Self-Guided Walking Tour in Savannah

Why Walk Savannah? A Self-Guided Tour

Savannah was designed for walking. James Oglethorpe laid out the city on a grid of tree-shaded squares in 1733, and twenty-two of those squares survive today, each functioning as a small park ringed by antebellum townhouses and churches. Spanish moss hangs from live oaks that arch over every street. The pace here is slow, the architecture is extraordinarily preserved, and there is a persistent Southern Gothic undertone to the whole place.

This self-guided walking tour covers 9 stops across 6.3 km in roughly 2.7 hours. It starts at the iconic Forsyth Park fountain, moves through the Mercer Williams House made famous by Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, loops past museums and galleries, hits the cobblestone waterfront of River Street, and returns through the Historic District's squares and cemeteries to the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. The route gives you the full arc of Savannah: its parks, its history, its ghosts, and its architecture.

The Route: 9 Stops

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Route Map

Your Savannah Walking Tour, Stop by Stop

1. 1

   Forsyth Park

   

   Thirty acres of green space anchoring the southern end of the Historic District. The cast-iron fountain at the northern entrance, installed in 1858 and modeled after one in the Place de la Concorde in Paris, is the most photographed thing in Savannah. On St. Patrick's Day they dye the water green. Walk the full loop under live oaks dripping with Spanish moss. Mornings are quiet and misty. By midday, SCAD students appear on every bench with laptops and sketchbooks. The Saturday farmers market at the south end (9:00 AM to 1:00 PM) has better food stalls than most Savannah restaurants. Free and open 24/7.

   Learn more about Forsyth Park →

   Hours

   Open 24/7

   Price

   Free

   5 min walk to next stop

2. 2

   Mercer Williams House

   

   This 10,000-square-foot Italianate mansion on the southwestern corner of Monterey Square was completed in 1868 and became infamous as the site of the 1981 shooting that inspired John Berendt's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. The museum tour covers the ground floor and carriage house but not the upstairs rooms where the shooting happened. The carriage house has the most interesting artifacts. Read at least the first few chapters of the book before visiting. Without the backstory, this is just a nice mansion. With it, every room carries weight. Open Monday through Saturday 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Sunday 11:30 AM to 5:00 PM.

   Learn more about Mercer Williams House →

   Hours

   Mon-Sat: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM | Sun: 11:30 AM – 5:00 PM

   Price

   USD 15

   8 min walk to next stop

3. 3

   Savannah History Museum

   

   Housed in a restored 1860 Central of Georgia Railway passenger shed, this museum covers the city's story from its 1733 founding through the Civil War and beyond. The building sits on the site of the 1779 Siege of Savannah, one of the bloodiest battles of the American Revolution. The most popular artifact is the actual fiberglass bench used in the filming of Forrest Gump on Chippewa Square. The museum is small. You can see everything in 45 minutes. A restored locomotive and cotton gin sit in the main hall. Admission is $10. Open daily 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Decent introduction if you visit before walking the squares.

   Learn more about Savannah History Museum →

   Hours

   Daily: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

   Price

   10 USD

   3 min walk to next stop

4. 4

   SCAD Museum of Art

   

   The Savannah College of Art and Design turned a 19th-century railroad depot into a contemporary art museum, and it is the most forward-looking cultural space in the city. The 82,000-square-foot building occupies the 1853 Central of Georgia Railway complex, the oldest surviving antebellum railroad structure in the country. An 86-foot glass tower marks the entrance. Rotating exhibitions change regularly and feature emerging artists. The permanent collection holds over 4,500 pieces. The Andre Leon Talley Gallery, named for the late Vogue editor, is a standout. Open Monday and Wednesday through Saturday 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Sunday noon to 5:00 PM. Closed Tuesday.

   Learn more about SCAD Museum of Art →

   Hours

   Mon: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM | Tue: Closed | Wed-Sat: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM | Sun: 12:00 – 5:00 PM

   Price

   USD 15

   10 min walk to next stop

5. 5

   River Street

   

   This waterfront district runs two miles along the Savannah River, sitting about 40 feet below Bay Street on the bluff above. The cobblestones underfoot are original ballast stones from 18th-century European ships. The former cotton warehouses lining the south side now hold restaurants, bars, and shops. During the day, you can watch container ships glide past from the riverfront promenade. At night, especially on weekends, it gets loud and tourist-heavy. Take the steep stone staircases up to Factors Walk instead of the main ramps. The iron catwalks between Bay Street and River Street are eerie and largely empty, a shortcut most visitors miss entirely. Free and open 24/7.

