Savannah has one of America’s most walkable downtowns with its easy-to-navigate grid system developed by urban planner George Oglethorpe, and we can’t recommend walking tours enough as a top thing to do in Savannah. In fact, downtown Savannah has a walk score of 88. Thanks to Oglethorpe’s vision, Savannah’s downtown is also one of the most beautiful in the world (it’s not a brag if it’s true!). This layout, called the Oglethorpe Plan, consists of squares surrounded by homes and businesses facing inward so as to enjoy the beauty of the Live Oaks and ample opportunities for prime people watching. We now have 24 squares, and six of these make up the first squares and are the focus of our original food tour route.
With downtown being only about 2 square miles in size, it’s worth squeezing in as much sightseeing on foot as you can during your stay in Savannah for many reasons:
- Getting up close and personal with our beautiful squares
- Burning off the calories from all the delicious food you’re going to enjoy
- Opportunity to peek into our many secret gardens
- Noticing details that you’d miss otherwise, like wrought iron, unique water spouts, and other architectural gems
- Getting to know your tour guide and fellow tour-goers
- To-go cups are legal here!
At night, we highly recommend a walking ghost tour so you can see and hear about the darker side of Savannah while enjoying a to-go cup of your beverage of choice. You’ll hear about bar fights that got out of hand, pirates that shanghaied drunken bar patrons, and murders of jealousy and passion. It’s also worth adding a drive out to Bonaventure Cemetery as one of your things to do in Savannah, which was made famous by Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Once you arrive, you can walk much of the 160 acres–some of it waterfront and all of it breathtaking for its many intricate tombstones and sculptures.
During the day, we (of course!) recommend combining a history lesson and hearty lunch with one of our 5-star, award-winning food tours. You’ll learn about family recipes (and drama!), famous landmarks, and fun tidbits about our eccentric city while sampling 6-7 of our favorite Savannah restaurants. Add to your itinerary another walking tour focused on a specific interest, such as architecture, photography or gardens, and you’ll leave an expert on Savannah. Walk on!
