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The 8 Best Museums in Downtown, Georgia (GA)
Charming Savannah is the picture of antebellum hospitality, thanks to period architecture and oak-lined streets. It’s tempting to spend your trip just relaxing on vast verandas and sipping mint juleps, but there are plenty of historical sites and museums to explore. Haunting (and possibly haunted) Bonaventure Cemetery is one of the hallmarks of the city, featuring beautiful obelisks, masses of flowers, and ivy-covered crypts. Dine on fresh seafood and creamy grits for a taste of Savannah home cooking.
Restaurants in Savannah
1. Davenport House Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 771 reviews
Federal-style home of master builder Isaiah Davenport restored to its early 19th century beauty. Owned and operated by Historic Savannah Foundation.
Reviewed By foundtrips - San Antonio, United States
An award-winning example of historic preservation and restoration. This federal style structure built in 1820, was one of the first projects that began the restoration movement in Savannah in the mid-1950s. The central spiral staircase is an architectural delight. This is a must-visit!
2. Massie Heritage Center
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 272 reviews
The Massie Heritage Center should be your first stop in Georgia's first city! Massie provides the best orientation for your visit with a 3D model of Savannah's entire Historic District, including three laser-lit narratives of the city's history projected onto the model. Massie's six exhibit rooms inside the historic 1856 Greek Revival school house offers visitors the unique opportunity to learn about Savannah's many architectural styles, the earliest inhabitants of the Georgia coast, the historic preservation movement in the city, and what school was like in the 1800s inside our authentic heritage classroom. We are located on beautiful Calhoun Square, Savannah's only architecturally original square, at the corner of Abercorn and Gordon streets. We look forward to seeing you!
Reviewed By travellerfromatown - Allentown, United States
I enjoyed our short visit, primarily because the docent ( even during COVID) took the time to explain how Savannah was laid out, enhancing the museum’s model and audio explanation. We also loved the classroom and information about schooling in the past. The architecture exhibition was basic, but informative for those who might be wandering Savannah and looking at all the styles of buildings.
3. Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,176 reviews
Built as a beautiful Regency style mansion in 1819, the Owens-Thomas House, along with its adjacent gardens, carriage house, and slave quarters, allows visitors to explore the complicated relationships between the most and least powerful people in the city of Savannah in the early 19th century. Only a seven-minute walk from Telfair Museums’ other two sites, this historic home offers a completely different experience. Telfair Museums’ Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters has paused all docent led tours indefinitely due to COVID-19. Guests may independently navigate the historic home with an audio tour available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or our website.
Reviewed By Carol757 - Springfield, United States
It’s important to recognize and acknowledge the legacy of slavery in places like Savannah, and the Owens-Thomas House (one of the three institutions that make up the Telfair Museums) does, I think, a good job doing so. In addition to point out such features as the (then) modern indoor plumbing and the balcony where General Lafayette spoke to the citizens of Savannah, the guides also do an excellent job of speaking about the slaves who lived there. It’s definitely a must-see while in Savannah.
4. Gallery 209
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 22 reviews
Reviewed By Alabamatripcreator
I have shopped at this excellent gallery over the years. Everytime we visit Savannah I head to this amazing gallery on River street. It is by far the best place on the River. They carry the work of over 30 local artists, since it's a coop the artist take turns operating the gallery, this is such a wonderful perk because you get to meet and visit with some of the artists. I just returned from a trip to Savannah and yes I visited Gallery 209, went away with great gifts and some pieces for myself. They have a wide variety of art: paintings, wonderful woven items ( I purchased two by Suzanne Work Hokanson), glass work, beautiful and creative jewelry, pottery, etc. there is something for everyone. Lisa Rosenmeier has some really cute animal paintings as well as other renderings. The jewelry artists are highly creative and affordable. I HIGHLY recommend this gallery. Plan on spending some time because there is so much to see.
5. Telfair Academy
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 754 reviews
Designed by British architectural prodigy William Jay in the neoclassical Regency style, the Telfair Academy is a former mansion built in 1819 for Alexander Telfair, son of Revolutionary War patriot and Georgia governor Edward Telfair. In 1875, Alexander’s sister Mary – heir to the family fortune and last to bear the Telfair name – bequeathed the house and its furnishings to the Georgia Historical Society to be opened as a museum. After significant renovation by German-born architect Detlef Lienau, whose adaptations included the addition of the Sculpture Gallery and the Rotunda, the building opened to the public in 1886 as the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences. Bird Girl, made famous by the Jack Leigh photo on the cover of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, can be found here along with the museum's permanent collection of American Impressionism.
