Savannah is one of the few cities where it’s easy to spend an entire day simply walking. The Historic District naturally pulls you from one square, storefront, café, or landmark to the next, making exploration feel less planned and more instinctive. Whether you’re stepping onto a riverboat, blending a custom fragrance, or taking in the city from a carriage or trolley, the best experiences tend to fit seamlessly into the rhythm of moving through Savannah itself.
What to Do in Savannah
Carriage Tours of Savannah
Horse-drawn carriage tours have been part of Savannah’s tourism culture for decades, offering a slower way to experience the city’s historic squares and architecture. Many tours move through the Historic District while guides share stories tied to Savannah’s history, preservation, and notable landmarks. The pace itself is part of the appeal, giving visitors a more relaxed perspective on the city.
Old Town Trolley Tours
Old Town Trolley Tours offers a hop-on, hop-off format that makes it easy to move between Savannah’s major landmarks, museums, and shopping areas without relying entirely on walking. The narrated tours combine transportation with historical commentary, making it useful both for first-time visitors and for getting oriented early in a trip. Its flexibility tends to make it one of the easier ways to cover a larger portion of the city in a shorter amount of time.
Georgia Queen Riverboat
The Georgia Queen Riverboat operates sightseeing and dining cruises along the Savannah River, offering a different perspective of the city. Styled after a traditional paddlewheel riverboat, it combines sightseeing with live entertainment and dining depending on the cruise format. Evening cruises in particular tend to highlight the skyline and riverfront atmosphere in a way that feels distinctly Savannah.
Noble Jones Tours
Noble Jones Tours offers guided walking experiences focused on Savannah’s architecture, history, and lesser-known stories rather than scripted tourist stops alone. The tours are intentionally smaller and more conversational, giving them a more personal feel than larger group formats. It’s a strong option for visitors looking to explore Savannah beyond surface-level history while still staying rooted in the city’s historic core.
Local Experiences & Activities
Old Fort Jackson - Coastal Heritage Society
Old Fort Jackson, operated by Coastal Heritage Society, sits along the Savannah River just east of downtown and is one of the oldest remaining brick forts in Georgia. Originally completed in the early 1800s, the site played a role in Savannah’s harbor defense and today features daily cannon firings, military demonstrations, and interactive historical programming. Its riverfront setting and preserved fortifications make it one of the more immersive ways to experience Savannah’s early coastal history.
Joyride Boat Club
Joyride Boat Club is a boating company offering private cruises aboard electric European-style boats designed for Savannah’s rivers and marshes. Founded by Allison Krandall and Audra DiPadova, the company was created to give visitors a quieter, more intimate way to experience the Lowcountry beyond downtown’s historic streets. The boats themselves are part of the appeal, offering a quieter, slower-paced way to experience Savannah’s waterways while taking in the marsh scenery and surrounding wildlife.
Gray’s Reef Ocean Discovery Center
The Gray’s Reef Ocean Discovery Center, operated by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is located on Martin Luther King Blvd and offers interactive exhibits focused on one of the country’s largest live-bottom reefs. The center highlights the marine life, research, and conservation efforts connected to Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary, located off the Georgia coast. Through aquariums, educational displays, and immersive exhibits, it offers a closer look at the coastal ecosystem that exists just beyond Savannah’s shoreline.
Must-Visit Spots
Forsyth Park
Forsyth Park is Savannah’s most recognizable public space, stretching across 30 acres at the southern end of the Historic District. The park is best known for its iconic fountain, walking paths, live oaks, and open green space that naturally draws both locals and visitors throughout the day. Farmers markets, events, and nearby cafés make it feel just as much like a neighborhood gathering place as a landmark.
Ardsley Park
Ardsley Park offers a quieter, more residential side of Savannah, with tree-lined streets, historic homes, and neighborhood cafés spread throughout the area. Originally developed in the early 1900s as Savannah’s first streetcar suburb, it feels less tourist-driven than downtown while still remaining closely connected to the city’s character.
Wormsloe Historic Site
Wormsloe Historic Site is best known for its nearly mile-long avenue of live oaks, one of the most photographed entrances in Georgia. The property preserves part of Colonial Georgia history through ruins, trails, and interpretive exhibits connected to Noble Jones, one of the state’s early settlers. Beyond the history itself, the drive and surrounding marsh landscape make it one of Savannah’s most visually recognizable destinations.
River Street
Running along the Savannah River, River Street combines historic cotton warehouses, restaurants, bars, shops, and riverfront views into one of the city’s busiest areas. The cobblestone streets and passing cargo ships give it a distinctly active waterfront feel that contrasts with the quieter squares farther inland. It’s often one of the first places visitors explore, especially in the evenings when the riverfront becomes more active.
City Market
City Market has served as a gathering place in Savannah in different forms since the 1700s and today blends restaurants, galleries, shops, and live music within a four-block downtown area. The atmosphere is more lively and entertainment-focused than many surrounding historic streets, especially later in the day. Its central location also makes it an easy point to move between other parts of downtown Savannah.
Starland Yard
Starland Yard is an open-air food truck park and gathering space located in Savannah’s Starland District. Built around shipping containers and a rotating mix of food vendors, bars, and events, it reflects the more modern, creative side of the city compared to Savannah’s historic core. Live music, outdoor seating, and community events give it a more casual, social atmosphere that draws both locals and visitors.
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