Telfair Academy
The earliest public art museum in the American South, home to the 'Bird Girl' statue from the cover of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
The Telfair Academy opened as a public art museum in 1886, making it one of the earliest art museums in the American South. Its main building is an 1819 Regency-style mansion designed by William Jay. The collection includes 19th- and 20th-century American and European paintings, sculpture and decorative arts. The most popular piece is the bronze 'Bird Girl' statue, which once stood in Bonaventure Cemetery and became famous through the book cover. Located on Telfair Square, the museum shares a combined ticket with the Jepson Center and the Owens–Thomas House.
Opening hours
Approx. 10:00–17:00; Sun from 12:00
Nearby sights
- Jepson Center for the Arts
- City Market
- First African Baptist Church
- Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum
- Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace
- Savannah Historic District Squares
- Chippewa Square
- SCAD Museum of Art