Best Things to Do in Savannah

Savannah rewards slow, unhurried exploration, from strolling from square to square with an iced coffee in the morning to driving out through the salt marshes in the afternoon. Here are the ten experiences that define a visit.

1. Photograph the 1858 Forsyth Park Fountain & walk the Bull Street Spine. Arrive at sunrise to see the white cast-iron two-tiered fountain framed by live oaks, then walk north up Bull Street through Monterey, Madison, Chippewa, Wright and Johnson Squares.
2. Stroll brick-paved Jones Street & explore all 22 Historic Squares. Walk beneath a continuous tunnel of interlocking live-oak branches past 1850s Greek Revival and Italianate townhouses.
3. Cross the iron catwalk bridges of Factors Walk down to River Street & Plant Riverside. Watch 300-metre ocean container ships glide down the Savannah River while sampling warm butter-pecan pralines and visiting the 1912 power plant turned entertainment district.
4. Wander through 1846 Bonaventure Cemetery & tour the Mercer Williams House. Walk the bluff above the Wilmington River among Victorian marble angels and step inside the 1868 mansion from Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

5. Drive down the 1.5-mile Live-Oak Tunnel of Wormsloe State Historic Site. Pass beneath 400 planted live oaks to see the 1736 oyster-shell tabby ruins, the oldest standing structure in Savannah.
6. Step inside the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist & Owens-Thomas House. Marvel at Austrian stained glass on Lafayette Square and tour an 1819 English Regency masterpiece.
7. Swim at Tybee Island, climb Georgia's Tallest 1736 Lighthouse & tour Fort Pulaski. Drive 20 minutes east across the marshes to see cannonballs still embedded in 1847 brick fort walls and relax on the Atlantic sand.
8. Feast on Family-Style Fried Chicken at Mrs. Wilkes' & 1919 Leopold's Ice Cream. Taste authentic Coastal Georgia Lowcountry shrimp and grits and Tutti-Frutti ice cream.

9. Join an evening Candlelit Ghost Tour & visit 1750 Colonial Park Cemetery. Discover why Savannah is called 'The City Built on Its Dead' and dine in a 1753 seamen's tavern at The Pirates' House.
10. Visit the 1773 First African Baptist Church & Pin Point Heritage Museum. Experience Underground Railroad history and Gullah Geechee oyster-crabbing culture.