I've visited Savannah six times across four seasons. My first trip was a Midnight in the Garden pilgrimage. My most recent was a food-focused weekend in October. Here's everything people ask me, answered without the tourism-board polish.
Fly into Savannah/Hilton Head International (SAV). Direct flights from Atlanta, New York, Chicago, Dallas, Charlotte, and several other hubs. From the airport, Uber to the historic district is $15-20 (15 minutes).
Alternative: drive from Charleston (2 hours, beautiful coastal highway) or Atlanta (4 hours).
Q: Do I need a car?
Not if you're staying in the historic district. The entire area is a 2.5-square-mile walkable grid. Free DOT shuttle buses loop through downtown. For Tybee Island beach (20 miles east) or Wormsloe Historic Site, rent a car ($30-50/day) or Uber ($20-30 each way).
Parking: metered street ($1.25/hour) or garages ($10-15/day). Easier than Charleston.
Q: Can you really walk around with alcohol?
Yes. This is real and it's wonderful.
The historic district allows open containers of alcohol in public as long as they're in plastic cups (no glass, no cans) and 16 ounces or smaller. Most bars on River Street and Congress Street offer to-go cups automatically. Some even have special windows for to-go drinks.
This transforms the experience of walking the squares at night. Grab a cocktail, stroll through Chippewa Square, sit on a bench under a live oak. It's the single best perk Savannah offers over any other historic city.
Q: When should I visit?
March to May or October to November. The spring brings azaleas, 20-28°C temps, and low humidity. Fall has the best atmospheric conditions for the squares — warm days, cool evenings, early sunsets.
Avoid June through August unless you enjoy 35°C heat with 90% humidity. Summer in Savannah is brutal — the Spanish moss seems to trap the moisture. You'll be sweating through your shirt by 10AM.
Q: How bad are the bugs?
Savannah's mosquitoes and no-see-ums (tiny biting midges) are aggressive, especially near the river and in the squares at dusk (May through October). Bring strong repellent — DEET-based or picaridin. The bugs don't respect the open-container district.
Q: Is Savannah expensive?
Less than Charleston, more than most Southern cities.
| Category | Budget | Mid-Range |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel/night (historic district) | $100-180 | $180-300 |
| B&B/night | $120-200 | $200-350 |
| Dinner | $15-25 | $35-60 |
| Ghost tour | $25-35 | $25-35 |
| Drinks (evening) | $8-12/cocktail | $12-16/cocktail |
Free attractions make a huge difference: Forsyth Park, the squares, Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, SCAD galleries, and the open-container walking experience all cost nothing.
Q: What should I eat?
Five essentials:
Mrs. Wilkes' Dining Room: family-style soul food. $25, cash only. Fried chicken, mac and cheese, collard greens, rutabagas, corn muffins, banana pudding — served on communal tables. The line starts at 10:30AM for an 11AM opening. No reservations. Worth every minute of waiting.
The Grey: a refined restaurant in a converted 1938 Greyhound bus station. Chef Mashama Bailey won the James Beard Award. The dine-in counter at the bar (no reservation needed) is the move. Port city Southern: $28-42 mains.
Leopold's Ice Cream: scooping since 1919. The tutti-frutti and rum bisque flavors are legendary. Single scoop: $5.50. The line on weekends wraps around the block.
Pralines from Savannah's Candy Kitchen on River Street: free samples, then buy a bag ($12). The pralines are buttery, pecan-heavy, and addictive.
Wet Willie's frozen daiquiris on River Street: $8-12. Multiple flavors on tap. They hand you a to-go cup automatically. Legal to walk with.
Q: How does the food compare to Charleston?
Charleston has a higher ceiling for fine dining. Savannah has better value and more character. Mrs. Wilkes' is the kind of experience that doesn't exist in Charleston — communal, unpretentious, and the food is grandmother-level good.
Q: Are the ghost tours worth it?
Surprisingly, yes — even for skeptics. The best tours combine genuine history with atmospheric storytelling. You'll learn about yellow fever epidemics, dueling culture, the Civil War, and Savannah's complicated social history, all while walking through squares that look like Gothic movie sets.
Best tour: Ghost City Tours walking tour ($25-35). Most dramatic: Hearse Ghost Tours (ride in a hearse, $25). Skip the trolley ghost tours — they cover too much ground too fast.
Q: What about the 'Midnight in the Garden' stuff?
Read the book before you go. It adds layers to everything.
The Mercer-Williams House Museum ($13) is where Jim Williams shot Danny Hansford. The tour covers both the architecture and the story. Bonaventure Cemetery features prominently in the book — the Bird Girl statue is now at the Telfair Museum ($15).
Many tours reference the book. Even the bartenders know the story. Savannah embraced "Midnight" and wove it into the city's identity.
Q: Is Wormsloe worth the drive?
Absolutely. The 1.5-mile avenue of 400+ live oaks draped in Spanish moss is the most photographed road in the South. Entry: $10. Allow 1.5 hours. Best in morning light or late afternoon.
It's 10 miles south of downtown. Worth a rental car or $25 Uber.
Q: What's SCAD?
Savannah College of Art and Design — a major art school that has transformed the city. SCAD has restored 100+ historic buildings for classrooms and galleries. The SCAD Museum of Art ($10, free for students) is excellent. Free SCAD galleries line Broughton Street.
The student population (15,000+) keeps Savannah's culture young and creative. The coffee shops, restaurants, and shops around SCAD buildings cater to art students, which keeps prices reasonable and quality high.
Q: How many days do I need?
Two full days covers the essentials: squares, Forsyth Park, River Street, one ghost tour, and the key restaurants. Three days lets you add Wormsloe, Bonaventure, Tybee Island, and a more relaxed pace.
Four days lets you do what Savannah does best: nothing in particular. Walk the squares with a to-go drink, sit on benches, read in Forsyth Park, eat at Mrs. Wilkes', and let the moss and the light and the pace of the city do their work.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Best time | March-May, October-November |
| Airport | SAV (15 min to downtown) |
| Open container | Yes, plastic cups, 16 oz max, historic district |
| Founded | 1733 |
| Squares | 22 surviving (of original 24) |
| Must-read | Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil |
| Most haunted? | Savannah says yes. We can't confirm or deny |
Savannah rewards slowness. Walk the squares. Carry a drink. Sit under an oak. Let 291 years of atmosphere do what no itinerary can. For more insights, check out our Savannah Through Ghost Stories. For more insights, check out our seasonal guide.
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