Historic Savannah Georgia Must See Places -

Built in 1733, Savannah is Georgia’s oldest city. This port city has a great vibe, southern charm, historical squares and haunted houses. Historic Savannah, Georgia is one of my favorite cities in the U.S. Moss-draped oaks, cobblestone streets, and weathered brick buildings the city is full of history and beautiful architecture.

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Savannah Historic District

Savannah’s Historic District is the heart of the city. It blends graceful charm with a hint of spookiness, thanks to its haunted legends, antebellum architecture, and deep maritime roots.

Getting Around Savannah Georgia

Savannah is walkable if you’re staying within the Historic District. In addition, there are plenty of parking garages you can park at and then walk. While we were there we walked everywhere with the exception of our visit to Bonaventure Cemetery and Wormsloe.

Want to give your feet a break? Try one of the classic trolley tours or hop-on-hop-off shuttles that make loops around the main sights. It’s an easy way to get the lay of the land and hear fun facts about the city along the way.

For more information on fare free transportation in Savannah visit DOT.

Northern Historic Savannah District – River Street

On our most recent trip to Savannah we chose to stay on River Street. This is where Savannah began. River Street is probably the most famous stretch in town, and for good reason. It runs right along the Savannah River, which played a major role in shaping the city into one of the largest eastern seaports.

The old cotton warehouses here have been transformed into a lively mix of boutique shops, restaurants, pubs, and art galleries. You can still walk the original cobblestone paths and get a feel for the city’s working port past.

Southern Historic District

Head south and things slow down even more. This part of the Historic District feels quieter and more residential, with beautiful old homes, charming bed-and-breakfasts, and leafy squares perfect for sitting with a coffee or simply people-watching.

Map

Must See Sights in Historic Savannah

River Street
City Market
Savannah Squares
Forsyth Park
Historic Houses
Prohibition Museum
Georgia River Cruise
Telfair Academy
Jepson Center

Savannah’s River Street

Probably the most famous street in Savannah River Street is where Savannah started. The river is why Savannah became the largest eastern seaport.

One of the best things about historic Savannah is how walkable it is. If you’re staying downtown in the Historic District or near River Street, you can easily explore on foot. The streets are flat and laid out in a tidy grid, dotted with 22 shady squares.

Today you can still walk on the cobblestone streets or take a riverboat cruise. The old cotton warehouses are now boutique shops, art galleries and restaurants.

If you’re staying outside of downtown Savannah has plenty of parking garages near the Historic District, so you can park once and explore for the day.

Georgia Queen River Cruise

You can’t miss the huge Georgia Queen on the River. We decided, on a whim, to take the afternoon cruise and just went to the ticket office to get tickets for that afternoon.

It’s a relaxing way to see the city from a new angle and a great excuse to sit back with a cold drink and let someone else do the navigating.

Some popular cruises include:

City Market

Less than a half mile walk from River Street is Savannah’s City Market. This open-air market was originally built in the 1700’s. Today this several block section of the city is home to restaurants, shops, and bars.

Staying true to its roots as a gathering place, City Market is a popular place to listen to live music and for people to hang out.

City market in Savannah ga — City Market

Originally City Market extended to Barnard Street. Unfortunately, one of the main buildings in City Market was destroyed for a parking garage. Since then the parking garage was relocated below ground and Ellis Square is now adjacent to City Market.

For more information visit City Market

Savannah Squares

Savannah’s founder, James Oglethorpe, designed the city in a grid like pattern around city squares. The original 4 squares expanded to 24 squares in the 1800’s. Today there are 22 squares remaining in a one-mile radius in Savannah.

Forsyth Park

This beautiful park covers 30 acres and often hosts farmers markets. It is also home to Savannah’s oldest tree- the Candler Oak.

One of the most photographed spots in Savannah, Forsyth park is anchored with a multi-tiered beautiful fountain. The fountain is considered a Beaux-Arts/Neoclassical Design and was inspired by those seen in Paris. The park was donated to the city in the mid 1800’s. We loved walking around the park to see the local market and the pretty houses facing the park.

Where is the Fountain?

The fountain is on the north end of the park. If you’re here just to see the fountain and don’t want the extra steps, the quickest way to see it is from East Gaston Street. There is a sidewalk leading directly to the fountain from there.

If you really want to see the fountain I recommend visiting early on in your trip just in case you have to come back. One time we visited the fountain was drained and we had to visit a few days later to take photos in front of the fountain. The last time we were in Savannah it took us three trips to the park before we could see the fountain due to rainy weather and a wedding. The Forsyth Park fountain is such a pretty fountain it was worth the extra trips. Water nymphs, tritons, and swans sculptures are at the base of the fountain.

The basketball and tennis courts are on the Park Avenue side of the park. When we visited the local market was in the middle of the park. The playground is near Drayton and East Hall Street.

Dead of Night Ghost Tour

If you’re in Savannah there are lots of ghost tours to choose from. We wanted an adults only tour, so we chose Ghost City Tour of Savannah . Our tour guide was an interesting guy and we really enjoyed learning more about the history of Savannah and it’s haunted past. We’ve taken three tours in Savannah and this one was the best one so far.

Marshall Hotel in Savannah — The Marshall House

Historic Houses

There are over a hundred historic Savannah houses. Some are open to the public. If you like architecture or exploring historic houses, Savannah is such an interesting place to visit. Many of the houses have tours to give you insight on how daily life was.

Some well-known historic houses include:

Sorrell-Weed House
Owens Thomas House & Slave Quarters
Mercer Williams House
Olde Pirate House Tavern
Davenport House Museum

Prohibition Museum

This was a very interesting museum. Lots of interactive exhibits to explain how the prohibition affected every day life, the political implications of it and how it ended. There is even a cool speakeasy at the end of the museum. You can grab a drink and watch a short film on the prohibition.

Jepson Center & Telfair’s Children’s Art Museum

We visited the Owens-Thomas House and as part of our ticket price we could also visit the Telfair Museums, which includes The Academy and the Jepson Center.

If I was not given a ticket to visit the Jepson Center it wasn’t on my list to visit. However, the Jepson Center was such an unexpected fun immersive experience. I wish I could have spent more time there.

Cross Streets: York and Barnard Street. You can walk to the Telfair Academy Museum from here too.

Telfair Academy Museum

The Academy Museum admission is included in the ticket price for the Owens-Thomas House.

If you want to see the famous ‘Bird Girl’ statue featured in the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil you can no longer see the statue at the Bonaventure Cemetery. You can view the statue as well as xx pieces of art at the Telfair Academy Museum.

Cross Streets: Barnard & State Street

Prettiest Streets in Savannah

Broughton St, Jones Street, and Congress St

Fun Island Day Trips

Tybee Island
St. Simon Island
Jekyl Island
Hilton Head Island

Distance from Savannah to Charleston and to St. Augustine.

Savannah is Georgia’s oldest city. From Savannah you can easily visit the oldest city in South Carolina and the oldest city in Florida. Charleston is just over a hundred miles and about two hours from Savannah. St. Augustine is 180 miles from Savannah and a three hour drive.

Savannah’s Prettiest Streets
Savannah’s Historic Houses
River Street
Savannah’s Squares
Bonaventure Cemetary
Wormsloe Plantation