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The Hostess City of the South

Savannah architecture

Savannah was founded in 1733 by James Oglethorpe, who laid it out around a grid of leafy public squares; 22 of them still survive today. Its downtown is one of the largest National Historic Landmark Districts in the United States, designated in 1966.

  • 15Landmarks
  • 1818Oldest · Telfair Academy
  • 43 mTallest · Savannah City Hall
  • 8Architects

Before you go

  • Fly intoSavannah/Hilton Head (SAV)

    Savannah/Hilton Head International sits northwest of the city near Pooler, just off Interstate 95. As its name suggests, it serves travelers bound for both Savannah and Hilton Head, and it has been the site of Savannah's official weather records since 1948.

  • CurrencyUS Dollar ($)
  • LanguageEnglish

    Savannah speaks with an unhurried, gracious Southern lilt that matches its reputation for hospitality. Expect friendly greetings from strangers, plenty of 'y'all', and locals who are happy to share a story about the house you are standing in front of.

  • Getting aroundChatham Area Transit (CAT)

    Chatham Area Transit runs 17 fixed bus routes across the region. Its free 'dot' downtown service includes the Forsyth and Downtown loops. The Savannah Belles Ferry offers free crossings between River Street and Hutchinson Island.

  • Where to stayFind hotels in Savannah on Expedia Vacation rentals on Vrbo

    Stamped! may earn a commission when you book through these links.

  • Tours and ticketsFind tours in Savannah on GetYourGuide More tours on Viator

    Skip-the-line tickets and guided tours of the landmarks. Stamped! may earn a commission.

15 landmarks in Savannah

  1. Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist
    Photo: Tim Pierce, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist

    222 E Harris St, Savannah, GA 31401

    Rising beside Lafayette Square, this Roman Catholic cathedral is the mother church of the Diocese of Savannah and also holds the rank of minor basilica. It was designed by architect Ephraim Francis Baldwin and dedicated in April 1876. Its Gothic Revival design makes it one of the grandest religious buildings in the historic district. It is a must for anyone exploring the squares of the old city.

    Built
    1876
    Architect
    Ephraim Francis Baldwin
    Style
    Gothic Revival
    Today
    Cathedral
  2. Owens–Thomas House
    Photo: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Owens–Thomas House

    124 Abercorn St, Savannah, GA 31401

    Facing Oglethorpe Square, this mansion is hailed as one of the finest examples of English Regency architecture in the United States. It was designed by the English architect William Jay and built in 1819, when it was known as the Richardson House. Telfair Museums now runs it as a house museum together with its slave quarters, which tell the story of the enslaved people who lived and worked here. It was named a National Historic Landmark in 1976.

    Built
    1819
    Architect
    William Jay
    Style
    English Regency
    Today
    House Museum
  3. Mercer House
    Photo: David Broad, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Mercer House

    429 Bull St, Savannah, GA 31401

    This Italianate mansion fills the southwestern block of Monterey Square. Designed by John S. Norris, it was begun in 1860 and completed in 1868. It became world famous through John Berendt's 1994 book 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil', which retold the 1981 killing that took place inside. Today it is open to visitors as the Mercer Williams House Museum.

    Built
    1868
    Style
    Italianate
    Stories
    2
    Today
    House Museum
  4. Telfair Academy
    Photo: Bubba73 (Jud McCranie), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Telfair Academy

    121 Barnard St, Savannah, GA 31401

    Built in 1818 to a design by William Jay, this Regency mansion began life as the Telfair family's townhouse. In 1886 it opened as a free art museum, making it the oldest public art museum in the American South and one of the first ten in the country. It is one of only a handful of Jay's buildings still standing and one of three sites run by Telfair Museums. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976.

    Built
    1818
    Architect
    William Jay
    Style
    English Regency
    Today
    Art Museum
  5. Isaiah Davenport House
    Photo: Jud McCranie, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Isaiah Davenport House

    324 E State St, Savannah, GA 31401

    Builder Isaiah Davenport put up this home in 1820 at the corner of Columbia Square. It is a classic example of the Federal style, with a balanced, symmetrical front. The Historic Savannah Foundation has run it as a house museum since 1963. It is a great first stop for understanding how Savannah's early 19th-century elite lived.

    Built
    1820
    Architect
    Isaiah Davenport
    Style
    Federal
    Today
    House Museum
  6. Andrew Low House
    Photo: Elisa.rolle, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Andrew Low House

    329 Abercorn St, Savannah, GA 31401

    Completed in 1849 by John S. Norris, this two-storey home is the oldest building on Lafayette Square. Andrew Low and his wife kept it as their American residence. Low was the father-in-law of Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of the Girl Scouts of the USA. The house lies within both the Savannah Historic District and the Juliette Gordon Low Historic District.

