Savannah's 22 Historic Squares. General James Oglethorpe's 1733 city plan produced 22 park-like squares draped in Spanish moss and lined with 18th- and 19th-century architecture — a National Historic Landmark and one of the largest urban historic districts in America. Walking between them at your own pace, past fountains, mossy oaks, azaleas, and…
Forsyth Park. Savannah's 30-acre centerpiece park is anchored by a cast-iron fountain dating to 1858, modeled on similar fountains in Paris, and framed by live oaks trailing Spanish moss. The Forsyth Farmers' Market fills the southern end every Saturday morning, and festivals, concerts, and picnickers keep the park alive year-round.
Wormsloe State Historic Site. A breathtaking mile-long avenue of 400 live oaks draped in Spanish moss leads to the tabby ruins of a colonial estate built by Noble Jones, one of Georgia's first settlers, who arrived with Oglethorpe in 1733. The site also offers a 7-mile nature trail, a colonial-life museum, and costumed living-history…
Bonaventure Cemetery. Set on a scenic bluff above the Wilmington River, this hauntingly beautiful Victorian cemetery is the final resting place of poet Conrad Aiken, lyricist Johnny Mercer, and Georgia's first governor — and was immortalized in John Berendt's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Towering oaks, intricate stonework, and…
First African Baptist Church. Founded in 1777 by the Reverend George Leile, this is believed to be the oldest continuously active, autonomously developed African American congregation in North America. The 1859 church building served as an Underground Railroad waystation — the holes carved in the sanctuary floor in the shape of an African prayer…
Mercer Williams House Museum. Designed in 1860 and completed after the Civil War on Monterey Square, this Italianate mansion became the backdrop of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, the best-selling novel that nearly doubled Savannah's tourism. Interior tours reveal Jim Williams's extraordinary collection of fine art, antique furnishings,…
Tybee Island. Just 18 miles east of downtown, this barrier-island beach town offers more than three miles of Atlantic shoreline, the 1736 Tybee Island Lighthouse (178 steps to panoramic views), and easy-going coastal charm. It's Savannah's beach escape — ideal for a half-day or full-day detour.
Savannah Riverboat Cruises. The Savannah River Queen and Georgia Queen paddle-wheel riverboats operate narrated sightseeing cruises, sunset dinner voyages, and Gospel Night cruises from 9 East River Street. Gliding past working container ships and the historic Cotton Exchange offers a unique vantage on a city built by the river.