Location: Savannah
Top Things to do in Savannah
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What to do and see in Savannah, Georgia (GA): The Best Sights & Landmarks
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. Cathedral of St. John the Baptist
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 9,384 reviews
The oldest Roman Catholic church in Georgia.
Reviewed By P5560OMamym
This enormous Cathedral is in the heart of historic Savannah and is an exotically prayerful & powerful landmark for which to visit, admire, study, film and light a candle.
2. Savannah Historic District
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 14,018 reviews
Savannah's picturesque historic district brings the traditional southern atmosphere to life.
Reviewed By mmwinters
The Savannah historic district will thrill those who love American history, especially colonial or civil war times; African American history; art and architecture; seafood or southern foods; trees and landscaping; fountains and sculptures. Several convenient modes of travel will help you get around - trolleys, horse-drawn carriages, Uber type services, and the free DOT bus system. Parking for cars is limited. I think it would be difficult to try to see things with your personal car. Be sure to wear a good pair of walking shoes and stay hydrated. It’s hard to recommend the “best” things to see and do. As a history lover, I wanted to see it ALL and hope to return someday to see the places I couldn’t get worked in. I think Savannah, budding and blooming in the spring, would be the most beautiful time to tour. August is very hot and humid, but bearable because the the sites are just so darned interesting and the beach is nearby!
3. Savannah College of Art and Design
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 116 reviews
Reviewed By Queenbia22 - Montreal, Canada
Great little intro to the SCAD and it’s history! What a great school and a big part of Savannah’s history and culture
4. Mickve Israel Temple
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,147 reviews
The third oldest Jewish congregation and the only neo-gothic Jewish sanctuary in the U. S. We offer tours that include our historic sanctuary and museum with many historic artifacts including two Torahs written in the 1400's (probably the oldest in the U.S.), a Jewish food festival (last Sunday in October), destination weddings and services every Friday, Saturday and holidays. See our website for calendar of events.
Reviewed By krquilts - Willis, United States
Unique sanctuary, informative and knowledgeable guide, and a small museum with 700 year old artifacts. Learned so much that I was not aware of.
5. SCADstory
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 251 reviews
Haven't you ever dreamed an impossible dream? Step into SCADstory - an immersive 4D experience that tells a universal tale of the dreamer in us all. SCADstory carries guests on an unexpected journey through SCAD history, across four decades of beauty, design, and invention. With the magic of 25 SCAD disciplines - from animation to themed entertainment design - this is a journey like no other.
Reviewed By kashley111 - Dothan, United States
This was a great exhibit/ story about SCAD. We really enjoyed all the special effects, animation, storytelling, and interactive parts. The staff was great! Highly recommend!
6. Bonaventure Cemetery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 6,548 reviews
Bonaventure Cemetery was developed on the historically-significant site of Bonaventure Plantation. The peaceful setting rests on a scenic bluff of the Wilmington River, east of Savannah. The site was purchased for a private cemetery in 1846 and became a public cemetery in 1907. Citizens and others can still purchase interment rights in Bonaventure. This charming site has been a world famous tourist destination for more than 150 years due to the old tree-lined roadways, the many notable persons interred, the unique cemetery sculpture and architecture, and the folklore associated with the site and the people. The entrance to the cemetery is located at 330 Bonaventure Road and is the largest of the municipal cemeteries containing nearly 100 acres. The cemetery is open to the public daily from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. . The main office of the Department of Cemeteries is located in the Bonaventure Administrative Building at the entrance.
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
Established in 1846 and covering nearly 160 acres on a scenic bluff overlooking the Wilmington River, east of Savannah, Georgia, the Bonaventure Cemetery is the largest of the city's municipal cemeteries. In recent years, it has become one of Savannah's most popular tourist attractions, primarily due to its role in John Berendt's best-selling book "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," which was turned into a movie directed by Clint Eastwood. The cover of the book features the "Bird Girl," an evocative sculpture which used to reside in the cemetery. After going virtually unnoticed for over 50 years, it was relocated from the cemetery in 1997 for display in the Telfair Museum of Art in Savannah. Many of the city's statesmen, prominent citizens and soldiers are buried in Bonaventure Cemetery in the shade of 250-year-old moss-laden oak trees, including Savannah founders Noble Wimberly Jones and Edward Telfair. Five Civil War generals and one admiral are buried there. So is singer, lyricist and composer Johnny Mercer and poet Conrad Aiken. In a cemetery of many unusual tombstones, perhaps one of the most unique is one in the shape of a piano, Mercer's grave site. The interesting tombstones and vaults and mausoleums, the colorful azaleas and camellias and the old oak, dogwood and magnolia trees have made the cemetery one of the most photographed in the country. The cemetery is open from dusk to dawn with tours available at the Bonaventure Historical Society Visitor's Center. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.
