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One of the magical aspects of Savannah is that no matter where you are, you're just a short walk from something spectacular. The easy grid pattern and tree-canopied streets make this a great town for strolling, and no neighborhood is better for a stroll than the Historic District.
One caveat, though. Savannah is firmly set in a semi-tropical clime, and the city can get very warm even in the spring and fall. So if you're hitting the streets on foot, it's a good idea to head out in the early morning or early evening, and avoid the steaming heat of midday and the afternoon. Walk slowly, nodding to your fellow sidewalk travelers, and bring along a water bottle or even a parasol—you'll fit right in.
A good place to start your tour is at City Hall at Broad and Meeting Streets. This is the site of the first settlement of Savannah, and it's where founding father James Oglethorpe first put ashore in 1733. From City Hall, cross the picturesque Washington Square, and pause among the low-draping Spanish moss to look for Forrest Gump's bench.
When you reach the other side, pick up Houston Street for a block, cross Bay Street and enter the deep shade of Emmet Park. Cross the verdant lawn to the small thoroughfare on the other side known as Factor's Walk. Named for the officials who graded and set the price for cotton during the city's glory days, this three-block stretch between Bay and River Streets is now home to a wonderful array of quaint shops. From here on the palisade, you can look down over the Savannah River and the busy tourists of River Street as they move between restaurants, pubs and antique stores that have been carved out of the mammoth brick cotton warehouses of the 1800s. If you're hungry, this is a good time to descend the precarious stone steps and immerse yourself in the center of Savannah's feeding and nightlife district.
The stones used to pave the narrow alleys and stairs that lead down to the river are not technically cobblestones, as any local will gladly tell you. Rather, they're rubble of various compositions that crossed the ocean in frigates, serving as ballast in holds that would return bearing cotton, the venerated “white gold.”
If you're not hungry yet, continue along the bluff on Factor's Walk until you hit the Savannah Cotton Exchange. This 1887 structure was once the capital of the cotton world, but today is home to a lodge of Freemasons. Turn left on Drayton Street and wander two blocks to Congress before turning left toward green Johnson Square. Pause to examine the intricate ironwork and gingerbread trim on the commercial buildings and residences, many of which pre-date the Civil War by a good many years.
Another two blocks will land you at Ellis Square, named for Sir Henry Ellis, Georgia's second governor under the crown. You've now entered City Market, a roughly four-square-block neighborhood that's been restored to reflect the Savannah of the glorious cotton days. Browse the many antique and local craft shops, stop for a cold drink at one of the sidewalk cafes, or simply admire the artwork that lines the streets.
When you've taken your fill, return to Ellis Square, smile at the royal governor, and head left down Barnard for two blocks to Telfair Square. The majestic manor facing the square on the right was the home of old Governor Ellis until the Revolution ended badly for his team. It now houses the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences, the oldest art museum in the South. Treat yourself to an air-conditioned spell amid these stately walls, handsomely adorned with a fine collection of American and European oils. End your journey with a visit to the “Bird Girl,” the cherubic sculpture whose appearance on the cover of John Berendt's “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” caused such heavy tourist traffic at Bonaventure Cemetery that she was moved to the Telfair out of respect for the graveyard's not-so-famous.
A Walk Through the Sand
When it's time to shake the cobwebs of the past from your vacation, you'll find plenty of sun and sand to take their place at Tybee Island. The playground of Savannah's ocean-loving denizens for over a century, this small coastal island lies a mere fifteen miles directly east of the city. Simply get yourself on Highway 80 and drive. When you sight the hulking battlements of Fort Pulaski National Monument, bear left. If you drive into the Atlantic, you've gone too far.
A quick history fix can be had at the fort, and a chuckle as well. Completed in 1847, the structure was very soon bombarded into obsolescence when Union forces on Tybee introduced rifled artillery shells to its thick walls in 1862. After thirty hours, Pulaski was out of commission, and Savannah was out of the war.
Another few miles will land you in the heart of Tybee. In recent days, much of the commercial district at the far tip of the island has been given over to loud beachside bars, kitsch shops and cheap restaurants, but the outlying areas have retained much of their low country flavor. In town, be sure to visit the time-honored MacElwee's seafood restaurant, where generations of faithful flock summer after summer. If you plan to stay the night, you'll have your pick of a virtual armada of upscale hotels, gritty motels, condominiums and beach houses.
For a bird's eye view, head for the Tybee Island Lighthouse. Dating to 1742, this is the third oldest lighthouse in America, and a short climb to the top of the 154-foot structure yields a remarkable panorama of the low country, marshlands and ocean. On the way back to town, stop by the Tybee Island Museum located nearby to satisfy your appetite for island history, or satisfy your more visceral appetites, don't miss the Crab Shack just off Highway 80 as you leave the island. This rustic joint piles the shellfish high in a ramshackle, open-air shanty right on the marsh. Happy crackin'.
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