Top attractions in Savannah

What's actually worth your time in Savannah

Savannah's draw is the plan itself: Oglethorpe's grid of squares, twenty-two of the original twenty-four still shaded by live oaks, and walking Bull Street through Chippewa, Madison and Monterey costs nothing. Forsyth Park's 1858 fountain and the sculpted plots of Bonaventure Cemetery repay the trip out. River Street is a candy-and-souvenir gauntlet on ballast stone; go once at dusk, then leave. Wormsloe sells an avenue of oaks and little else.

What first-timers get wrong in Savannah

Traffic must circle the squares rather than cut through them, so driving downtown is far slower than the map suggests; walk instead. Meters run into the evening six days a week and take app payment. Sand gnats bite hardest in spring and shrug off most repellent. Book anything for the week around March 17 months ahead, because St. Patrick's Day is the largest event on the city calendar.

What things cost in Savannah

Thirty dollars buys seven days across all three Telfair museums, the best value downtown by some distance. Mrs. Wilkes charges a flat cash price around thirty for lunch. A scoop at Leopold's is a few dollars, a ghost tour usually thirty to forty, and metered street parking a couple of dollars an hour. The DOT shuttle and the Savannah Belles Ferry cost nothing at all.

Savannah with kids, realistically

The free DOT shuttle loops the Historic District and the Savannah Belles Ferry crosses to Hutchinson Island at no charge, which reads to a six-year-old as a boat ride. Tybee Island adds a marine science center and a lighthouse with 178 steps to the top. Oatland Island keeps wolves and alligators on a boardwalk trail. River Street's ballast cobbles will defeat any stroller you own.

When the weather turns in Savannah

Afternoon thunderstorms arrive most summer days and pass within the hour. Duck into the Jepson Center, the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum with its cased model hulls, or the American Prohibition Museum and its working speakeasy. The Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist is free and cool. Plant Riverside hides a fossil and geode collection in its atrium, and the Savannah Bee Company pours mead flights.

When to go to Savannah

The month to avoid is July — around 32°C (90°F) with roughly 19 rain days. Prices and crowds track the weather here: October is the sweet spot, July the month most people skip.

Pack for peak season: Summer clothes, plus one light layer for air-con and evenings, Comfortable walking shoes — every guide on this site assumes you'll use them.

Where to base yourself in Savannah

• Historic District — Squares grid — Spanish moss, antebellum mansions, the Cathedral of St. John.
• River Street — Cobblestone waterfront — restaurants, river-cruise dock, candy shops.
• Starland — Hip south district — coffee shops, breweries, the SCAD art scene.