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
The Telfair Museums, a trio of landmark buildings located in the Savannah Historic District, amounted to the first public art museum in the Southern United States. Founded through the bequest of Mary Telfair, a prominent local citizen who died in 1875, and operated by the Georgia Historical Society until 1920, the museum opened in 1886 in the Telfair family's renovated Regency style mansion known as the Telfair Academy. The museum currently contains a collection of over 4,500 American and European paintings, sculptures and works on paper. They are housed in three buildings--the 1818 Telfair Academy, formerly the Telfair family home at 121 Barnard Street on Telfair Square, the 1816 Owens-Thomas House and Slave Quarters, which are both National Historic Landmarks designed by English architect William Jay in the early 19th century, and the contemporary Jepson Center for the Arts, which was completed in 2006. The Telfair Academy contains two 19th century period rooms and houses 19th and 20th century American and European art from the museum's permanent collection, including paintings, works on paper, sculptures and decorative arts. Among the ongoing exhibits in the Telfair Academy is Mansion to Museum, which highlights the story of the transformation of the Telfair Academy site from a home to an Academy of Arts and Sciences. The neoclassical Regency style mansion was built from 1818-1819 and is the former home of Alexander Telfair, the son of Revolutionary War patriot and Georgia governor Edward Telfair. In 1875, Alexander's sister Mary, heir to the family fortune and last to bear the Telfair name, bequeathed the house and its furnishings to the Georgia Historical Society to be opened as a museum. After significant renovations, which included the addition of the Sculpture Gallery and the Rotunda, the building opened to the public in 1886 as the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences.
6. The Beach Institute
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 13 reviews
The Beach Institute was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction as the first official school for African-Americans in Savannah, GA. Today, the original historic building is home to the Beach Institute African-American Cultural Center, Savannah's flagship organization for African-American arts, history, and historic preservation.
Reviewed By Brent720
Outstanding display of African-American art throughout the museum. Extraordinary collection of wood carvings by local legend. Gallery upstairs has a display room that changes during the year.
7. The Georgia Historical Society
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 15 reviews
Georgia Historical Society (GHS) is the premier independent statewide institution responsible for collecting, examining, and teaching Georgia history. GHS houses the oldest and most distinguished collection of materials related exclusively to Georgia history in the nation. Founded in 1839, the Georgia Historical Society is the oldest continuously operated historical society in the South. The Georgia Historical Society administers a variety of educational programs promoting Georgia and American history through education and research. GHS oversees the statewide Historical Marker Program, the Georgia History Festival, educational outreach initiatives, and public programming to introduce new perspectives and scholarship. The GHS Research Center is open to the public for research and preserves an unparalleled collection of Georgia history. A vast collection of digitized material is available through our website. *The Research Center is currently closed for renovation.
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
Just when you think you've visited every museum worth visiting, you discover another one...and another one. The Georgia Historical Society is one you shouldn't miss. Located at 501 Whitaker Street, at the north end of Forsyth Park, at the southwest corner of Gaston and Whitaker Streets, in the heart of Savannah, Georgia, it was chartered in 1839 and is the oldest cultural institution in Georgia and one of the oldest historical organizations in the United States. It houses the oldest and most distinguished collection of materials related exclusively to Georgia history in the nation. And did I mention the building? Designed by architect Detlef Lienau, the Gothic style structure dates to 1876. Architecture buffs will be impressed by the entranceway, woodwork, three-story ceiling and period gas lights. It is home to a research library and a priceless collection of historical documents and artifacts. It also is the source for most of the historical research done in Savannah.
8. Telfair Museums Jepson Center
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 536 reviews
Designed by internationally acclaimed architect Moshe Safdie, Telfair Museums’ Jepson Center presents highlights from the museum’s modern and contemporary collection and also treats visitors to an ever-changing array of exceptional artwork—from classical European masters to daring emerging artists. The Jepson Center also features a hands-on children’s museum space, TechSpace, daily drop-in studio activities for all ages, and unique shopping.
Reviewed By Alitraveli - Seattle, United States
I have been here twice and loved it both times. I'd gladly visit just to be in this beautiful building designed by the architect Moshe Safdie and to enjoy the views from throughout the building and from the building's huge windows to the lovely square outside. I have also really enjoyed the exhibits on both visits. Highlights were a chance to experience virtual reality art and an outstanding impressionism exhibit. The latter was made even better by one of the best docent tours I have ever experienced. I also highly recommend the wonderful gift shop here. Aren't museum gift shops the best?
