Museums form World War II Heritage Trail across Georgia

St. Marys Submarine Museum

SAVANNAH, Ga. – A group of museums and historic sites are working together to promote a Georgia World War II Heritage Trail with stops across the state.

The trail officially launched Tuesday and ties together 10 sites connected to Georgia’s history during the war.

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They include the Currahee Military Museum in Toccoa, where the Army trained its first paratroopers, and the National Infantry Museum at Fort Benning outside Columbus.

On the coast, there’s the St. Mary’s Submarine Museum near Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base, while South Georgia has the World War II Flight Training Museum in Douglas, where Army pilots trained at South Georgia College.

The idea for a tourism trail linking Georgia’s World War II sites was launched a few years ago by Scott Loehr, president of the National Museum of the Mighty 8th Air Force near Savannah and Sheri Jones of the Coastal Georgia Historical Society, which operates the World War II Home Front Museum on St. Simons Island.

“The response that we received was overwhelmingly positive, and within a year we had established a close working relationship,” Jones said in a news release. “We were united by our passion for WWII history and our eagerness to make Georgia’s rich heritage more accessible to all.”

For visitors eager to hit the trail as soon as possible, organizers warn that some sites still have visitation restrictions because of the coronavirus pandemic.


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