What kind of cup do you need to drink outdoors legally in Savannah?

Plastic only, 16 ounces or less. Glass bottles, aluminum cans, and oversized cups are not permitted on public streets within the Historic District. Most bars will transfer your drink to a plastic to-go cup when you are ready to leave. Tour operators on guided tours handle this automatically.

Are there exceptions to Savannah's open container rules for special events?

Yes. The city temporarily expands or adjusts the open container zone for major events. St. Patrick's Day is the most significant example, with the zone routinely expanded to accommodate the festivities. Forsyth Park events such as the Savannah Jazz Festival may also come with their own rules around licensed alcohol service. Visitors should always check for updated policies when traveling for a special event.

Do food tours that include cocktails count as legal outdoor drinking in Savannah?

Yes. Guided tours operating within the Historic District, including Savannah Taste Experience's Walktails and Bar Bites Tour, stay inside the open container zone by design. Bartenders at tour stops provide drinks in plastic to-go cups that meet the ordinance requirements, so your drink is legal from the moment you step outside the venue.

Can you take drinks from a restaurant to go in Savannah?

Yes, within the Historic District. Ask your server or bartender for a to-go cup and they will transfer your drink to a plastic cup. It is standard practice at most bars and many restaurants in the district.

Savannah’s Open Container Laws: Where You Can Legally Drink

Q: What is Savannah's open container policy?

Savannah permits open containers of alcohol within its Historic District under a city ordinance. Drinks must be in plastic cups no larger than 16 ounces. Glass bottles and aluminum cans are not permitted on public streets. Public intoxication laws are still enforced independently of the container rules.

Q: Where exactly can you drink outdoors in Savannah?

Legal outdoor drinking is limited to the Historic District open container zone. The boundaries run from the Savannah River to the north, Jones Street to the south, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to the west, and East Broad Street to the east. Taking an open container outside those boundaries is a violation of the ordinance.

September 11, 2026

Savannah, Georgia has a reputation for many things: its canopy of moss-draped oaks, its 22 historic squares, its ghost stories and Southern hospitality. But ask anyone who has visited, and you will likely hear about something else. You can walk through the streets with a cocktail in hand, completely legally.

That’s not a rumor or a loophole. It’s city ordinance, and it’s one of the things that makes Savannah unlike most cities in the country. If you are planning a trip and wondering exactly how it works, where you can go, and what you need to know before your first to-go cup hits the street, you are in the right place.

What is Savannah’s Open Container Policy?

Savannah permits open containers of alcohol in its Historic District under a city ordinance that has been in place for decades. The rules are specific, though, and getting them right keeps your evening fun rather than stressful.

The ordinance applies only within a defined zone: the Historic District. Within that zone, you can legally carry an alcoholic beverage on the street, but only under certain conditions. Drinks must be in plastic cups, no larger than 16 ounces. Glass bottles and aluminum cans are not permitted on public streets. And here is the piece many visitors miss: public intoxication laws are still fully enforced, independent of whether your container is legal. A legal cup does not give anyone a pass on disorderly behavior.

Container Rules at a Glance

Plastic cups only; glass bottles and aluminum cans are prohibited on public streets
16-ounce maximum; no oversized cups or double-pour containers
No glass; this includes wine bottles, beer bottles, and glass tumblers
Stay within the Historic District; the open container ordinance applies only inside the defined zone, and taking an open container outside those boundaries is a violation
Sobriety laws are still enforced; public intoxication statutes apply regardless of whether your cup is legal

These rules come directly from the City of Savannah’s open container ordinance.

Who Enforces the Rules and What Happens If You Break Them

Savannah Police Department enforces both the container ordinance and the city’s public intoxication statutes. The two are separate; you can be cited for disorderly conduct or public intoxication even if your cup and location are entirely within the rules. Officers patrol the Historic District regularly, especially on weekends and during peak tourism seasons. The simplest approach: drink at a reasonable pace, stay inside the district, and keep your drink in the right container.

The Open Container District: Exact Boundaries and What’s Inside

Map showing Savannah’s Open Container zone within the Historic District. (Click here to download the Open Container Map)

The Historic District open container zone has clearly defined boundaries, and knowing them prevents the most common mistake visitors make: wandering outside the zone without realizing it.

The boundaries run from the Savannah River/Hutchison Island to the north, Jones Street to the south, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to the west, and East Broad Street to the east. This area encompasses the heart of the city, including the majority of Savannah’s best-known restaurants, bars, and historic landmarks.

