Savannah Squares Walking Tour: The Bull Street Route from River to Fountain

Savannah's Historic District was laid out by James Oglethorpe as a grid of public squares — 22 of them survive — stretching from the riverfront down to Forsyth Park. That geometry is why the city works so well on foot: the squares act as natural landmarks, the terrain is flat, and the walk between them is the attraction. This is the route we'd hand a friend who has one day and comfortable shoes.

It's a straight line, mostly. Start on the river, walk up Bull Street as the squares arrive in order, and finish at a fountain.

Start on the River

Begin at Reynolds Square, where the Olde Pink House — Savannah's only 18th-century mansion (built 1771), now a restaurant famous for pecan-crusted flounder and fried green tomatoes — anchors the corner. From there it's two blocks down to the cobblestones. Our River Street guide covers the strip in detail, but the tour version is simple: walk it once, then ride the free Savannah Belles ferry across to Hutchinson Island and come back on the next boat. The crossing is the best free view of the city you'll get all day.

Up Bull Street: Chippewa, Madison, Monterey

Back up the bluff, Bull Street is the spine of the district, and the squares stack in order — Chippewa, Madison, Monterey. Chippewa is the Forrest Gump bench square, and Gallery Espresso — Savannah's oldest coffee shop, est. 1993 — overlooks it if the walk needs a caffeine stop (our coffee shop guide has more). Madison Square has The Public Kitchen & Bar watching over it when lunchtime lands mid-route. By Monterey you'll have the rhythm: each square is a living room, and the route is a string of them.

Lafayette Square and the Cathedral

The Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist stops most people mid-stride on Lafayette Square. It's free to visit and takes donations; touring is typically 9:00–11:30 a.m. and 1:00–4:30 p.m. Monday–Saturday (from 1 p.m. Sunday), and it closes to visitors during noon Mass — the morning window is your friend. The Hamilton-Turner Inn overlooks the square if you're scouting a place to sleep on the route.

The House-Museum Spur

A few blocks east, the district's house museums sit within a few blocks of each other: the Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters, the Davenport House, the Mercer Williams House Museum, and the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace. Our things to do guide compares what each does best — pick one or two rather than marathoning all four.

Lunch, Mid-Route

The classic play is Mrs. Wilkes' Dining Room — weekday lunch only, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., cash only — for family-style Southern plates. The Public Kitchen & Bar on Madison Square is the sit-down with a square view; the Olde Pink House's Planters Tavern downstairs is the atmospheric pick. The full menu of options is in our restaurants guide.

The Fountain Finish

The route ends at Forsyth Park — the 30-acre anchor at the district's south end, with the famous 1858 Parisian-style fountain at its center. Claim a bench in the shade; you've earned it.

When the Legs Give Out

The dot — Savannah's downtown transit system — runs fare-free shuttles looping the Historic District through the day, with connections to Forsyth Park; the fare-free downtown transit page has the routes. If you drove in, garages beat street meters for all-day stays — the city's parking pages explain the meter rules — and the squares keep working after dark, when the ghost tours come out.

Sleep on the Route

The squares come with addresses. The Marshall House, built 1851, is the history stay on Broughton Street with a genuine Civil War past. Kehoe House wakes you on Columbia Square; The Eliza Thompson House sits on Jones Street, often called one of the prettiest streets in America; Foley House Inn is a pair of 1896 brick townhouses near Chippewa Square and the rare pet-friendly historic B&B. Mid-district, Perry Lane Hotel sits right in the thick of things and The DeSoto Savannah has anchored the center of the district since 1890, while The Gastonian puts two restored 1868 mansions right next to Forsyth Park — a one-block stumble from the finish line.

If you're staying longer, our where to stay guide sorts the whole district by trip type — and the squares do double duty after dark, when the ghost tours come out.