American Prohibition Museum
Wax temperance campaigners, bootlegger cars and a real speakeasy at the end. It is an easy indoor hour in City Market; the cocktail class is a separate night out.
Written by Alex H., Travel editor and researcherUpdated October 2026
Carry Nation in wax opens the argument. Thirteen galleries then move through temperance rallies, moonshiners, flappers, mobsters and the fast cars tied to NASCAR's early story. Four vintage cars and a small theater break up the displays. Most visitors need 45 to 60 minutes.
The route ends at Congress Street Up, a working speakeasy. In museum hours it is the last stop on some tickets. At night it has its own entrance, jazz on Friday and Saturday, and a strict 21-plus rule. That split matters: a museum visit fits a hot or wet afternoon; the two-hour cocktail class owns an evening.
Visiting basics
- Address
- 209 W. St. Julian Street, upstairs in the City Market courtyard closest to Ellis Square
- Self-guided time
- 45–60 minutes for most guests
- Museum ticket
- Self-guided entry; see the current price below
- Guided visit
- One hour, with a cocktail or mocktail included
- Alcohol rule
- Age 21+ with a valid government photo ID; under-21s may tour the museum
- Facts checked
- September 1, 2026
Four tickets that are easy to confuse
Self-guided means a flexible hour. The guided visit lasts an hour and ends with a cocktail or mocktail. The cocktail class starts at 7 p.m., runs two hours and requires photo ID from everyone drinking. A museum-plus-drink ticket and a longer VIP visit are sold by the museum rather than this catalog. The table is the clean version.
| Option | Time and fit | Book |
|---|---|---|
| Museum ticket | Self-paced; most visitors take 45–60 minutes | American Prohibition Museum Ticket (from $20 · ★4.7 (147)) |
| Guided visit | One hour with a guide and a cocktail or mocktail; children 4 and under are free with an adult | American Prohibition Museum Guided Tour (from $45 · 45 minutes · ★4.7 (10)) |
| Cocktail class | A separate two-hour evening class at 7 p.m., Monday to Saturday: sample two cocktails and make two; 21+ with ID | Cocktail Class at American Prohibition Museum (from $78 · 2 hours · ★4.9 (146)) |
| Museum plus drink; VIP guided visit with cocktail lesson | One speakeasy drink with the museum ticket, or an 80-minute VIP guided visit with a hands-on drink | Sold by the museum only; not in this site's catalog |
Prices are the catalog's current figures as of September 1, 2026; checkout shows the final terms for the selected date.
GetYourGuide tickets for the museum
Three separate listings. Check duration, drink inclusion, cancellation and age terms at checkout; they differ.
- Check availability →
American Prohibition Museum Ticket
★ 4.7 (147 reviews) · from $20
Entry only, for the flexible self-guided hour.
See the catalog breakdown - Check availability →
American Prohibition Museum Guided Tour
★ 4.7 (10 reviews) · 45 minutes · from $45
The guided visit when you want the stories told.
- Check availability →
Cocktail Class at American Prohibition Museum
★ 4.9 (146 reviews) · 2 hours · from $78
The two-hour evening cocktail class, a separate activity with its own time slot.
Catalog prices and ratings can move. Checkout shows the final terms. These links may earn the site a commission at no extra cost to you.
Look upstairs in City Market
The entrance is in the City Market courtyard closest to Ellis Square, a short walk from the Telfair museums, and the Old Town Trolley stops at the door. The nearest parking is metered street spaces and the city's Whitaker Street and Robinson garages; the parking guide has the rates, and the hotel guide covers the rooms within walking distance. The museum opens daily at 10 a.m. with final entry at 4:15 p.m., closes on St. Patrick's Day and may close for private events, so look at its schedule-update page and the ticket calendar before counting on a particular time.
The elevator reaches the galleries
An elevator serves the museum's second floor. For the speakeasy at night, use the front door and call ahead. Food and drink are not allowed in the galleries before the speakeasy, and service animals are. Ask at the desk about filming before you start.
Before you choose a ticket
Getting there and parking
The entrance is upstairs at 209 West St. Julian Street, in the City Market courtyard closest to Ellis Square, a short walk from the Telfair museums. The nearest parking is metered street spaces and the city's Whitaker Street and Robinson garages, and the Old Town Trolley stops at the museum.
When to go
The museum opens daily at 10 a.m. and closes at 5, with final entry at 4:15; it closes on St. Patrick's Day and sometimes for private events. Guided visits leave on weekdays at 10:15, 11, 11:45, 12:30, 1:30, 2:15, 3 and 3:45, and on weekends as capacity permits. The cocktail class is at 7 p.m., Monday to Saturday. Save the museum for the rainy hour or the hottest part of the afternoon.
What to bring
A government photo ID if you want the drink: alcohol is for 21 and over, with no exceptions at the speakeasy, and the guided visit gives under-21s a mocktail instead. Leave food and drink outside the galleries. Service animals are welcome.
Tickets
Three listings are in the catalog: the self-guided museum ticket, the one-hour guided visit with a cocktail or mocktail, and the two-hour cocktail class. Children 4 and under are free with an adult on the guided visit and get no drink. The museum-plus-drink ticket and the 80-minute VIP guided visit are sold by the museum only.