Areas of the Historic District with the Best Nightlife

Within the open container zone, there are several areas that are very popular with locals and tourists alike for an evening of bar hopping.

River Street runs along the Savannah River waterfront and is lined with bars, restaurants, shops, and live music venues. The cobblestone streets and the view of the river make it one of the most photographed spots in the city, and it is fully within the open container zone.

Bay Street, the elevated corridor above River Street, offers a different vantage point of the riverfront and connects to some of the Historic District’s most charming back alleys and iron-bridged passages. Also firmly within the zone, and a great stretch to wander between River Street spots and the rest of the district.

City Market is one of Savannah’s most lively entertainment hubs, centered around a pedestrian plaza on Jefferson and St. Julian Streets. The area is packed with restaurants, bars, art galleries, and live music, and it draws a mix of locals and visitors every night of the week. It is a natural anchor for a group evening, with enough variety in one spot that everyone in your party can find something they love.

Congress Street is the bar corridor that locals know well and visitors quickly discover. Running through the heart of the Historic District, it is home to some of the city’s most popular evening spots and tends to come alive after dinner. If you are looking for the stretch of Savannah where a night out has real energy, Congress Street is where you will find it.

Are There Ever Exceptions to the Open Container Policy?

Savannah’s open container ordinance applies to the Historic District zone under normal circumstances, but the city has a history of temporarily expanding or adjusting those boundaries for major events. If you are visiting during one of Savannah’s signature celebrations, the rules of the evening may look a little different than what you read here.

St. Patrick’s Day is the most significant example. Savannah’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration is one of the largest in the country, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors over several days. The city routinely expands the open container zone and adjusts event-specific rules to accommodate the scale of the festivities. The parade route, River Street, and surrounding areas all operate under modified guidelines during the holiday. If you are visiting for St. Patrick’s Day, check the City of Savannah’s official event communications ahead of your trip, as the specifics can shift from year to year.

Forsyth Park events represent another category of temporary exceptions. Forsyth Park sits at the southern boundary of the standard open container zone, and the city regularly hosts events there that include licensed alcohol service on the grounds. The Savannah Jazz Festival, seasonal picnic events, outdoor concerts, and other permitted gatherings sometimes come with their own rules around where and how alcohol can be consumed within and around the park. Alcohol served by licensed vendors at a permitted event is different from carrying a traveler from a nearby bar, so it is worth knowing which situation you are in.

How to Get Your To-Go Cup

Here is something that surprises many first-time visitors: most bars and restaurants in the Historic District will transfer your drink to a plastic cup when you are ready to head out. The custom is well-established and widely practiced. You finish your meal, you are not quite done with your cocktail or beer, and you ask your server or bartender for a to-go cup for the road. You walk out legally prepared to continue your day exploring Savannah or enjoying the nightlife.

The Best Way to Drink Outdoors While Exploring Savannah

Once you understand the rules, the real question becomes: what is the best way to enjoy them?

A guided tour. A good tour operator knows exactly which stops are inside the open container zone, has established relationships with venues, handles logistics for you, and routes you through the most interesting parts of the district. For groups, especially groups of six to eight people who have not visited Savannah before, a tour turns a logistical puzzle into a seamless evening.

Savannah Taste Experience Happy Hour Tour

Smiling woman with sunglasses holding a cup on a rooftop.

The Savannah Taste Experience’s Walktails & Bar Bites Tour is a happy hour tour and one of the most-cited cocktail-inclusive tours in Savannah for good reason. It was built specifically for the kind of evening the city’s open container zone makes possible.

The tour runs in the early evening starting at 4 PM Thursday through Saturday, which is ideal timing. You get the golden-hour light on the squares, the temperatures are comfortable, and you are hitting venues before the late-night crowds arrive. The format combines food bites with cocktails at multiple stops throughout the Historic District, so you are eating and drinking rather than just bar-hopping. For groups planning a girls’ trip, a bachelorette party kick-off, or a birthday celebration, the structure is perfect: everything is handled, everyone stays together, and the stops are all within the legal open container zone.

The team knows the venues, the venues know the team, and your drinks are properly contained from the start. It is the kind of detail that sounds minor until you are trying to manage it for a group of eight on an unfamiliar street.

Ready to experience Savannah’s open container zone while learning about Savannah’s history and enjoying incredible food and drinks? Book the Savannah Taste Experience’s Walktails Tour for a guided evening that handles every detail, from the drinks to the route to the best bites along the way. You just need to show up!