By Nathan Huffstutler and Melissa Elise Randall
There’s something misty and old and haunting and beautiful about the city of Savannah.
You can see it as you walk beneath the Spanish moss of Savannah’s cobblestone streets. You can feel it as you sit in a horse-drawn carriage, riding past a 300-year old cemetery. You can sense it as you walk along the same riverfront that colonists walked along three centuries ago.
From its gorgeous antebellum homes to its trollies, from its local parks to its markets and art galleries, Savannah is a city with incredible history, culture, beauty, and art.
If you visit Savannah, one thing is certain. You’ll never forget your time here.
Here are our favorite things to do in Savannah, GA.
Things To Do In Savannah, GA
Visit Fresh, Unique, and Local Markets
Savannah has fantastic places to shop, both indoors and out. Make sure you visit City Market, the cultural center of the city. Here you can listen to live music, sip an espresso, and gaze at some amazing artwork. Make sure you bring your appetite, because there’s food for all tastes – seafood, steak, ice cream, bakery items, and more. Once you’re done eating, you can catch a ride in a horse-drawn open carriage.
On Saturday mornings, you can shop at the Forsyth Farmer’s Market, located at Forsyth Park, which is a thirty-acre park in the center of Savannah. This farmer’s market offers local produce as well as items like honey, cornbread mix, and flowers. Once you’re done shopping, stay at the park to read, picnic, or just hang out near the fountain.
Go Vintage And Thrift Shopping
If you love flea markets (and who doesn’t?), make sure you visit Keller’s Flea Market, open every weekend. This place has 400 vendors, so you can spend as much time antiquing here as you want – and you’ll still have more to see. The antique shop is also open during the week.
For a one-of-a-kind shopping experience, see the Universe Trading Company, which has all sorts of unique items for sale, including medieval weapons, life-sized dinosaur replicas, and antique furniture that you won’t find anywhere else. The store is fun, reasonably priced, and definitely unlike any other store on the planet.
Explore Nearby Small Towns
If you want to get out of the city for a morning, an afternoon, or the whole day, there are several smaller towns near Savannah that are worth your time. South of Savannah, at the mouth of the Altamaha River, you’ll find Darien, a town of less than 2,000 people. Darien is peaceful, scenic, and historic, and there you can visit the Fort King George Historic Site, Waterfront Park, or the nearly 150-year-old St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church.
North of Savannah, you can visit Beaufort, South Carolina, another gorgeous town. Beaufort is known for its Gullah culture and its downtown historic district. While you’re there, buy a beautiful hand-crafted sweetgrass basket from a street vendor.
If you want to make the beach part of your day, visit Tybee Island, which is only 20 minutes from downtown Savannah. The city has a great restaurants, bed and breakfasts, and beaches. You can also see the iconic Tybee Island Lighthouse.
Get Inspired
Savannah is an art-lover’s dream. It’s the home of the Savannah College of Art and Design, the largest art college in the country, and it has the best art scene in the Southeast. There are artists and art galleries galore.
At the Telfair Museum of Art, the oldest art museum in the South, you’ll find a blend of contemporary and historic art. This museum also offers the Jepson Center for the Arts, an interactive art experience. The Kobo Gallery showcases the work of local artists.
The Daedalus Gallery features Gold Leaf work, as well as works of Impressionism and other abstract styles. And among several galleries at City Market, you can visit the Signature Gallery of Savannah, where local artists display works in oil, watercolor, pastel and acrylic painting. These are just a few of the many art galleries you’ll enjoy in Savannah.
Experience The Midnight Hour
It may sound creepy, but some of the biggest tourist attractions in Savannah are actually the city’s cemeteries. Bonaventure Cemetery is famous because it provided the setting for the novel and film Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, and because it has some amazing tombstones (including one shaped like a piano). Colonial Park Cemetery, right in the heart of the city’s historic district, is considered to be haunted, and contains the remains of some of Savannah’s earliest settlers. If you want to learn the haunting lore of the cemeteries, take a Ghost Tour.
After the tour, the place to go is The Chromatic Dragon, which prides itself on being “a gamer’s paradise” with “nerdy pub food.” Consoles, board games, and late hours make this place a must-visit.