Accessibility
An elevator serves the museum's second floor. For the speakeasy at night, go to the front door and call ahead. Ask at the desk about filming before you start; the galleries are dark in places and the wax figures are close.
The speakeasy after dark
Congress Street Up has its own entrance upstairs at 220 Congress Street and opens Monday to Wednesday 6:30 to 11 p.m. and Thursday to Saturday 6:30 p.m. to midnight, with live jazz on Friday and Saturday nights. Only guests 21 and over are allowed in while the bar is open, the museum is closed during bar hours, and no Sunday evening hours are listed.
Drinks, children and the speakeasy
What is in the American Prohibition Museum?
13 galleries in nearly 6,000 square feet upstairs in City Market: more than 35 wax figures, among them Carry Nation, Al Capone, Bugs Moran and "Machine Gun" Jack McGurn, four vintage cars, hundreds of artifacts, a theater, and displays on the temperance movement, a 1918 street scene, a tent revival with Billy Sunday, moonshiners, bootleggers, the birth of NASCAR and the flappers. The route ends at Congress Street Up, a working speakeasy. Most self-guided visitors spend 45 to 60 minutes.
Can you drink at the Prohibition Museum?
Yes, with the right ticket. The museum-plus-drink ticket includes one drink at the speakeasy; the guided visit includes a cocktail or mocktail; the two-hour cocktail class has you sample two drinks and make two. Alcohol requires age 21 and a government photo ID. Under-21s can visit the museum itself.
Is the speakeasy open at night?
Yes. Congress Street Up opens as a bar upstairs at 220 Congress Street, Monday to Wednesday 6:30 to 11 p.m. and Thursday to Saturday 6:30 p.m. to midnight, with live jazz on Friday and Saturday. The museum is closed during bar hours, only guests 21 and over are allowed in while the bar is open, and no Sunday evening hours are listed.
How long does the museum take?
Most self-guided visitors spend 45 to 60 minutes. The guided visit is one hour, and the cocktail class is a separate two-hour evening activity that starts at 7 p.m., Monday to Saturday.
How much are tickets?
In the current catalog the self-guided museum ticket is $20, the guided visit with a cocktail or mocktail $45 and the two-hour cocktail class $78 a person; those figures update with the catalog, and checkout shows the final terms. The museum also sells a museum-plus-drink ticket and an 80-minute VIP guided visit itself, which are not in the catalog.
Can children visit the Prohibition Museum?
Yes. Anyone under 21 can tour the museum; the age rule applies to the alcohol, and the guided visit gives under-21s a mocktail. Children 4 and under are free with an adult on the guided visit and get no drink. Only guests 21 and over are allowed into Congress Street Up while it is open as an evening bar.
Where is the museum, and where do I park?
At 209 West St. Julian Street, upstairs in the City Market courtyard closest to Ellis Square, a short walk from the Telfair museums. The nearest parking is metered street spaces and the city's Whitaker Street and Robinson garages, and the Old Town Trolley stops at the museum.
Is the museum wheelchair accessible?
There is an elevator to the second floor, where the museum is. For the speakeasy at night, use the front door and call ahead. Service animals are allowed.
What is the cocktail class?
A two-hour evening class in the speakeasy at 7 p.m., Monday to Saturday, for ages 21 and over with photo ID. You sample two cocktails and make two with the instructor, using professional bartender tools, with the history of the drinks and small bites along the way. Use the 220 Congress Street entrance. Treat it as an evening activity of its own; if you want the galleries as well, visit in the daytime on a museum ticket.
When is the museum closed?
On St. Patrick's Day, and occasionally for group tours or private events. Otherwise it opens daily at 10 a.m., with final entry at 4:15 p.m. and closing at 5. The museum's schedule-update page and the ticket calendar show any closure for the date you want.
Is it really the only Prohibition museum in America?
That is the museum's own marketing claim, and it appears on its pages in several forms. What is documented is the museum itself: owned by Historic Tours of America, built out from December 2015 on a plan of 4,500 square feet that grew to nearly 6,000, with 13 galleries, four vintage cars, a working speakeasy and a theater.
The simple ticket rule
Use the self-guided ticket for a flexible indoor hour. Choose the guided visit when you want the stories told and a drink at the end. Book the cocktail class only if a separate two-hour evening at 7 p.m. belongs in the schedule; it is an activity, not a museum add-on.
Primary sources
Checked September 1, 2026. Schedules, fees and policies can change, so recheck a linked source when the detail will affect your visit.
- American Prohibition Museum — address, hours, "America's only Prohibition museum" claim
- American Prohibition Museum: building the museum — December 2015 start; 6,000 square feet; 13 galleries
- American Prohibition Museum: guided tours — one hour; wax figures; artifacts
- American Prohibition Museum: Congress Street Up — speakeasy hours and rules
- American Prohibition Museum: cocktail classes — two hours, 7 p.m., 21+
- American Prohibition Museum: visitor policies — access, food, recording
- American Prohibition Museum: FAQs — parking, age, elevator
- American Prohibition Museum: schedule updates — closures
- GetYourGuide: Savannah activities — catalog listings
Save it for the heat or rain
The museum is the indoor hour in a Historic District day: walk the squares in the morning, come up here when the heat or the rain arrives, and finish at the speakeasy if you are 21. The trolley tours stop at the door, and the food and drink tours are the other evening option built around drinks.
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