Established in 1733, the historic downtown area retains it’s old charm with brick and stone roads and walkways. Savannah is a very walkable city with 22 parklike squares filled with beautiful old trees.
Several movies have been filmed here. The scene in Forrest Gump where Tom Hanks says, “My mama always said, ‘Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.’” was filmed in Chippewa Square.
The actual bench has been moved to a museum, however, there are many other benches in this square. On a hot day it is noticeably cooler in the shade of these trees.
Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts of the USA, was born in Savannah in 1860. Her home now houses a museum and small gift store in the old stable. There are also tours available of the main house. The home she was born in is a few blocks away.
On a really hot and humid day (like the day we choose to walk around) an ice cream cone from Leopold’s really hits the spot.
Within the historic district is an area known as City Market. It is a great little area of shops, restaurants and bars, a wine tasting room and the Prohibition Museum. If you have an extra hour or two, this is worth walking through.
Forsyth Park is located at one end of the historic district. It was named for former Georgia Governor John Forsyth (1780-1841).
Along the way we saw this house used during the filming of the 1997 movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
This is The Candler Oak, one of the oldest living landmarks of Savannah. It is estimated to have taken root in the early 1700s. It is 54’ tall and the branches span 110’. I couldn’t get back far enough to capture the whole tree.
Leave a reply