Get Outside With Hiking, Biking, and Wildlife
If you feel like getting out into nature, visit Skidaway Island State Park, which has forest trails, a boardwalk, campsites and cabins, and an observation tower. You’ll also see wildlife—egrets, deer, fiddler crabs, and other animals. At Wormsloe Historic Site, you can hike through an oak-pine forest to the ruins of a fort built in 1745. You can also visit the site’s museum and wildlife collection.
The Wassaw National Wildlife Refuge spans over 10,000 acres along the Atlantic coast, and it includes beaches, sand dunes, and walking trails. You can hike, bike, swim, fish, and even hunt (in season). This beautiful place is home to several endangered species of birds and animals, and is a favorite for nature photographers.
Set Sail
Whether you want to go fishing, take a riverboat cruise, or simply see the beauty of the ocean, Savannah is a great place for getting out onto the water. Mike’s Dolphin Tours, located on Tybee Island, offers excursions for dolphin-seeing, for watching the sunset, and for deep-sea fishing.
When you’re in the mood for the riverfront, take a cruise with Savannah Riverboat Cruises, where you can enjoy dining, music, and narrated tours. One of the best ways to see the Georgia coast up close is Savannah Coastal EcoTours, which offers both powerboat and kayak tours.
Get A Tattoo
This may be surprising, but Savannah has a ton of tattoo shops. You can pop in anywhere (always recommend it's by appointment) and get some new ink. And with so many artists native to the area, you're bound to find someone that can bring your idea for new ink to life.
Read More: 7 Dope Tattoo Shops in Savannah, GA
Grab Lunch
Savannah has one of the best foodie scenes, with The New York Times and Travel & Leisure both naming it as a hot destination for 2019 for it's culinary charms. And while some of the spots might be pricer for dinner, a quick lunch won't cost you an arm and a leg.
Read More: Nomtastic Places To Eat In Savannah, GA
Editor Picks + Notes
By Melissa Elise Randall, Editor
The first time I visited Savannah, a lot of people discouraged me.
"Savannah is dangerous," they said.
"I was underwhelmed," another friend admitted.
I took their advice to heart, but I drove down for an extended weekend. anyway. The first time, I brought my bright and sunny buddy Brittany.
On the way down, she made me stop at South of the Border, we ate peanut butter and jelly chicken wings, sang Disney songs at the top of our lungs, and wandered out on the beach in Tybee at dusk.
(Oh yeah, and made inappropriate phone calls to our friend Peter at 3 A.M.)
The last time I went to Savannah, with my boyfriend and horror playwright Chase, was a little different. We didn't party or wander the streets late at night. There were no inappropriate phone calls.
Instead, we spent a lot of time exploring all of the little gems Savannah has to offer. Mainly, the beautiful tree-lined streets, ivy covered fences, and cobblestone roads. We wandered from shop to shop, took in a ghost tour, explored coffee shops, and strolled near the river.
No matter the occasion, Savannah has something for everyone. Here are my favorite things to do there.
Visit Flannery O’Connor's Childhood Home
The Flannery O'Connor Childhood home was $8 for adults, and the perfect way to spend an hour. The museum is small, but full of history about the famous author. On the guided tour, we learned about Flannery's obsession with birds and her favorite places to tell stories.
I purchased a copy of Mystery and Manners: Occasional Prose, and they stamped it for me. Chase and I met a wonderful German author, and we had the opportunity to chat with her about her experience in the States, as well as how he and I met.
Weeks later, she emailed me with feedback about my Drifty Stories, after serendipitously finding my blog name in her purse. This was one of my favorite things to do in downtown Savannah.
Stay At A (Possibly) Haunted Inn
Supposedly, The 17Hundred90 Inn is extremely haunted, but I only learned that during my second time to Savannah. The first time, I stayed at the inn with Brittany. I didn’t notice anything mysterious, it’s just an older inn with a lot of the original fixtures and decor. Depending on your taste and preferences, that could be very appealing, or it could be a deterrent.
Personally, I really liked it. I found it to be very inviting. There was a clawfoot tub in our on-suite bathroom, and a tall, four-poster bed. Perhaps I would have felt differently if I had awoke to a woman standing over my bed, as many guests have reported seeing during stays. If the woman who haunts the inn was there, she was very courteous and quiet while watching me sleep.
Flip Through V & J Duncan Antique Maps and Prints
This little shop, V & J Duncan Antique Maps and Prints, is one of the most interesting and drifty places I've ever been. I found it on Google Maps, and decided to walk by and see what it looked like. What I found was an extremely large collection of vintage (really vintage) maps and drawings. Some were as old as 100 years.