   Learn more about River Street →

   Hours

   Check locally

   Price

   Free

   8 min walk to next stop

6. 6

   Telfair Academy

   

   The oldest public art museum in the American South, opened in 1886 in an 1819 Regency-style mansion designed by English architect William Jay. The facade is fronted by five nine-foot statues representing masters of the arts. The period rooms on the ground floor, furnished to look as they did in the Telfair era, are as interesting as the paintings. The Octagon Room and Dining Room give you a feel for how Savannah's elite lived before the Civil War. The Bird Girl statue from the cover of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil now lives here, moved from Bonaventure Cemetery when the crowds got too large. Open Tuesday through Sunday 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Closed Monday.

   Learn more about Telfair Academy →

   Hours

   Mon: Closed | Tue-Sun: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

   Price

   USD 20

   5 min walk to next stop

7. 7

   Chippewa Square

   

   This is where Forrest Gump sat on his bench and talked about life. The 1994 film shot that scene on the north side of this square, though the bench was a prop and now lives at the Savannah History Museum. The square itself, laid out in 1815, centers on the James Oglethorpe Monument sculpted by Daniel Chester French, the same artist who later created the Lincoln Memorial statue. The Savannah Theatre on the west side dates to 1818 and is one of the oldest continuously operating theaters in the country. Chippewa is the middle square on Bull Street's run of five, and walking south from here leads to Madison Square and Monterey Square. Free and open 24/7.

   Learn more about Chippewa Square →

   Hours

   Open 24/7

   Price

   Free

   3 min walk to next stop

8. 8

   Colonial Park Cemetery

   

   Savannah's oldest intact cemetery, operating from 1750 to 1853, holding approximately 9,000 graves across six acres. Victims of the 1820 yellow fever epidemic are buried here. During the Civil War, Union soldiers reportedly altered dates on some headstones as a prank, and you can still spot the obviously wrong years carved into the stone. Unlike Bonaventure Cemetery, which requires a drive, Colonial Park is walkable from anywhere in the Historic District. The eastern wall along Habersham Street has the most weathered and oldest markers. Open daily 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Free. Late afternoon is the most atmospheric time, when the light filters through the oaks and the crowds thin out.

   Learn more about Colonial Park Cemetery →

   Hours

   Daily: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

   Price

   Free

   5 min walk to next stop

9. 9

   Cathedral of St. John the Baptist

   

   The most impressive building interior in Savannah. This French Gothic cathedral features twin spires reaching 214 feet and houses 81 stained glass windows imported from Austria. The original cathedral was completed in 1876, but a fire in 1898 gutted the interior. It was rebuilt and reopened by 1900. Walk through the front doors and the colored light from the stained glass fills the nave, especially on sunny mornings between 10:00 and 11:00 AM when the east-facing windows are hit directly. The cathedral is a block east of the Mercer Williams House and fits naturally into any Historic District stroll. Open daily 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Free entry. It is an active parish, so check Mass times if you want to visit outside of services.

   Learn more about Cathedral of St. John the Baptist →

   Hours

   Daily: 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM

   Price

   Free

Self-Guided Tour vs. Group Tour in Savannah

Savannah is one of the most walkable cities in the United States, and this tour takes full advantage of its flat grid and shaded squares. You move from the Paris-inspired fountain at Forsyth Park through the literary history of the Mercer Williams House, past contemporary art in a converted railroad depot, along the cobblestone waterfront, and into cemeteries and cathedrals that carry the weight of three centuries. The Historic District is compact and mostly flat, with live oak canopy providing shade the entire way. Most of Savannah's best sights, from the squares to the parks to the cemeteries, are free. Georgia's open-container law applies in the Historic District, so you can carry a drink in a plastic cup as you walk. The Savannah History Museum at $10 is the only fixed admission on this route.

How Long Does This Savannah Tour Take?

The route covers 6.3 km and takes about 2.7 hours of walking. Add time for stops. The SCAD Museum deserves 45 minutes to an hour. The Telfair Academy needs about an hour. River Street can absorb as much time as you give it, especially if you stop for food. Budget a full day if you want to linger in the squares, eat Lowcountry food, and explore at the slow pace Savannah rewards.

Tips for Walking in Savannah

• Georgia's open-container law applies in the Historic District. You can carry drinks in plastic cups on the street, and most bars will provide a to-go cup if you ask. This changes the pace of the whole walk.
• Start at Forsyth Park by 9:00 AM to beat the heat in summer. Savannah's humidity can be brutal from June through September. The live oak canopy helps, but mornings are significantly more comfortable.
• The Saturday farmers market at the south end of Forsyth Park (9:00 AM to 1:00 PM) is worth timing your visit around. Arrive by 9:30 before the best baked goods sell out.
• Visit the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist between 10:00 and 11:00 AM on a clear day. The morning sun hits the east-facing stained glass windows directly and the interior glows with color.
• If you have extra time, take a car or rideshare to Bonaventure Cemetery, about 15 minutes southeast of downtown. It is the atmospheric cemetery from Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, and it is free.

Common Questions