Soul of the City
A full-day immersion in Savannah’s Historic District, tracing streets laid in 1733 and uncovering layered stories in every square and alley.
Begin at the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low, where the Girl Scouts began, then follow the original Oglethorpe Plan’s grid into the First Square, Johnson Square, Walk the same cobblestone and brick lanes where General Oglethorpe planned the city, noting how each residential ward still holds a church and square—its original civic logic intact after nearly three centuries. Pause in Ellicott Square, named for the architect who redesigned Savannah’s streets after a major fire, and trace the subtle shift in architecture from Georgian to Greek Revival along West Congress Street.
Continue toward the historic commercial corridor of Bay Street, once lined with rice and cotton warehouses, now home to small galleries and bookshops. Stop at the First African Baptist Church, And listen for stories of Underground Railroad secrets hidden in the floorboards—still visible in the drilled holes forming a cross and a circle, symbols of freedom. From there, slip into the quiet alley behind the church, once used by enslaved workers delivering goods, now shaded by live oaks draped in moss. The alley opens onto River Street, where you’ll feel the rhythm of the Savannah River and sense centuries of port life.
