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Savannah Travel Guide: 22 Moss-Draped Squares, Forsyth Park Dawn, and River Street

Laid out in 1733 by James Oglethorpe on a bluff above the Savannah River, Savannah’s Historic District arranges Greek Revival, Gothic, and Italianate townhouses around 22 preserved park squares shaded by Spanish-moss-draped live oaks.

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  1. Savannah (Approximate city location)

Location coordinates: Savannah.

SAV Airport Express Bus 100X, free DOT shuttles, and Belles Ferry

Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV) connects to the Joe Murray Rivers Jr. Intermodal Transit Center on the western edge of the Historic District via the CAT Route 100X Airport Express bus (or a 20-minute taxi/Uber ride).

Inside the Historic District, you do not need a car: the Dot Express Shuttle runs two free downtown loops (Forsyth Loop and Downtown Loop), and the Savannah Belles Ferry crosses the Savannah River free of charge from City Hall Landing and Waving Girl Landing to Hutchinson Island.

  • CAT 100X Airport Express bus or a 20-minute taxi connects SAV airport to the Historic District.
  • Ride the free Dot Express Shuttle buses and free Savannah Belles river ferries.
  • Wear sturdy flat shoes for climbing the steep historic stone steps and ballast-stone cobbles down to River Street.

Sources: Visit Savannah: Historic squares and parks, Savannah’s Waterfront: Morrell Park

Choosing between the Central Squares (Bull Street), Forsyth Park / Victorian District, and Riverfront

Staying around the central Bull Street squares (Madison Square, Monterey Square, Chippewa Square, or Reynolds Square) places you in the quietest, leafiest heart of Oglethorpe’s grid within a ten-minute walk of both River Street and Forsyth Park.

Around the southern edge of Forsyth Park and the Victorian District, restored ginger-bread porches and local coffee shops offer a relaxed residential pace, while River Street hotels sit right beside the passing container ships (and livelier late-night bars).

  • Bull Street Corridor (Madison & Monterey Squares): tranquil oak-canopied squares in the exact centre of the grid.
  • Forsyth Park & Victorian District: morning park walks, cafés, and ornate 19th-century architecture.
  • Riverfront / Factors Walk: historic brick cotton warehouses overlooking the Savannah River.

Sources: Savannah’s Waterfront: Morrell Park, City of Savannah: Forsyth Park

Two-day Bull Street squares, Forsyth Park dawn, and Bonaventure or Wormsloe route

Day one enters Forsyth Park at sunrise to walk the live-oak avenue to the 1858 white cast-iron fountain, turns onto brick-paved Jones Street (between Bull and Whitaker), and walks north up the Bull Street spine through Monterey Square (Mercer Williams House), Madison Square (Green-Meldrim House), Chippewa Square, and Wright Square to the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist and the Owens-Thomas House.

Day two descends the stone ramps of Factors Walk to River Street to watch massive ocean freighters glide past the riverwalk, then takes a short afternoon ride southeast to the mossy oak avenues of Bonaventure Cemetery above the Wilmington River and the 1.5-mile oak-lined drive of Wormsloe Historic Site.

  • Day 1: Forsyth Park Fountain at dawn, Jones Street bricks, Bull Street squares, Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, and Owens-Thomas House.
  • Day 2: Factors Walk & River Street, City Market, Bonaventure Cemetery, and Wormsloe Historic Site oak avenue.
  • Beach extension: 25-minute drive east across the salt marshes to Tybee Island Light Station.

Sources: Visit Savannah: Historic squares and parks, Savannah’s Waterfront: Morrell Park, City of Savannah: Forsyth Park, City of Savannah: Fountain restoration celebration

Spring azalea bloom, summer coastal humidity, and sand-gnat protection

March and April are Savannah’s showpiece months when pink and white azaleas bloom beneath the grey Spanish moss across every square and inside Bonaventure Cemetery; October and November bring crisp, dry golden days. July and August are intensely hot and humid, making an 07:00 to 10:30 morning walk, a midday historic house tour or hotel rest, and an evening stroll after 18:00 the smartest schedule.

Near coastal marshes and inside shady parks on warm days, tiny biting midges known locally as sand gnats ("no-see-ums") are active; pack picaridin or botanical oil insect spray.

  • Reach Forsyth Park Fountain and Wormsloe’s live-oak avenue right at sunrise or opening hour (09:00 at Wormsloe).
  • Carry insect repellent when visiting Bonaventure Cemetery, Wormsloe, or coastal salt marshes.
  • Respect the Savannah historic district rules if carrying a beverage outdoors (plastic 16-oz cup rule north of Jones Street only).

Sources