Savannah now tops 'best of' lists for its moss-draped oaks, 23 historic squares and cobbled riverfront, but the Georgia city's polish is surprisingly recent. By the mid-20th century, downtown was fading — residents and businesses had decamped to car-friendly suburbs, and historic buildings were being torn down. The turnaround began with the Historic Savannah Foundation, founded in 1955, which saved entire blocks that would otherwise have vanished.
The city's history runs deep. Founded in 1733 by James Oglethorpe as Georgia's first colonial settlement, Savannah grew rich as a port trading cotton, rice and lumber, its grid of public squares shaping today's Historic District. In December 1864, Sherman's Union army captured the city and famously presented it to President Lincoln as a Christmas gift.
A stranger-than-fiction boost came in 1994, when John Berendt's true-crime novel 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil' — about antiques dealer Jim Williams, tried four times for the 1981 murder of his assistant — put Savannah on the national map. The book sold four million copies, earned a Pulitzer nomination, and pushed the city's tourism revenue up 46% in three years. Savannah leaned in: many of its most popular tours today revolve around ghosts, cemeteries and dark history, and the city's crime rate has since dropped by more than half, from 11,171 reported crimes in 2007 to 5,274 in 2025.
For visitors, the Historic District is the draw. Chippewa Square starred in 'Forrest Gump', while Forsyth Park anchors the southern end with its iconic fountain and 30 acres of green space. You can explore on foot, by trolley, or on guided tours covering architecture, military history and hauntings. Along River Street, converted cotton warehouses now hold restaurants, shops and hotels overlooking the Savannah River, where you can watch container ships glide past, take a cruise, or walk east for views of the Talmadge Memorial Bridge. The adjacent Victorian and Starland districts add galleries, bars and independent businesses.
The clincher is the coast: Tybee Island sits just 18 miles east, with kayaking and water sports in the surrounding marshes. Whether you're after Southern food, spooky stories or a beach day, Savannah packs a lot into a walkable footprint — and its road back from neglect is part of what makes it worth your time.
Story via Islands.
