With a history dating back nearly 300 years, public squares draped in Spanish moss and antebellum homes, Savannah has an array of attractions. Nearby beaches provide you opportunities to fish, swim and boat, while the temperate weather enables you to explore the outdoors and golf throughout the year. You'll also find abundant museums, shops and restaurants in and around the city.
Savannah Splendor
- Tours can provide a good orientation to downtown Savannah and give you an overview of the city’s history and lore. Viewing the squares and Forsyth Park from a carriage, trolley or pedicab -- or strolling through them on foot -- is an essential part of any visit. If you like history, you’ll find plenty, from churches dating to the 18th century to antebellum architecture to 18th and 19th century graveyards such as Colonial Park and Bonaventure. House museums include the birthplace of Girl Scouts founder Juliette Gordon Low and the Green-Meldrim House, where General William Tecumseh Sherman stayed during his occupation of Savannah during the Civil War. If you’re an art aficionado, you can choose from numerous galleries, including the Jepson Center for the Arts, the Telfair Museum of Art or the Savannah College of Art and Design Museum of Art. Don’t miss River Street, a cobblestoned road with the Savannah River on one side and hotels, boutique shops and quirky restaurants on the other.
Touring Tybee
- If you want to hit the beach, travel 18 miles east of downtown Savannah to Tybee Island, where you’ll find public access oceanfront stretching for 3 miles. Join a dolphin tour, charter a fishing boat or fish from the piers. While breakers usually remain fairly small, offshore storms sometimes generate waves large enough for surfing. Three miles before you reach Tybee proper, you’ll pass Fort Pulaski, built in 1829 and occupied by both Confederate and Union troops during the Civil War. You can walk around the fort, follow walking paths to the Savannah River and tour a museum with information about the war and the fort’s history. Among another attractions is the Typee Island Lighthouse, built in 1732 and open for self-guided tours. The attached museum traces the area’s history, from the first European explorers to the present. The Tybee Island Marine Science Center provides educational programs about coastal ecosystems, including beaches and tidal marshes.
Heroic History
- For post-Civil War military history, visit the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force in Pooler, between downtown and the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport. The museum focuses on the World War II aviation squad, with exhibits showcasing not only the plans and accomplishments of the Eighth Air Force but also the war's overall military history, the experiences of fighters and prisoners and the role of women.
Island Ecosystems
- For a nature-based experience, check out Skidaway Island State Park just outside Savannah. Trails with interpretive signs acquaint you with coastal marsh, hummock and maritime forest ecosystems. You also can see the remains of Civil War breastworks looking out over the water. An on-site museum contains exhibits about the park's animals, both present and prehistoric, and you can camp on the grounds.
South Carolina Spirit
- Around 30 miles from Savannah, you'll find the resort community of Hilton Head Island, home to 24 golf courses that, thanks to the area's mild climate, can be used throughout the year. A large outlet mall, with more than 200 shops and around 250 restaurants, rounds out the island's offerings. About 20 miles from Savannah stands the historic community of Bluffton, filled with restaurants, galleries, boutiques and antebellum churches and homes. Overlooking the May River and near the ocean, Bluffton also provides access for boating and water sports. Beaufort, another historic town around 40 miles north of Savannah, showcases its antebellum grace through guided bicycle, boat, carriage and walking tours.
