Savannah – Where a Preserved American History Mingles with Endless Entertainment

An iconic American riverside outpost, Savannah resembles a charming European city fronting an urban-yet-pastoral landscape of botanical gardens and period homes. Here, 100-year-old gigantic moss-draped live oak trees dominate America’s first planned city. Savannah also overflows with handsome squares, monuments, eclectic locals, and a genteel southern heritage.

Sophisticated, but still a bit wild, there are street artists and musicians galore who get extra attention, as this town enjoys a New Orleans-style portable strolling cocktail culture, but without the rowdiness or odor. This two-square-mile otherworld is a living antique.  It survived the Civil War fires that destroyed much of the South’s architectural charm. Savannah invites you to truly feel the heartbeat of American history while still enjoying all the modern vacation comforts like luxury hotels, dynamic cuisine, world music, and much more.

SCAD’s Impact

The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) also sets the tone and helps define this place of endless enchantment. It serves as a transformative force in shaping Savannah’s economy, culture, built environment, and national reputation. Since its founding in 1978, SCAD has revitalized dozens of historic buildings across the city, preserving architectural heritage while breathing new life into once-neglected areas.

The influx of students, faculty, and creative professionals fuels a vibrant arts economy and supports a year-round calendar of events, exhibitions, and festivals (like the one that drew me here). SCAD’s presence has also elevated Savannah’s profile as a hub for design, fashion, film, and innovation, attracting global talent and media attention. As a result, SCAD has become deeply woven into the city’s identity—a catalyst for growth that continues to influence how Savannah is seen, experienced, and imagined. Plus, you’ll see plenty of dramatically styled art students.

Allison Miller’s “Rivers in Our Veins” orchestral collaboration Photo: Bruce Northam

Savannah Music Festival

I visited Savannah for the annual Savannah Music Festival, Georgia’s largest musical arts event and one of the most distinctive cross-genre music fests on our planet. This fabulous festival spreads across multiple venues, where talented musicians perform. Fellow live-music nuts should put this 17-day romp through the kaleidoscope of world music on their hit list.

One night of the festival balanced the best of two melodic worlds. It began with twangy Junior Brown’s “guit-steel” double-neck hybrid of electric and lap-steel guitars. Brown, sporting a 10-gallon hat and fronting his country-swing quartet, fluidly switched between guitars and honky-tonk styles.

Next up and just down the street in another venue, drummer Allison Miller’s “Rivers in Our Veins” orchestral collaboration, in which she went beat for beat with tap dancers.

The festival’s executive director, Gene Dobbs Bradford, has organized music festivals for decades. He told me that the main secret sauce that makes them great is, “Without a doubt, it is the artists that you choose. Better artists create a better festival, which is true no matter the genre.” Another amazing act, lured by Bradford, was a mind-blowing Cuban virtuoso duo, jazz pianist Alfredo Rodriguez and percussionist Pedrito Martinez.

Musicians frequently made time stand still at this transformative festival.

Another festival standout was multi-grooves saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin Photo: Bruce Northam

Savannah’s multihued foodie scene

Although The Olde Pink House Restaurant (1771) features white-tablecloth ambiance and a formally dressed waitstaff, it is reasonably priced. The fried chicken chopped salad was divine. The Lao-owned Flying Monk (Southeast Asian noodle bar) lived up to expectations when two Thai Monks entered for their pick-up order, just when their Bangkok Curry Noodle showed me why. The Wexford, a jolly Irish gastro-pub, is big-date worthy, as is their pan-seared cod. Hana Sushi gets it right. Within the buzzing two-square-miles of its historic district, Savannah boasts more than 300 restaurants (mingled with bars and lounges) that represent everything from quick and divey to award-winning and five-star dining. You will not be bored here.

The Olde Pink House Restaurant viewed from Reynolds Square
Photo: Bruce Northam

Museums to Explore

The under-the-radar Massie Heritage Center, a museum for history and architecture, operated as a public school from 1856 until 1974. The old classrooms now serve as exhibit spaces, with one being a fine-tuned recreation of an original classroom. The fully in-the-know staff deliver the fine details of this gem’s examination of Savannah’s history through its urban plan, maritime industry, historic preservation movement, architecture, and the indigenous and prehistoric peoples of the region. This museum’s star docent also runs Bull Run Walking Tours.

The Prohibition Museum does a great job of analyzing every angle that was ultimately resolved by the 18^th Amendment. Fun fact: Pilgrims loaded more beer than water on the Mayflower’s voyage, 42 tons of it. The First African Baptist Church (1773) is a National Historic Landmark and, as such, is registered with the National Register of Historic Places.

The author recalls his junior high school years at the Massie Heritage Center

Tours on Water and Land

The narrated Savannah Riverboat Cruise reveals the story behind the third-largest and fastest-growing port in the U.S. The Old Town Trolley Tours of SavannahElectric Moon penthouse, a breezy rooftop cocktail lounge with outdoor slides, ping pong, and cornhole.

Historic house tour options abound in Savannah. I recommend the eye-opening Owen-Thomas House & Slave Quarters as well as the Davenport House Museum. A bit south of the tourist quarter, check out the Starland District’s De Soto Avenue’s pedestrian-only merriment zone.

The River Street Inn is as non-corporate as a first-rate hotel can be
Photo: Bruce Northam

THE  Place to Stay

The historic River Street Inn (1817) is a five-story, 99-guestroom labyrinth that’s as non-corporate as a first-rate hotel can be. The ubiquitous, sometimes flaking red bricks add resolve and intimacy. Two wings of rooms link via a distinctive central atrium with an inviting staircase that showcases antique and reproduction furnishings. The riverfront treasure perched on a bluff was originally used for storing, grading, and exporting cotton. The original two floors were constructed of ballast stone—stabilizing weights from European ships that were unloaded to make room for cotton. A world unto itself, the property features four restaurants, including an atmospheric speakeasy and the open-air Broken Keel. There’s also a daily Manager’s Reception happy hour (free) that unites guests as well as daily refreshments in the lobby. Olden yet refined, this place is Savannah in its glory.

Festivals to Plan Travel Around

There is nowhere else like this one-of-a-kind destination that melds unscathed American history with boundless entertainment. To get your Savannah groove going, check out Visit Savannah. Along with the annual Savannah Music Festival, you might also be intrigued by the annual SCAD film festival.  SCAD draws big-name producers and actors. The annual  SCAD Sidewalk Arts Festival is another excellent option.

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