Things to Do in Savannah, Georgia
Forrest Gump Was Filmed Here
Walking in Savannah
Free Things to Do in Savannah, Georgia
Stroll the streets of the Historic District, City Market, and River Street, stopping to notice the mature trees, unique shops, and interesting historical markers.
Get around town on the DOT Express Free Shuttle.
Tour one of the city's many historic churches.
Browse the weekly Forsyth Farmers Market.
Explore the Savannah Botanical Gardens.
Take in the exhibits at the FREE Savannah African Art Museum.
Wander through the nooks and crannies of one of the coolest bookstores we've ever stumbled upon... E Shaver, Bookseller. Be sure to take the time to say hello to the resident kitties.
Visit the historic Bonaventure Cemetery.
To expand on your Savannah experience, take a drive out to nearby Tybee Island.
Enjoying Breakfast at Clary's Cafe
Tips for Visiting Savannah, Georgia
In 2021 and 2024, we used TourPass to tour Savannah. We highly recommend TourPass to get the most out of your visit to this beautiful city. We've included a lot more information about the TourPass program in the next section of this post.
Plan to spend at least 3-4 days here. There are a LOT of interesting things to see and do in Savannah. In our opinion, 3-4 days isn't really enough time to maximize your experience, but you'll be able to see quite a bit. If you can spend a week here, that would be better (and you probably still won't see and do everything on your list!).
Savannah is a very walkable city. In fact, for us, a big part of the Savannah experience is strolling through the historic squares while enjoying the architecture, historic markers and local shops. Wear comfortable walking shoes and watch your step... this is an historic city with brick-lined sidewalks in some areas that aren't always perfectly level.
To give your feet a break, Savannah offers the FREE dot Express Shuttle Service to help you get around town.
Paid parking is available on surface lots and in parking garages around Downtown Savannah. Street parking is also available, but can be difficult to get. The Park Savannah app makes paying for parking quick and easy, eliminating the need to use a parking meter or pay station in some areas. We used the app to pay for parking in the surface lot at the Visitor Center next to the train museum when we rode the trolley. We also used the app to pay for street parking. It worked extremely well, provided push notifications when parking was expiring, and made it easy to extend our parking time without returning to our vehicle.
More on TourPass
We discovered TourPass during our first visit to Savannah back in 2021. We were searching for things to do in the area and Tom stumbled upon the TourPass website. We decided to give it a try and bought a 3-day pass.
In short, we LOVED the TourPass experience! It made finding interesting attractions easy, it worked flawlessly, and we visited some attractions that we probably would have never visited on our own and they were GREAT.
Fast forward to 2024. As of the writing of this post, TourPass offers tour packages in St Augustine, Florida, Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina. Each of these cities were on our travel schedule for 2024, so we used TourPass to help us explore every one of them.
Yes, TourPass can save you money if you visit a lot of attractions. You get discounted rates from what the attractions normally charge the public. And we love saving money. But there are other benefits to it...
TourPass makes touring EASY... You pay the set fee up front based upon the city that you are visiting and how many days you want to use the pass. And that's it. There are no other fees. So, travel budgeting is super simple. You know exactly what the attractions will cost you up front. You don't have to worry about dynamic price changes of individual attractions or being nickeled and dimed by admission add-ons.
You choose your activation day and that is the day your pass will become active, no matter when you purchase it. So you can plan your adventures in advance and then just focus on having fun when you arrive.
You can put everyone in your party on one pass... no need for each person to have their own. So when we set up our 2024 Savannah TourPass, we entered 3 people. When we arrived at a new attraction, I would show the admission attendant the TourPass on my phone and that one virtual pass provided admission for all three of us. It literally took a few seconds. So it saves time on entering attractions because admission is already paid. We're simply showing proof of payment as we enter.
TourPass includes a very easy to read listing of all of the Featured and Standard Attractions that are included in each city. Each listing includes the attraction's hours of operation, description, and location. It also tells you how far you are from each of the attractions at any given time.
When we use TourPass, we don't have to worry about finding things to do. We don't have to worry about how much we are spending on the attractions. Our biggest worry is how many can we possibly squeeze into the time that we have.
Using the TourPass since 2021, we have experienced ZERO issues! Not once have we encountered an admission attendant who is unfamilar with it. It has worked perfectly everywhere we've used it.
On our most recent visit to Savannah, we appreciate the folks at TourPass providing us with a 1-day pass. But we know from experience, one day is not even close to enough time to explore Savannah. During Day 1, we paid to upgrade our pass to a 2-Day TourPass right from the app on my phone. It was very quick and easy to do. All we had to do was to pay the difference in price between a 1-day and a 2-day pass. If you have any issues, a support button is available right on the app.
The final thing we really appreciate about the TourPass experience... Multi-Day Passes do not have to be used on consecutive days (unless otherwise stated by specific attractions that you are visiting for more than one day).
We highly recommend using TourPass for your adventures in St Augustine, Florida, Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina. We believe in the product 100% based on our personal experience. We like it so much, we reached out to them and joined their affiliate program. If you purchase a TourPass through one of our links, it will not cost you any more money, but we will receive a commission toward supporting this website and our content. Thank you and enjoy your tours!
How Did Savannah Get Its Name?
The town of Savannah, Georgia is said to get its name from the Savannah River that brought its settlers and built the city via its busy port.
The origins of the name for the Savannah River are less agreed upon. Some say the river was named for (or by) the local native inhabitants prior to European arrival. The Savana (or Savannah) were Shawnee peoples who are said to have migrated through this area during the 1600s.
Another possible explanation for the name of the Savannah River comes from the Spanish word "Sabana" which translates to savannah, referring to a large piece of flat, grassland. Some historical accounts we've read mention the English settlers borrowing this word from the Spanish to describe some areas within the southern colonies in the 1700s.
Where is Savannah Georgia?
You'll find Savannah on the East Coast of Georgia, approximately 20 miles from the Atlantic Ocean off of Interstate 95. Savannah sits just south of South Carolina along the Savannah River.
Our Basecamp for This Visit
📍 In 2024, we stayed at Creekfire Resort. In 2021, we stayed at Skidaway Island State Park.
For More Information on Visiting Savannah, Georgia
Check out the Visit Savannah website. You'll also notice Visitor Centers and Information kiosks around the city' historic district as you explore. Another great resource for anyone visiting Savannah is Savannah.com.
Savannah Georgia Fun Facts
Approximate Population
148,000
Average Summer Temperatures
72° - 92°
Average Winter Temperatures
41° - 64°
Geographic Area
108.7 square miles
A Few Photos from Our Visit to Savannah
Artist at Work
Carriage Tours Are Also Available
A Must Visit for Girl Scouts
Beautiful Courtyards
Don't Miss Leopold's Ice Cream
Or the Many Coffee Houses
A Savannah Ferry Passes the Olympic Torch
The Very Cool E Shaver, Bookseller
Our Campsite at Skidaway Island State Park
Our Campsite at Creekfire Resort
