FAQ

Do I need a reservation to visit the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace? toggle arrow

Reservations are not required to tour the birthplace. However, we strongly recommend advance reservations to guarantee entry on the day of your visit. The birthplace is accessible by guided tour only. Space is limited and tours can fill up in advance. You may purchase tickets online up to 6 months in advance or in person in our Tickets building. Click here to reserve your spot.

What will I experience on a tour of the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace?  toggle arrow

Our engaging tour guides will share the fascinating story of Juliette Gordon Low and her journey to founding Girl Scouts in the United States at the height of the Progressive Era. You will explore Juliette Low’s life and legacy in rope-free historic rooms filled with artwork and furnishings that belonged to Low and her family. Our tour has something for everyone. No matter who you are, your life has been changed by a Girl Scout.

When are guided tours available? toggle arrow

We sell tickets for guided tours in person or online up to 6 months in advance. Please click here to purchase your tickets. Our open hours are Thursdays - Tuesdays, 10am - 4pm, and the last guided tour is offered at 3:50pm. Our hours change seasonally. For more information click here.

What are your discounted rates? toggle arrow

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? toggle arrow

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? toggle arrow

For Girl Scout Troop Experiences:

100% of fees paid are refundable up to 60 days prior to visit
50% of fees paid are refundable 59-31 days prior to visit
No refund of fees paid 30 days prior to visit

For General Tours:

100% of fees paid are refundable up to 24 hours prior to visit

Where do I park? toggle arrow

Finding a parking spot can be challenging in our busy downtown. Please allow yourself time to find parking so your visit can be stress-free. Metered street parking is available throughout downtown Savannah, as are city-owned parking garages. You can download the Park Savannah app to pay from your phone. Please see our accessibility page for information on how to get to the birthplace using public transit and where to go on arrival.

What about accessibility?  toggle arrow

We have been working hard to reach our goal of access for all at the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace. Click here for accessibility information to help you prepare for a visit. Do you have an idea of how we can improve accessibility at the birthplace? Share with a staff member when you visit or send your accessibility idea to birthplace@girlscouts.org.

Are pets or service animals allowed on-site? toggle arrow

Only registered service dogs may enter our buildings. Click here for more information.

How do I get an official Birthplace pin?   toggle arrow

The Birthplace pin can only be worn by currently registered Girl Scouts and Girl Scout adults who tour the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace. They are available for purchase in our museum store.  

Do Girl Scouts have to be in uniform to visit the Birthplace? toggle arrow

We do not require Girl Scouts to wear uniforms to visit. Dress code for Girl Scout travel and events is decided on by troops and their local councils. When planning what to wear for your birthplace visit, please research the weather (hot and humid from May to September and surprisingly chilly at times during the rest of the year) and plan for comfort and safety during troop activities. Birthplace tees are always an option. Also consider that Girl Scouts are like celebrities in Savannah. It can be fun and inspiring to look like a Girl Scout here!

What should we wear to the Senior/Ambassador Over Teacups program? toggle arrow

Your troop should decide together what to wear to tea. We have had troops come for tea in full uniform, in formal wear, in summer dresses and straw hats, and straight from the beach with sand in their hair. We love seeing what theme Girl Scouts choose for their tea wear and are pleased to host them all!

How do I receive a copy of the Birthplace Bound Troop Information Booklet? toggle arrow

Birthplace Bound 2024 is fully digital and can be accessed here. If you are a Girl Scout-friendly business interested in advertising, contact Danielle Christian, Community Relations Manager, for more information.

Why don’t you sell cookies at the Birthplace? toggle arrow

Because cookie income supports local Girl Scout councils and troop activities. The net proceeds from Girl Scout Cookie sales stay local. Cookie program revenue is a critical source of funding for Girl Scout councils to deliver essential programming to troops and is often what makes it possible to reach girls in underserved areas and maintain camps. Girl Scouts pool their money as a troop and use it to fuel their Girl Scout adventures throughout the year, including camping trips, travel (including visits to the Birthplace), and community projects. For answers to all your Girl Scout cookie questions, click here.

Where exactly did Girl Scouts begin? toggle arrow

Until her mother’s death in 1917, Juliette Gordon Low stayed at the Gordon family house (now the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace) whenever she was in Savannah. In 1912, she came home to the Gordon house full of plans to start Girl Scouts (then known as Girl Guides) in the United States after learning about and working with Girl Guides in England and Scotland. It is from this house that she called her cousin, Nina Pape, and said “Come right over. I’ve got something for the girls of Savannah, and all of America, and all the world and we’re going to start it tonight!”

Juliette Low introduced her plans for a new girls’ club to Savannah mothers and daughters at tea parties hosted at the Gordon family house and in friends’ homes around town. Troops of Savannah Girl Guides may have been meeting informally as early as March 9, 1912, in homes of friends and family and the Female Orphan Asylum.

March 12th was later designated as the official founding date because on that day the first members were officially registered (18 girls divided into two patrols) in the presence of the first board of Councilors. This meeting was held in the Louisa Porter Home, a charity for women and children which stood on the southwest corner of  Drayton Street. (There is a small plaque commemorating the site’s Girl Scout history on the steps of the red brick building that now stands on the spot.)  

First troop members remembered signing their names to a roster, reciting the Promise and Law, learning to tie knots, and snacking on milk and crackers. Then they walked across the street to view the building being cleaned and fitted up for their new clubhouse, now Girl Scout First Headquarters. The clubhouse was in the carriage house behind the house Juliette Low inherited from her husband, now the Andrew Low House Museum. Low was renting out the house to the Nash family in 1912, who generously turned the carriage house over to the girls without a reduction in rent.

So officially the first Girl Scout meeting was held on March 12, 1912, at the Louisa Porter Home. But planning, recruitment, and informal gatherings were happening all over the city in March 1912. Maybe the best answer to the question “where did Girl Scouts begin” is “Savannah!”  

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