7. Colonial Park Cemetery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,730 reviews
The city's oldest cemetery, with family plots dating back to the 1700s.
Reviewed By trmdwelk - Centreville, United States
Not only is this a beautiful place to stroll but it is packed with history all around! Best of all, the city has placed many historic markers that share the story of the many important Americans who rest here and even if all you do is go from marker to marker, you'll have a great visit. But don't miss two important elements of this resting ground, the first of which are the many headstones that have been separated from their owners, posted along the back wall, which tell moving stories on their own. Second, look for the several headstones "humorously modified" by Union soldiers in 1864-65, like the man who died at 143 years of age - it's a fun sort of treasure hunt!
8. Flannery O'Connor Childhood Home
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 178 reviews
Where writer Flannery O'Connor spent her childhood, during the Great Depression on Savannah's LaFayette Square. Off-hour, group, and private tours are available by request.
Reviewed By SarahG-AVLLit - Asheville, United States
If you're a literary tourist, this is a stop you don't want to miss! This is a unique opportunity to see an immaculately restored middle class home from the Depression era. The guides are well versed in the history of the home, its restoration, and the life and career of its most famous resident. We had a great time and were glad we made this stop!
9. First African Baptist Church
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,145 reviews
First African Baptist Church was organized in 1773 under the leadership of Reverend George Leile and established and constituted in December of 1777 as a body organized believers. Under the leadership of the 3rd Pastor Reverend Andrew C. Marshall, the congregation obtained the property where the present sanctuary stands. Marshall also organized the first black Sunday school in North America and changed the name of the church from “First Colored Baptist” to “First African Baptist”. The sanctuary was completed in 1859 under the direction of the 4th Pastor Reverend William J. Campbell. The ceiling of the church is in the design of a “Nine Patch Quilt” which represented that the church was a safe house for slaves. Beneath the lower auditorium floor is another finished sub floor which is known as the “Underground Railroad”. There is 4ft of height between both floors. The holes in the floor are in the shape of an African prayer symbol known as a Congolese Cosmogram that served a purpose of ventilation. First African Baptist Church has been a place of leadership and service since its inception. Reverend Emmanuel King Love, 6th Pastor, led the movement to establish Savannah State University, formerly known as Georgia State Industrial College for Colored Youth. Rev. Love also played a big role in the establishment of Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA and Paine College in Augusta, GA. During the time of segregation the church served as the largest gathering place for blacks and whites to meet. Visitors from all walks of life have visited out sanctuary and left inspired. TOUR RATES: Adults = $7.00; Seniors = $6.00; Students = $6.00; Children Ages 5 & Under = FREE. TOUR HOURS OF OPERATION: Tuesday - Saturday = 11:00 a.m. & 2:00p.m. Sunday = 1:00p.m.
Reviewed By nonamezim - Homer, United States
If you want to understand the faith and history of the oldest black congregation in the US, and spend about an hour being amazed that enslaved Africans in their “free” time built their own church than this tour is for you. Plan ahead to check tour times, you can’t just walk in. Beautiful stained glass windows, gleaming southern pine floors and the archives documents dating to the 1700s are wonderful. The tour guides are most often church members and are passionate about their ancestors and informative of the various roles the church leadership played in our history including the Underground Railroad. This was the highlight of my time in Savannah.
10. Johnson Square
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 80 reviews
A city square lined by giant oak trees and an obelisk honoring Nathanael Greene, a New England-born general.
Reviewed By Z7475THjasonj - Bristol, United States
Really like how the city has all of these squares with giant live oaks in them. Really tranquil place to just sit and people watch or just have some peace and quiet. This particular square is not very large but it is right across from the pink house restaurant. The habersham family used to own it and it is an expensive restaurant now.
