Things to Do in Savannah

Savannah, United States - Complete Travel Guide

Spanish moss drips from live oaks like pale silk scarves while the air carries a yeasty whiff of pralines cooling on marble slabs. In Savannah, you'll catch the echo of church bells over Lafayette Square and feel the brick sidewalks give slightly underfoot, worn smooth by two and a half centuries of footsteps. The city reads like a fever dream of the Old South - wrought-iron balconies, gas lamps flickering at dusk, and that particular humid hush that settles over the historic district like a velvet curtain. Morning light filters through canopy oaks in Forsyth Park, pooling in golden patches where locals walk dogs past the Confederate memorial. By noon, the air thickens with the smell of fried green tomatoes and the sound of tour trolleys rattling over cobblestones. Savannah reveals itself slowly - one ornate doorway at a time, one ghost story at a time - until you realize you've been walking for hours without noticing, caught in the rhythm of squares and Spanish moss.

Top Things to Do in Savannah

Mercer-Williams House Museum

The bloodstained hallway where Jim Williams shot Danny Hansford still gives off that heavy, close feeling - all mahogany and tension. You'll smell the lemon oil on banisters and see the exact spot where the Savannah elite gathered for Christmas parties.

Booking Tip: Skip the 2pm tour - that's when the cruise ship crowds descend. The 10am slot tends to have smaller groups and sharper light filtering through the stained glass.

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Bonaventure Cemetery

Marble angels lean at odd angles among the camellias, their stone faces streaked green with lichen. The air carries the sweet rot of magnolia blossoms and you might hear the sudden rustle of armadillos in the palmetto underbrush.

Booking Tip: Bring bug spray - the gnats here have a reputation. Late afternoon light through the live oaks makes for better photos than harsh midday sun.

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Mrs. Wilkes' Dining Room

The fried chicken emerges in cast-iron skillets, skin crackling under the weight of generations-old seasoning. You'll pass bowls clockwise - stewed okra, butter beans, and that banana pudding that tastes like someone's grandmother is still stirring it.

Booking Tip: Doors open at 11am sharp, but locals start queuing by 10:15. Bring cash - they don't do cards, and you won't want to miss this because you needed to find an ATM.

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River Street Sweets

The copper kettle bubbles with molten praline mixture, sending up clouds of vanilla-scented steam. Watch the candymakers fold pecans into the amber liquid, their movements practiced and precise.

Booking Tip: Ask for a sample - they're generous about it. The upstairs viewing window gives you a better angle than the street-level crowds.

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Forsyth Park Farmers Market

Saturday mornings bring the smell of kettle corn mixing with magnolia blooms, while musicians play blues on the Confederate monument steps. You'll taste honeysuckle jelly from jars labeled in ballpoint pen and feel the weight of ripe peaches warm from the sun.

Booking Tip: Arrive before 9am when the honey guy still has his full selection. The Gullah sweetgrass basket weavers tend to pack up by noon when the heat gets brutal.

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Getting There

Savannah/Hilton Head International sits 20 minutes northwest of downtown - Delta and American run the main routes, with pretty consistent service through Atlanta and Charlotte. The airport feels mercifully small; you'll smell the Lowcountry the moment you step outside. Driving in from Atlanta takes about 3.5 hours on I-16, though the humidity and pecan stands start appearing around Macon. Amtrak's Palmetto line stops at the historic depot on MLK Jr. Boulevard - it's a slow but atmospheric ride from Charleston or Jacksonville.

Getting Around

The historic district is entirely walkable - those 22 squares break up distances nicely, though your feet will notice the uneven brick. DOT shuttle buses run every 10 minutes and cost a couple bucks; they're the shaded option when July humidity hits 90 percent. Trolleys cater to tourists but locals swear by the free Forsyth Park shuttle on weekends. Uber exists but increase pricing gets aggressive during festivals - worth noting that parking near River Street becomes a blood sport after 6pm.

Where to Stay

Historic District south of Liberty Street - where the gas lamps work and you can hear horse hooves on cobblestones

Starland District near Bull Street - art students and coffee roasters, increasingly but not totally gentrified

Ardsley Park's live oak canopy feels like a movie set, with actual Savannahians living their actual lives

Tybee Island for beach access 20 minutes out - shrimp boats and slightly sticky air conditioning units

Victorian District's painted ladies with wraparound porches, some lovingly restored, some charmingly shabby

Midtown's more residential stretch, where hotel rates drop and you're still 10 minutes from everything

Food & Dining

Savannah's restaurant scene leans heavily on butter and tradition - you'll find the city's best fried chicken at Sisters of the New South on Augusta Avenue, where the lunch rush starts at 11:30 sharp. The Grey on MLK took over a Jim Crow-era Greyhound station and now serves oxtail with proper technique and prices that reflect the ambition. Down on East Bay Street, The Olde Pink House occupies a 1771 mansion where the she-crab soup arrives under a puff pastry dome. For something newer, venture to the Starland Yard food truck park - locals line up for pizza from Vittoria while kids run between string lights. Worth noting: dinner reservations book up weeks ahead during spring festival season.

When to Visit

March through May hits that sweet spot - azaleas bloom in every square and the humidity hasn't yet turned oppressive. October brings similar weather with fewer tourists, though hurricane season peaks in September. Summer is brutally hot and buggy; locals treat air conditioning like a religion. Winter tends to be mild but unpredictable - you might need a sweater or you might eat shrimp on a 75-degree porch in January. Avoid St. Patrick's Day weekend unless you enjoy green beer and 500,000 of your closest friends.

Insider Tips

Park in the Whitaker Street garage - it's central, reasonably priced, and you won't circle for spots like a tourist

Hop on the free ferry to Hutchinson Island—it leaves every 20 minutes and hands you wide Savannah River panoramas without the riverboat dinner surcharge.

Here’s the inside track: Leopold's Ice Cream on Broughton still shuts its doors whenever the owner takes a notion—phone before you walk over.

Grab your morning coffee at Foxy Loxy on Bull Street; the sidewalk scene beats every historic-district café for pure people-watching.