Savannah Travelers Recommend

If you have three days in Savannah, you can enjoy a combination of tours and attractions that highlight the cultural heritage, architecture, and long history of Georgia’s oldest city. Keep reading to find out our top suggestions for a 72-hour itinerary in this Southern hotspot.

Day 1: Historical Introduction

Get oriented with the city on a hop-on hop-off trolley tour, which offers convenient transportation and an overview of the Savannah Historic District, a National Historic Landmark District. Trolley tours often can be combined with a Savannah River cruise for a more complete look at the city. 

Spend the afternoon on a walking tour to learn about Savannah’s history from a guide. Depending on your interests, you might opt for a themed tour, such as Savannah locations from books and movies, Civil War sites, or the Bonaventure Cemetery. At night, join a ghost walking tour to hear about local superstitions, legends, and haunted locales. For those of drinking age, haunted pub crawls are a popular way to explore the city’s nightlife.

Day 2: Cultural Highlights

Discover more of Savannah outside of the Historic District on a neighborhood tour to the Victorian District or Thomas Square, which each feature their own architectural gems and character. Or, go deeper into Savannah’s history as a Southern city with a visit to the Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters. 

Art lovers will want to head to the Jepson Center art museum, while food lovers can sample a variety of regional fare on a culinary tour. Typically taking place on foot, food tours introduce you to restaurants and food shops where you can sample dishes such as fried green tomatoes, pork belly donuts, or pimento-cheese croissants. When sunset rolls around, the ideal place to be is on a river cruise, where you can give your feet a well-deserved rest and admire the Savannah waterfront.

Day 3: Coastal Adventures

Savannah’s proximity to the Atlantic coast offers a few day trip options for those ready to see more of the area. For an urban adventure, check out Charleston, a 2-hour drive away and competitor to Savannah for the most beautiful Southern city. Hilton Head Island, a 45-minute drive north in South Carolina, is a family-friendly resort destination in the Low Country known for its golf courses and beaches. Or, stay even closer to home: Tybee Island is just 30 minutes away and a favorite getaway for locals. Book a tour from Savannah with included transportation, so you don’t have to worry about getting there on your own. Some tours include cruises to look for dolphins and seabirds, and others give you free time to explore on your own.

With two days in Savannah, you can explore the city’s historical landmarks plus enjoy activities highlighting the food, scenery, and culture of Georgia’s oldest city. Here are a few ways to create a 48-hour itinerary that suits your interests.

Day 1: Get to know the Savannah Historic District

Morning: Get your bearings and an overview of the city’s National Historic Landmark District on a hop-on hop-off trolley tour, Segway tour, or Savannah River cruise. Stretching from River Street to Forsyth Park, the district is full of attractions important to the city’s heritage.

Afternoon: Put on your walking shoes and hit the streets. Walking tours often focus on a theme or location such as Civil War sites, the Bonaventure Cemetery, or books and movies set in Savannah. Cobbled streets and tree-lined squares provide the perfect backdrop for strolling.

Night: Time for something different: a ghost walking tour, where you’ll hear about local legends, superstitions, and haunted houses. Haunted pub crawls are also available for those who’d like to combine the paranormal with local nightlife.

Day 2: Discover more local culture

Morning: Check out the vibe and architectural gems of a neighborhood outside the historic district, such as the Victorian District or Thomas Square. Or, visit a cultural institution or historical site such as the Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters, Telfair Academy, or Jepson Center art museum.

Afternoon: Indulge in Southern fare and local specialties on a food tour that introduces you to a major part of Savannah culture. Wander around to restaurants and food shops to sample dishes such as shrimp and grits, pork belly donuts, fried green tomatoes, and pimento-cheese croissants.

Night: End the day on a relaxing river cruise. Watch the sunset and admire the city from the water while resting your legs, which are sure to be weary after all your walking.

Savannah is an ideal place to spend a day, especially for history buffs, architecture lovers, foodies, and those interested in Southern culture. From the city’s National Historic Landmark District to the riverfront, there’s plenty to do and see in this Georgia gem. Here are our favorite ways to enjoy 24 hours in Savannah.

Morning: City overview

Get your bearings on a hop-on hop-off trolley tour that highlights the top sights in the Savannah Historic District and surrounding streets. Stretching from River Street to Forsyth Park, the district is chock-full of landmarks important to the city’s heritage. Alternatively, get the lay of the land on a Segway, or a combo land and water tour that includes a Savannah River cruise.

Afternoon: A walk

With its leafy streets, manicured squares, and well-preserved historical architecture, Savannah was made for walking tours—so take your pick of themes and put on your walking shoes. Perhaps you’d like to see Civil War sites, or locations related to the bestselling book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Opt for a culinary tour to learn about Savannah’s food scene, or explore Bonaventure Cemetery for something more macabre. Most tours are led by guides with deep knowledge of the city’s heritage.

Night: Savannah’s spooky side

Time to discover the darker side of the city on a ghost walking tour, as a guide leads you to haunted locations and tells you sinister stories about characters from the past. Most ghost tours take place in the historic district and feature tales about local superstitions, mysteries, crimes, and spirits. Visitors of drinking age might choose a haunted pub tour for a fun twist. If you’d prefer a more relaxing evening experience, head out on a Savannah River cruise to watch the sunset and admire the city from the water.

