The American Prohibiton Museum, opened in Savannah’s City Market in 2017, is an immersive, “edutainment”-style museum examining the unique history of Prohibition in early 20th-century America through costumed interpreters, historic artifacts and life-size dioramas of key scenes from the famous era.
As a plaque outside the front door notes, Savannah is the home of American Prohibition, having first banned the consumption of liquor in 1735, shortly after the colony of Georgia was established. (No such enthusiasm for the alcohol-free life accompanied Georgia’s entry to the 1920s Prohibition movement: Savannah tried to secede from the state rather than submit to the new laws!)
In addition to the museum, a popular 1920s-style speakeasy (accessible both through the museum and separately on selected evenings) recreates the atmosphere of one of the many illicit bars that sprang up across the country (including in Savannah), serving authentic period cocktails.
A large gift shop sells items related to the museum as well as general Savannah souvenirs. Expect to spend up to an hour viewing the exhibits, excluding any time you may choose to spend in the speakeasy.
See also:
– See abandoned liquor stills at nearby Skidaway Island State Park
– Savannah’s must-see sights
– Food and drink tours
– Other attractions and things to do
!Museum hours and other details subject to change. Please verify all information at the official website before visiting.
The American Prohibition Museum is displayed across two floors in Savannah’s City Market, in what was formerly a retail space and apartment. Seven cities were initially considered to locate the new museum, with Savannah said to have won out due to its history as the first site of prohibition.
A series of galleries outline the events leading up to Prohibition, experiences during the Prohibition period, and its history through to its repeal.
Exhibits explore the activities of the Temperance League and others in favor of the ban on alcohol, and the passing of the 18th Amendment. Other displays concern the people who resisted the regulation of drink by illicitly manufacturing, transporting and selling alcohol during the Prohibition years (the museum claims that its collection of copper stills is the largest in the country — to see another still that remains in situ, visit Skidaway Island State Park).
Other galleries examine additional aspects of Prohibition through the 20s until the birth of NASCAR and the end of Prohibition in 1933, with exhibits on flappers and other characters from the age, and a recreated saloon.
On display are hundreds of historic artifacts, many of them locally sourced. Artifacts include a variety of early-20th-century bottles, examples of the alchohol-free goods sold by reinvented alcohol manufacturers in the 1920s, posters, newspapers and photographs, weapons, clothing, and several vintage vehicles, including a Model T Ford (the cars had to be disassembled and then reassembled once inside the museum).
The exhibits include a series of life-size dioramas, populated by realistic wax figures made by the Potter’s Wax Museum in St Augustine, one of the other sites owned by the American Prohibition Museum’s parent company, Historic Tours of America. Costumed interpreters add to the experience.
For additional information, please call 912-551-4054 or visit the museum’s official website.
Address 209 West St Julian Street, Savannah, GA. Entrance is via pedestrianised City Market.
Hours Open Monday-Sunday, 10am-5pm. Closed St Patrick’s Day.
Admission Adults $16, children (4-12) $10.70, young children (0-3) free. A small discount is available if you purchase tickets online. If you intend to take a trolley tour, an additional discount is available if you purchase museum admission together with a 1-day trolley tour with Old Town Trolley Tours.
Other information Visitors under the age of 21 are not allowed in the speakeasy: ID is required.
For additional information, please call 912-551-4054 or visit the bar’s official website.
Address The speakeasy can be accessed as part of the museum experience, but if you are visiting in the evening, the entrance is at 220 Congress Street, at the corner of Congress and Jefferson Streets.
Evening hours Wednesday-Saturday, 6:30pm-12am.
– Georgia State Railroad Museum
– King-Tisdell Cottage
– Massie Heritage Center
– National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force (Pooler, GA)
– Pin Point Heritage Museum
– Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum
– Savannah History Museum
– Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum
– Webb Military Museum
See also:
– Guided tours of Savannah
– Black history sites in Savannah
– Historic house tours
– Savannah cemeteries