and restore the nearly 200-year-old building.

Read the National Historic Landmark application.

What about the leadership at the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace?

The Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace is managed with rigor and thoughtfulness, with careful attention paid to its conservation and the sharing of authentic core stories about Juliette, the arc of her life, and the Movement she founded.

Shannon Browning-Mullis works to bring the history of oppressed people to the public through architecture, artifacts, and personal stories in an effort to move toward justice today.  As curator of history and decorative arts for Telfair Museums, she led the major reinterpretation of the Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters, which resulted in the full inclusion of the enslaved men, women, and children into the site's narrative.  She's currently the executive director at the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace, where she seeks to use history to empower women and girls.

The Birthplace Advisory Committee (BAC) is an informal advisory group that provides a forum for information sharing and discussion among birthplace staff and various stakeholders in the Savannah area. The BAC helps advance the institutional goals of the birthplace, cultivates new strategic and programmatic partnerships, and strengthens the network of organizations committed to serving girls and women in the Savannah area and beyond.