Savannah was planned on paper before the first settler arrived, and that plan still shapes every walk you take through it. Its grid of leafy squares, live oaks hung with Spanish moss and grand old houses make it one of the most walkable cities in the American South. Here are the facts and stories that make the city special.
10 fun facts about Savannah
- Georgia's first city: James Oglethorpe founded Savannah on 12 February 1733 on a bluff above the Savannah River. It was the first city in the new colony of Georgia.
- A city of squares: Oglethorpe's plan gave each neighbourhood its own green square. The city eventually had 24, and 22 survive today.
- A fountain from a catalogue: the white cast-iron fountain in Forsyth Park was installed in 1858 after the city ordered it from a New York foundry's catalogue. Sister fountains stand in Poughkeepsie, Madison, Indiana and Cusco, Peru. After a six-month restoration it was switched back on in December 2025.
- A Polish hero: the monument in Monterey Square honours Casimir Pulaski, the Polish cavalry officer who was mortally wounded fighting for American independence at the Siege of Savannah in 1779.
- The house from the book: also on Monterey Square stands the Mercer-Williams House, setting of John Berendt's 1994 bestseller Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
- A cathedral that rose twice: the Cathedral of St John the Baptist was dedicated in 1876 and gained its twin spires in 1896. Two years later a fire gutted the interior, and the church was rebuilt. Pope Francis made it a basilica in 2020.
- The Girl Scouts began here: Juliette Gordon Low gathered the first group of Girl Scouts in Savannah in 1912. Her birthplace is now a museum.
- Forrest Gump's bench: the famous bench scenes of the 1994 film were shot in Chippewa Square. The bench was only a film prop, and it is now in the Savannah History Museum.
- Neither Spanish nor moss: the grey Spanish moss draped over Savannah's live oaks is actually a flowering plant in the bromeliad family, related to the pineapple.
- A parade with two centuries behind it: Savannah has held a St Patrick's Day parade since 1824 and celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2024. It is one of the largest in the United States.
A Christmas gift for Lincoln
In November 1864, General William T. Sherman left a burning Atlanta and marched his Union army across Georgia to the sea. By mid-December his troops were outside Savannah. The Confederate garrison slipped away across the river on the night of 20 December, and the next morning the mayor, Richard Arnold, rode out to surrender the city. Because it gave up without a fight, Savannah was spared the destruction suffered by Atlanta. Sherman made his headquarters in the Green-Meldrim House on Madison Square and telegraphed President Lincoln: 'I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the city of Savannah, with 150 heavy guns and plenty of ammunition, also about 25,000 bales of cotton.'
The Oglethorpe Plan, explained
Oglethorpe laid out Savannah in wards, each built around an open square. On the east and west sides of every square were 'trust lots' reserved for churches and public buildings, while the north and south sides held rows of house lots. The result is a city where you meet a shaded square every few minutes of walking, each with its own monument, fountain or garden.
What to eat in Savannah
- Shrimp and grits: local shrimp over creamy stone-ground grits, a Lowcountry classic for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
- Lowcountry boil: shrimp, sausage, corn and potatoes boiled together and served in a heap, ideal for sharing.
- Fried green tomatoes: slices of unripe tomato coated in cornmeal and fried until crisp, often served with a spicy sauce.
- Pralines: Southern sweets of sugar, butter, cream and pecans, made fresh in the candy shops on River Street.
- Peach cobbler: Georgia is the Peach State, and this warm fruit dessert with a biscuit topping is best in summer.
Good to know before you go
- In the historic district you can currently carry an alcoholic drink in a plastic to-go cup, but not in glass. Check the latest rules locally.
- Summers are hot and humid. Spring, when the azaleas bloom, and autumn are the most pleasant times to explore the squares on foot.
- Around St Patrick's Day the city fills up and the fountains in Forsyth Park are traditionally dyed green, so book accommodation well ahead.
- Bonaventure Cemetery, with its oak-lined avenues, and the beach and lighthouse of Tybee Island are both an easy trip by car from the centre.
Explore Savannah with World City Trail
Our Savannah scavenger hunt turns these sights into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around three hours, with about 56 minutes of walking, and passes sights such as the Forsyth Park fountain, Monterey Square and the Cathedral Basilica of St John the Baptist.
At each stop you solve a puzzle and hear a short story, at your own pace. You can start whenever you like and play in English, German, French, Spanish or Portuguese.
Play the Savannah scavenger hunt →
Facts checked in October 2026.