Historic Coast
Cobblestone lanes veiled in Spanish moss, 22 garden squares, and antebellum mansions turned candlelit inns. The Old South, unhurried and irresistible.
Savannah is the reason people say the South looks like a movie set — a 2.5-square-mile historic district laid out in 1733 by James Oglethorpe around 22 tree-shaded squares, most of them still intact and each with its own memorial, fountain, or centuries-old oak. Between them are antebellum mansions turned inns, cast-iron balconies, cobblestone riverfront warehouses, and one of the country's most walkable food scenes.
Beyond the city, the Historic Coast stretches down to Tybee Island's beach (a 20-minute drive), out to Wormsloe's tabby ruins and moss-tunnel driveway, and up to Bluffton and Beaufort across the South Carolina line — but you can spend a very full four days without ever leaving downtown.
Best time to visit
- March and April — azaleas, comfortable walking weather, and the annual St. Patrick's Day parade (one of the country's largest).
- October and November bring cool evenings, the Savannah Food & Wine Festival, and the fewest afternoon thunderstorms.
- Summer is hot and buggy, but river breezes cool the squares at dusk. Winter is mild, cheap, and quietly gorgeous — camellias bloom December through February.
Getting around
- The historic district is entirely walkable — every attraction is within 20 minutes on foot from the Bull Street spine.
- The free DOT shuttle loops the historic district; the free ferry crosses the river to the Convention Center.
- For Tybee Island (18 miles east), drive or rideshare — beach parking fills fast on summer weekends.
Top things to do
Start at Johnson Square, walk south on Bull through Wright, Chippewa (the Forrest Gump bench square), Madison, Monterey, and end at Forsyth Park's famous fountain. About 2 miles with stops.
Cobblestone riverfront lined with restaurants and shops in old cotton warehouses — best at dusk when the container ships glide past. City Market a few blocks north is livelier at night.
The 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil' cemetery is genuinely beautiful — go at golden hour. Wormsloe's 1.5-mile driveway of 400 live oaks is the state's most photographed road.
A 20-minute drive gets you a wide Atlantic beach, the 1736 lighthouse (climb 178 steps), and Fort Pulaski's Civil War brickwork on the way home.
Insider tips
- Book a Bull Street–adjacent inn, not a chain hotel on the water — the walk to River Street is prettier than the view from it.
- The Grey (in a 1938 Greyhound bus terminal) is Savannah's marquee reservation — book weeks ahead.
- Open-container laws let you carry one drink (16oz plastic cup) in the historic district — take a to-go glass on your square walk, like locals do.
Itineraries through Historic Coast
Ready-to-book multi-day plans that thread Historic Coast together with the surrounding stops travelers love most.
Cross the state from ocean to summit — Sea Island tides, Savannah squares, Milledgeville brick, and a Blue Ridge cabin finale.
Carriage rides, courtyard breakfasts, and low-country dinners under moss. Built for two, unhurried at every step.
Beach mornings, dolphin cruises, marsh kayaks, and evenings around a firepit. Kid-tested, parent-approved.
Chase the sunset.
Meet the South.
From peach orchards at first light to tidewater dinners at last light — your itinerary is waiting to be written.
Start Your Adventure