The price points were extremely reasonable, and they even had books for sale. I'd highly highly recommend this, more than anything else in Savannah. They even had old maps of Iceland. If you're lucky, you'll encounter the owner. If you're really lucky, the small King Charles Spaniel, Emma, that lives there will be out of her pen.
This is one of the most unique things to do in downtown Savannah, I promise.
Crash At A Carriage House
The little, two-story carriage house Airbnb that Chase and I stayed in was perfect for us. A small kitchen with a SMEG fridge, a lovely patio attached to the bedroom, and a green winding spiral staircase. It was $130ish a night, but that pricing varies based on when you go when you book with Airbnb.
I especially liked the proximity to most of the attractions (though if you walk downtown, it’ll be 15-20 minutes.) It was a good spot for a couple, but I’d also consider staying there for an extended retreat for writing.
It was very quiet and somewhat secluded, but was completely updated and had a super comfy bed. When we weren’t out and about, we relaxed in the bedroom and binge watched Evil Genius on Netflix.
Grab a Drink at The Prohibition Museum
The Prohibition Museum is located in City Market, and is an ideal escape from the swampy, humid Savannah air. You can spend anywhere from 1 - 2 hours there. I really enjoyed all of the little stories throughout the rooms. I kept getting spooked by the mannequins (there's a lot), since there'd occasionally be a randomly placed actual museum worker from place to place. I kept jumping when one of the employees would move, something that the smile on his face suggested he was entertained with.
At the end of the tour, you have the option of getting a drink at the museum's hidden speakeasy. As I mentioned in the beginning of the guide, I actually knew the bartender from my first visit to Savannah. He makes a killer drink - I recommend anything gin-based.
209 West St. Julian Street, Savannah, GA 31401 (City Market)
Shop For Vintage At Civvies On Broughton
Civvies is one of the best thrift stores I've been to a long time. Why? Because the clothing is actually used, with time accurate dresses, t-shirts, jackets, and more. If you love old clothing, especially from the 70s - 90s, Civvies is the place for you.
Expect lots of colorful racks of moderately priced apparel. Everything is very well organized and well kept, so it's easy to browse through their selection. There's also a bulletin board with local events pinned up, so there's an opportunity to find something to do there.
Experience A Ghost Tour
Chase and I went on a ghost tour in Savannah, and it was wonderful in all of the ways you'd want a ghost tour to be. Creepy, full of history, and chilling tales of ghouls, old spirits, and "energy" that the citizens of Savannah, Georgia can't quite explain, but are very in tune with.
I'm not saying ghosts are real, but Dennis (our guide) told us one of the most common results of the haunted city is the struggle with technology, such as cameras and cell phones. My phone, nearly the entire time we were there, constantly lost track of our location, and gave us wonky directions that had us going all over town.
Judge for yourself... and maybe bring a paper map. Our tour was the Haunted Pub Crawl from Savannah Pub Tours. It was $25 a person, and drinks weren't included. If that's not your thing, there's literally so many other tours to choose from, in the afternoon and the evening.
Browse The Book Lady Bookstore
The Book Lady Bookstore is a great stop while you're walking up and down the squares of historic Savannah. The bookstore has an awesome collection, with features from local writers (such as O'Connor.) From time to time, they host events there, although there weren't any happening during my visit.
The staff also host book signings for authors, occasionally offers warm, homemade cookies, and sells books at community events such as conferences and festivals. If you don't get to the shop, it's likely you'll see The Book Lady somewhere else around town.
Chase The Sunset on Tybee Island
There's no better way to end the day in Savannah, GA than a sunset beach walk on Tybee Island.
Travel Essays
"This Is My Favorite Thing We Will Ever Do"
After you’re curious, you stumble out of the metaphoric elevator, and in this case, very real and sketchy one, hands clasped with someone else that’s just as weird.
When you recover from a brief spell of vertigo, you can look at this friend, who you realize you don’t really know very well, and grin as she she says:
The Bartender
Before I left my agency a few years ago, I took a quick trip to Savannah. I was there for an interview with South Magazine. I didn’t get the job. However, while I was there, they assigned me to a profile piece.
The subject? A local bartender, Jason.
To date, I don't know if they ever printed the article. I never heard back from them after we interviewed. However, it did provide an opportunity to explore one of the South's most incredible cities. And one hell of a story to tell.
