Savannah

Where to Stay

Forsyth Park Area – Quiet & Green

We’ve stayed at Forsyth Park Inn on our latest trip, right on the park.

Why we like this zone:

• Easy street parking (huge perk near downtown)

• Quieter, more residential feel

• Walk out the door and you’re in Forsyth Park

Good for:

• Repeat visitors who’ve already done “right in the squares”

• Summer trips when you want green space + shade

Notes:

• The inn itself is charming and small (no elevators/hall maze, just grab coffee/sweet tea and go).

• Breakfast and coffee are fine but basic — we’d rather go out and eat/drink our way through the city.

Historic Squares – First-Timer Zone

If it’s your first Savannah trip, look a bit closer to the historic squares so you’re in the middle of everything.

Avoid:

• Being right on the river, youll spend your time walking away from the river towards the squares.

• City Market if you want quiet — fun but can get loud and very drunk-touristy at night. You can drink in the streets here so a bit more of a party scene. We stayed at the Andaz our first trip, still pretty quite while still having the main square worth of bars and food out front. This area is a little touristy price and vibe wise. 

Neighborhood Feel

• Historic District / Squares – classic Savannah: oak trees, small parks, beautiful homes, walkable everywhere.

• Forsyth & South – more local, creative, students and neighbors actually living life.

• Starland District – artsy, scruffy, college-kid energy, best prices on vintage, can feel a little dumpy after walking past multi-million-dollar Victorians.

Coffee & Cafés We Actually Use

Downtown / Near the Squares

• Franklins (next to The Public): One of our go-to coffee stop when we’re downtown.

• Gallery Espresso:  Feels like the Friends coffee shop — students, people working, lots of lingering.

• Origin: Great coffee + we love that they offered free SNAP meals during the government shutdown. Feels good to support them.

• Municipal Bar:  Vibey Mid Century Modern lounge on Broughton. Excellent spot to sit, grab a cocktail, and rest your feet — central and easy.

• Pounce Cat Café:  Coffee + adoptable cats (ofcourse). Toni left plotting her own cat café.

• E Shaver Booksellers: Bookstore with shop cats roaming around. Cozy, very Savannah.

South of Forsyth / Starland

• Foxy Loxy: Fantastic coffee and food, strong community feel. A “people who actually live here” spot. Awesome food, events and a good place to feel like a local. 

• Perc Coffee (on the way to Bonaventure): Super friendly staff and very local crowd. Great pre-cemetery stop. We got tons of reccomodations from the people here. 

Food & Drinks

These are the places we’d send friends to first:

• The Public: Repeat favorite. Great all-around menu. Toni’s take: best shrimp and grits of the trip.
  
  

• Savoy Society: 70s vibe, great for happy hour and hanging out. A place where records are spinning and the cocktails are good.

• Late Air: Wine bar with food that’s way better than you expect from a “wine bar.” Amazing playlist and cozy atmosphere. This is down in the Starland district so a drive or uber but worth it. 

• Zunzi’s: Fun, vibey lunch spot. Easy, casual.

• Six Pence Pub: British pub energy, always pretty busy. We havn't been but sometimes you take notice when a place always has people. 

• Husk (Bar Only Move): Husk is pricey for a full dinner, so our trick: Sit at the bar, Order a cocktail and dessert, Enjoy the fancy atmosphere without the full bill. 

• The Artillery: Gorgeous cocktail bar behind The Public. On our “next time” list but worth flagging.
  
  

Spots We’d De-Prioritize

• Olde Pink House: Go for the history, building, and vibe. Food is fine, but the experience is the main event.

• Crystal Beer Parlor:  Overhyped for us. Toni declared their shrimp and grits the worst of the trip. We wouldn’t put this at the top of the list.

Vintage, Books & Shopping

Historic District

• Wright Square Vintage – Toni usually finds something good.

• House of Strut – another regular stop; fun, curated, fair to slightly pricy.

• East & Up (near Liberty) – while Toni shops here, Ryan browses the Book Lady downstairs. The Book Lady is charming, good place to find a new read for the flight home. 

• E Shaver Booksellers – books + cats, worth a repeat mention.

Starland / South of Forsyth

• Vintage Vortex – better value than most historic-district vintage (more student pricing).

• Meaningful Boutique – good general shopping stop in the neighborhood.

• Starland Yard – food truck park + hangout; great when you’re hungry after shopping.

• Delany Rose – A charming women's boutique just up the street from Foxy Loxy. 

• Future – nice vintage shop if you’re there in summer; they sell out and disappear in winter.

Ghost Tours

We’ve tried two different tours:

• Walking Ghost Tours

  • Usually 4–5 stops

  • A lot of walking, not as many stories as we wanted

• Trolley / Blue Orb-Style Tours

  • Our pick

  • You cover more ground, get more stories, and in our case went into a museum after hours, which was very spooky and very fun

If you do one ghost thing, we’d book a trolley-style tour (or a top-tier operator like Blue Orb) over a generic walking tour. You can even do a Trolly Tour during the day to see more of the city if your only in town for a short trip.

Bonaventure & Drives

If you have a car, do this combo:

• Coffee at Perc

• Head to Bonaventure Cemetery

Bonaventure is beautiful, peaceful, and just eerie enough. Think mossy trees, old statuary, and river views. Easy to wander on your own for an hour or two. We downloaded the app from the historical society and each took an ear bud for the walk. If you get tired just drive around slowly and take it in. 

How We “Do” Savannah

• Stay: a few blocks away from City Market, near the squares or Forsyth.

• Move: walk a ton; rent a car mainly for airport + outer neighborhoods.

• Non-negotiables:

  • A ghost tour

  • A Victorian house tour (Mercer–Williams is a great pick, there is a movie based on the murder and we almost painted our bathroom red after)

  • Getting lost wandering the squares

  • At least one great shrimp & grits (The Public)

  • A long sit at a coffee shop in or near a square

Pro tips:

• Bring real walking shoes.

• Don’t rely on hotel food or coffee — Savannah is full of better, local options.

• Chat with baristas and bartenders; they’ll point you to the good, non-touristy spots and deals.

• Follow a couple local accounts / news while you’re there to catch pop-ups and events.