Looking from West Harris Street across Pulaski Square to West Charlton Street
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Looking from West Harris Street across Pulaski Square to West Charlton Street |
Savannah is known as America's first planned city. It was founded by General James Oglethorpe who arrived from England with 120 shipmates in 1733. Oglethorpe named the 13th and last colony "Georgia" after England's King George II, and Savannah became its first city. Savannah was laid out in a grid with open streets intertwined with shady public squares and parks that served as town meeting places and centers of business. More information about the layout of the city is available by looking at the Oglethorpe plan.
Savannah's historic district is a square of roughly one mile per side; it is split into four quadrants by Bull Street that runs from City Hall in the north to Forsyth Park in the south and Liberty Street that runs from the Visitor Information Center in the west to East Broad Street in the east. The Savannah river is at the north end. 22 of the original 24 squares of Savannah still exist today.
The best way to get acquainted with the history and architecture of Savannah is to take a tour. Based on a recommendation of friends, we chose an Architectural Savannah tour led by Jonathan Stalcup, and it turned out to be the highlight of our trip. Sure, you can just walk around this beautiful city and admire the sights, but we highly recommend taking this tour. Our guide left no question unanswered, and it made exploring on our own later on more enjoyable because we were able to look for many of the things we had learned.
As delighted as we are to have you visit this page, there is no substitute for walking through historic Savannah yourself and experience southern hospitality first-hand. People are friendly and engaging; at one point, we were standing at a street corner, probably looking a bit lost. Almost immediately, a police officer walked up to us; she smiled and asked if she could help us find something. It's the kind of thing that makes you feel welcome. We will definitely go back to the setting of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, and at the same time also revisit beautiful Charleston.
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The Owens-Thomas House seen from Oglethorpe Square |
Looking from Oglethorpe Square to Oliver Bentleys Barking Bakery |
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Reynolds Square and statue of John Wesley |
Iconic Southern Live Oaks in Reynolds Square |
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Wright Square and Tomochichi memorial |
The Gordon monument in Wright Square |
City Hall dome |
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Footbridge by the River Street Inn |
Southern Live Oaks and Spanish moss are ubiquitous in Savannah |
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The Georgia Queen |
Along the Savannah River |
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The container ship Cape Tainaro makes its way upriver... |
...and to the docks beyond the Talmage Memorial Bridge. |
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On East River Street |
On East River Street |
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City Market |
Bozena's gift shop at City Market |
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Troup Square with its Armillary Sphere |
The Collins Quarter Australian café and restaurant |
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We stopped here for some British pub grub |
Inside the Six Pence Pub |
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The Kehoe House with its cast iron (!) columns |
The Davenport House |
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On West Liberty Street |
The Independent Presbyterian Church of Savannah |
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Big Duke Fire Alarm Bell |
This Oglethorpe Avenue home was built in 1760... |
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...and raised up one floor later. |
Utility lane between streets |
Horse carriage ride on Bull Street |
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On Habersham Street |
On Habersham Street |
Madison Square and W. Jasper Monument |
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On Oglethorpe Square |
The Paris Market and Brocante at 36 West Broughton Street |
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Façades on West Broughton Street |
Oglethorpe House student residence |
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The Mercer House seen from Monterey Square |
The Armstrong House on Bull Street |
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The Forsyth Park fountain |
In Forsyth Park |
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The central alley in Forsyth Park |
The Forsyth Park fountain |
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Lafayette statue and Confederate Memorial |
In Forsyth Park |
On East Jones Street |
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On East Jones Street |
On Abercorn Street |
On Hull Street |
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The cathedral seen from Lafayette Square |
The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist |
Stained glass window |
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The nave of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist |
In front of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist |
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Chippewa Square and the monument honoring James Oglethorpe |
Gorgeous ironwork at the corner of West Gordon and Bull Streets |
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Strolling through the Colonial Park Cemetery |
On Drayton Street |
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Bird Baldwin House |
Old Chatham County Courthouse |
Hot Pink at the Jepson Center |
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On Bull Street by Monterey Square |
On East Oglethorpe Avenue |
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Fountain in Lafayette Square |
At the intersection of Liberty Street and Bull Street |
The photos on this page were taken from May 23 through 25, 2017.
They may also be viewed in a gallery or as a
slide show.
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