The city of Savannah, Georgia’s oldest, was founded in 1733. Today, it’s brimming with historical attractions, from mansions and cemeteries to churches and forts. A visitor could easily spend weeks diving into Savannah’s history, but here are the top historical sights not to miss.

Bonaventure Cemetery

Savannah has several Southern Gothic municipal cemeteries, but none is quite so famous (or atmospheric) as Bonaventure. Spread across 160 acres (65 hectares), the cemetery dates to 1846 and is filled with lavish mausoleums and monuments. To get the full history behind the cemetery, see it on a dedicated tour or as part of a haunted tour.

Fort Pulaski National Monument

The Battle of Fort Pulaski was critical in the Civil War, and modern–day visitors get a glimpse at what life was like during that time through reenactments and ranger–led tours through the national monument, as well as Civil War–focused tours that include this as a stop.

First African Baptist Church

Situated just off Franklin Square, First African Baptist Church is the oldest African American church in North America and a National Historic Landmark. Visitors can join a worship service or come for a regularly scheduled tour.

Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace

This National Historic Landmark—the first in Savannah—is the childhood home of the woman who would go on to found the Girl Scouts. The nearby Andrew Low House was where Juliette Gordon Low lived as an adult, and the servants quarters behind the house served as the First Girl Scout Headquarters. Hop on hop off tours generally include this as a stop.

Mercer Williams House

Known as the setting for a purported murder that inspired the bestselling novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, the Mercer Williams House features on just about every historical tour of Savannah. Visitors can see the front den where Jim Williams supposedly killed his lover, as well as a sizable collection of 18th and 19th century furniture and art.

Some 40 percent of Savannah’s buildings are of architectural or historical significance, and walking the streets of this Southern city is a study in architectural styles of the 18th and 19th centuries. There’s plenty to learn about Savannah as you tour these gems—here’s where to start.

Isaiah Davenport House

One of the best examples of Federal-style architecture in the city, the brick and brownstone Isaiah Davenport House—today a museum—has been restored to what it looked like in the 1820s, complete with original plaster and woodwork, a hanging staircase, and period furniture. Stop off at this historical gem during a hop-on hop-off trolley tour.

Mercer Williams House

One of Savannah’s most popular tourist attractions and a setting in the best-selling novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, the Italianate Mercer Williams House was the site of a notorious 1969 murder allegedly committed by historical preservationist and antiques dealer Jim Williams. Williams’ private art and furniture collection still adorns the space.

Forsyth Park

Designed by landscape gardener William Bischoff, Savannah’s leafy Forsyth Park is a shining example of landscape architecture. Trees draped with Spanish moss shade gardens, memorials, and Savannah’s most famous fountain in this 30-acre (12-hectare) green space. Just about every sightseeing tour makes a stop here. 

Telfair Academy

The Telfair Academy is part of the Telfair Museums of Art, the oldest art museum in the South. This classical Regency mansion houses marble rooms hung with paintings from both American and European masters and decorated with Telfair family furniture.

Olde Pink House

The pink stucco-covered brick gives Savannah’s Olde Pink House its name. This Georgian mansion, built in 1771, is a favorite spot for ghost hunting. Stop in for dinner or do a bit of your own investigating on a haunted tour of the Savannah Historic District.

Temple Mickve Israel

Monterey Square is home to the third-oldest Jewish congregation in the country. The only pure Gothic-revival synagogue in the United States, it also houses significant historical documents, including a letter from George Washington.

Tradition and creativity collide in the renowned kitchens of Savannah, Georgia, where chefs blend the flavors of the American South with influences from Africa and Europe. Here’s what you need to know about the city’s nonstop dining scene, including where to find the best dishes and foodie experiences.

Must-Try Dishes

Start a meal off with some fried green tomatoes, a dish brought to Savannah by Jewish immigrants. While shrimp and grits may be more closely associated with the Lowcountry cuisine in South Carolina, many Savannah restaurants are also cooking up versions of the Southern staple. Don’t leave town Savannah without tucking into a traditional Southern spread of fried chicken, black-eyed peas, okra, cornbread, and biscuits.

Pecans grow abundantly in Georgia, making pralines and pecan pie local favorites. Wash it down with a Chatham Artillery Punch, a strong cocktail of sparkling wine, rum, brandy, and bourbon, and named for Georgia’s oldest military organization.

Must-Do Experiences

• Learn about Paula Deen, the queen of Southern cuisine, during a tour of her hometown, including dinner at Lady & Sons, one of her restaurants.

• Stroll the cobblestone streets of Savannah’s Historic District to sample from the area’s best restaurants and specialty food stores.

• Tuck in for a boozy, history-filled evening on a drinking tour of Savannah, with stops for Madeira wine, mead, mint juleps, and Chatham Artillery Punch.

• Dive into local culinary lore on a foodie bus tour, with stops at several iconic restaurants.