    Built
    1849
    Stories
    2
    Today
    Historic House
  7. Green–Meldrim House
    Photo: Bubba73 (Jud McCranie), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Green–Meldrim House

    14 W Macon St, Savannah, GA 31401

    On the northwest corner of Madison Square stands one of the most lavish Gothic Revival houses in the American South. It was designed by John S. Norris and built in 1853. The house was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976. It now belongs to the neighbouring St. John's Episcopal Church, which offers tours and uses it for meetings and receptions.

    Built
    1853
    Style
    Gothic Revival
    Today
    Church Hall / Tours

  8. Savannah City Hall

    2 E Bay St, Savannah, GA 31401

    Savannah's seat of government stands on Bay Street above the riverfront. Architect Hyman Witcover designed it in the Renaissance Revival style, and it was built between 1904 and 1905 before opening on January 2, 1906. The six-storey building rises about 43 meters and cost $250,000 to build. It is a contributing building in the Savannah Historic District.

    Built
    1906
    Architect
    Hyman Witcover
    Style
    Renaissance Revival
    Height
    43 m (140 ft)
    Stories
    6
    Today
    City Hall
  9. Congregation Mickve Israel
    Photo: JeffersonLH, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Congregation Mickve Israel

    20 E Gordon St, Savannah, GA 31401

    This Reform Jewish congregation dates back to 1733, the same year Savannah was founded. Its synagogue on Monterey Square, the congregation's third building, was completed in 1878 to designs by Henry G. Harrison. Unusually for a synagogue, it is built in the Gothic Revival style. The site also houses a museum of Jewish history.

    Built
    1878
    Architect
    Henry G. Harrison
    Style
    Gothic Revival
    Today
    Synagogue / Museum
  10. Independent Presbyterian Church
    Photo: Aymar Embury II (Life time: 1966), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    Independent Presbyterian Church

    Bull St, Savannah, GA 31401

    Founded in 1755, this is the first Presbyterian church in Georgia, built on land granted by King George II. Its building of 1800 was modelled on St Martin-in-the-Fields in London. After that church burned in 1889, a faithful reproduction was finished in 1891, this time with a steeple of iron instead of wood. Its spire remains a landmark along Bull Street.

    Built
    1891
    Today
    Church

  11. Savannah Cotton Exchange

    100 E Bay St, Savannah, GA 31401

    This was where cotton factors once gathered to set the price of the crop shipped from Savannah to markets such as New York and London. Architect William G. Preston designed it in the Queen Anne style. As planters began selling at inland markets, the trade declined and the exchange eventually closed. The three-storey building is now Freemasons' Hall, home of Solomon's Lodge No. 1.

    Built
    1887
    Architect
    William G. Preston
    Style
    Queen Anne
    Stories
    3
    Today
    Masonic Lodge

  12. Talmadge Memorial Bridge

    US 17, Savannah, GA 31401

    This cable-stayed bridge carries US 17 over the Savannah River between downtown and Hutchinson Island. It replaced an earlier cantilever bridge from 1953 and opened in November 1991. Its main span stretches 1,100 feet (335 meters), with 185 feet of clearance below. The whole crossing runs for about 1.9 miles and frames the view from the riverfront.

    Built
    1991
    Style
    Cable-stayed bridge
    Today
    Road Bridge
  13. Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace
    Photo: KWhiteJGLB, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace

    10 E Oglethorpe Ave, Savannah, GA 31401

    Built in 1820, this three-storey home on Oglethorpe Avenue is where Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts of the USA, was born in 1860. It is also known as the Wayne–Gordon House. The house was Savannah's first registered National Historic Landmark. Today it is a pilgrimage site for Girl Scouts visiting the place where their story began.

    Built
    1820
    Stories
    3
    Today
    Historic House
  14. William Scarbrough House
    Photo: Jud McCranie, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    William Scarbrough House

    41 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Savannah, GA 31401

    William Jay designed this house in 1819 for William Scarbrough, one of the principal owners of the steamship SS Savannah. It is nationally significant as an early example of Greek Revival architecture and one of Jay's few surviving American works. After many later alterations it has been largely restored to its early 19th-century appearance. Today it houses the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum.

    Built
    1819
    Architect
    William Jay
    Style
    Greek Revival
    Today
    Maritime Museum
  15. Christ Church
    Photo: DXR, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Christ Church

    28 Bull St, Savannah, GA 31401

    Founded in 1733 along with the colony itself, Christ Church was the first church in the Province of Georgia, earning it the nickname 'the Mother Church of Georgia'. The present building on Johnson Square was designed by James Hamilton Couper and begun in 1838. It is the third church to stand here, after buildings of 1750 and 1806. The Episcopal parish is part of the Savannah Historic District.

    Built
    1838
    Architect
    James Hamilton Couper
    Today
    Church

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