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Spanish Moss & Sweet Tea: Where to Eat, Stay & Explore in Savannah, GA
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items Savannah is Charleston's moody cousin, and I mean that as a compliment. Spanish moss on every oak, 22 squares you can stroll in an afternoon, a few hotels with ghosts on the guest list, and pralines on River Street that'll ruin you for store-bought. ...
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Sections
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Things to Do in Savannah
Where to Eat in Savannah
Where to Stay in Savannah
Savannah History and Historic Sites
Savannah Tours Worth Booking
Things to Do in Savannah
Moss-draped squares, cobblestones, a lighthouse, and a famous bench that isn't even there anymore. The fun stuff, no history test required.
Thirty acres of live oaks and Spanish moss, with the big white fountain from 1858 at the north end. Come on a Saturday morning for the farmers market, then sit a spell.
Forsyth Park
Cobblestones, old cotton warehouses turned shops and restaurants, and giant cargo ships gliding by close enough to wave at. Grab a praline and pretend you're only having one.
River Street
Spanish moss, centuries-old oaks, and the prettiest cemetery you'll ever walk through. The Bird Girl statue on the Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil cover was photographed here, but she lives at the Telfair Academy now. Free to visit.
Bonaventure Cemetery
Where Forrest Gump sat on the bench with his box of chocolates. Heads up, the bench was a movie prop and it's not here, so bring your own chocolates. One of the prop benches is at the Savannah History Museum.
Chippewa Square
About 20 to 30 minutes from downtown. Climb all 178 steps for a view of the ocean and marsh that's worth every huff and puff. It's closed on Tuesdays, so plan around that.
Tybee Island Light Station & Museum
Four blocks of shops, art galleries, and open-air cafes, and there's often live music in the square. A good spot to rest your feet with a Dr Pepper and people-watch.
Savannah City Market
Where to Eat in Savannah
Flounder, fried chicken, ice cream older than your granny, and a diner straight out of a bestseller. Wear your stretchy pants.
Dinner in a pink mansion from 1771. Order the crispy scored flounder, it's what they're famous for. Make a reservation, because everybody else had the same idea.
The Olde Pink House
Family-style Southern lunch at big shared tables, passing bowls of fried chicken and sides with strangers who'll be friends by dessert. Weekdays from 11 to 2 only, bring cash, and yes, the line is worth it.
Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room
Scooping since 1919, and owned by a Hollywood film producer. Get the Tutti Frutti, it's their signature. Don't let the line scare you off.
Leopold's Ice Cream
Fine Southern dining inside a restored 1938 Greyhound bus station, from James Beard Award-winning chef Mashama Bailey. This is your splurge dinner. Book ahead.
The Grey Restaurant
Serving Savannah since 1903, and it shows up in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Classic breakfast and lunch, no fuss, no frills, just good food.
Clary's Cafe
Where to Stay in Savannah
A haunted classic, a rooftop splurge, a dog-friendly favorite, and a couple of showstoppers.
One of Savannah's oldest hotels, open since 1851 right on Broughton Street. It's also famous for being haunted. Ask the front desk about the ghost stories, or don't, if you'd like to sleep.
The Marshall House
Stylish, comfy, and right in the historic district. The rooftop bar, Peregrin, has some of the best views in town. Go at sunset.
Perry Lane Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Savannah
Bring the dog! Pets of any size stay with no extra pet fee. The building's been a cotton warehouse and Savannah's first Coca-Cola bottling plant, so it's got stories too.
The Kimpton Brice Hotel
A big red-brick Victorian mansion right on Forsyth Park. Step out the front door and you're strolling under the oaks.
Mansion on Forsyth Park
A 1912 power plant turned hotel, right on the river. There's a chrome dinosaur skeleton and a gem and mineral collection in the lobby. Kids lose their minds. So do grown-ups.
JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District
Savannah History and Historic Sites
Savannah's story is beautiful and complicated. These places tell it well, the grand parts and the hard parts.
That famous avenue of oaks you've seen all over Pinterest? It's here, about a mile and a half of live oaks dripping with moss. At the end, you'll find tabby ruins that are among the oldest standing structures in Savannah.
Wormsloe State Historic Site
A gorgeous 1819 Regency house, and right behind it, one of the best-preserved urban slave quarters in the South. The tour tells the stories of the enslaved people who lived and worked here. Look up for the original haint blue paint.
Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters
The birthplace of the woman who founded the Girl Scouts. If you ever sold a box of Thin Mints, you owe this lady a visit.
Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace Museum
A Civil War brick fort with a moat, out on the way to Tybee. In 1862, Union rifled cannons blasted a hole in its walls in about 30 hours, and you can still see the scars.
Fort Pulaski National Monument
Organized in 1773, it's one of the oldest Black congregations in North America, and it's still an active church that offers tours. Look down at the holes in the floor. They form a BaKongo cosmogram, a West African symbol.
First African Baptist Church
Savannah Tours Worth Booking
Squares and moss are free, but a good guide makes them come alive. These are the highest-rated, most-reviewed tours I could find, so you're not gambling with your vacation. I may earn a commission if you book through these links.
A candlelit walk through the squares after dark, with real Savannah history mixed in with the ghost stories. It's a walking tour, so wear comfy shoes. One of the highest-rated ghost tours in town, with thousands of reviews.
Savannah History and Haunts Candlelit Ghost Walking Tour
Bonaventure is a short drive out of downtown, and this tour handles the ride. A guide walks you through the moss, the statues, and the stories, so you're not wandering around wondering who's buried where.
Bonaventure Cemetery Walking Tour with Transportation
A walking food tour through Savannah's oldest squares, with history served between bites. Come hungry and skip lunch. You'll thank me.
Savannah First Squares Culinary & Cultural Walking Food Tour
A guided walk past the squares, mansions, and churches with somebody who knows which stories are actually true. Do this on your first morning and the rest of the trip makes more sense.
Historic Savannah Guided Walking Tour
Hop on, hop off, and let somebody else do the walking. Great for your first day, tired feet, or anybody who'd rather sightsee from a seat.
Savannah Hop-On Hop-Off Trolley Tour