Local Guide
The first things to know about Savannah.
A quick read before you go deeper. Everyday life, eating out, staying social, and the planning piece worth watching. Each one links to a source.
Everyday life
Wormsloe State Historic Site
An easy, flat trail with real shade and quiet. Worth checking hours, since it closes earlier than a city park.
Source: Wormsloe State Historic Site
Eating out and guests
The Grey
This is a special-occasion room with a national reputation. Worth knowing it books up weeks out.
Source: The Grey
Staying social
Lake Mayer Community Park
The main public spot most local players name first. Worth checking court times and how busy mornings get.
Source: Lake Mayer Community Park (Chatham County)
Worth watching
What hurricane season means here
Knowing your evacuation zone and a storm plan matters before you buy. Worth reading the county guide and pricing flood insurance early.
Source: Chatham Emergency Management Agency hurricane guide
Move tools
Thinking about moving to Savannah? Run the rough math first.
Use these quick checks to test Savannah as a retirement move. They are not the full map; they help you decide what deserves a deeper look.
Move math
Compare your state to GA
Tests everyday cost level, broad state tax, property tax, and one-time move setup.
Run move checkMortgage
Test the payment or refi
Compare a current mortgage against a new rate, closing costs, and break-even timing.
Open mortgage checkWeather fit
Mixed-season comfort
Savannah has a weather profile that can support outdoor routines without making the best week the whole story.
Avg
68°
Sun
216
Rain
104
Snow
0
Things to do
Things to do in Savannah
Parks, trails, classes, and easy outings for an ordinary week.
Wormsloe State Historic Site
Wormsloe State Historic Site
South of downtown, Wormsloe is known for its dramatic avenue of live oaks draped in moss. There are tabby ruins, a small museum, and an easy nature trail that runs along the marsh. It is a state site, so there is a small entry fee.
Why it matters
An easy, flat trail with real shade and quiet. Worth checking hours, since it closes earlier than a city park.
Skidaway Island State Park
Skidaway Island State Park
About 20 minutes from downtown, this state park has gentle loop trails that cross salt flats and tidal creeks through maritime forest. The one-mile loop is the popular one. There is a visitor center and boardwalks over the marsh.
Why it matters
Flat, easy walking close to the coast you can do most of the year. Worth knowing summer mornings beat the heat.
Forsyth Park (Visit Savannah)
Forsyth Park
The 30-acre heart of the Historic District, with the famous 1858 white fountain everybody photographs. Oak-lined paths, benches, and open lawns make it an easy daily walk. The Saturday farmers market sets up on the south end.
Why it matters
This is the park you would actually use day to day. Worth walking it on an ordinary morning to see how it feels.
Telfair Museums
Telfair Museums
Three sites in one membership in the Historic District: the modern Jepson Center, the Telfair Academy, and the historic Owens-Thomas House. Together they cover art, Savannah history, and old architecture. Easy to fold into a downtown walk.
Why it matters
A rainy-day or hot-afternoon option that one ticket covers. Worth asking about a membership if you would go often.
Where to eat
Where to eat
Local spots for an easy dinner or a visit from family. Rough prices included.
The Grey
The Grey
Chef Mashama Bailey turned an old 1938 Greyhound bus terminal downtown into one of the most talked-about dining rooms in the South. The menu leans on coastal Georgia ingredients and changes often. Book ahead, because tables fill up.
Approx. price
$$$
Known for
Whatever is on the port city menu that night, built around local seafood and Lowcountry roots
Why it matters
This is a special-occasion room with a national reputation. Worth knowing it books up weeks out.
The Olde Pink House
The Olde Pink House
Classic Southern cooking in a pink 1771 mansion at 23 Abercorn Street, right by Reynolds Square. Southern Living named it the South's Most Legendary Restaurant. Think crispy scored flounder and she-crab soup in candlelit rooms.
Approx. price
$$$
Known for
Crispy scored flounder with apricot shallot sauce
Why it matters
A Savannah institution that does old-school Southern well. Reservations go fast, so plan a night around it.
Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room
Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room
A family-style lunch in an old 1946 boarding house at 107 West Jones Street. You sit at a big table with strangers and bowls of fried chicken, red rice, and cornbread keep coming. A line forms before the doors open at 11.
Approx. price
$$
Known for
Fried chicken with the full spread of Southern sides
Why it matters
Lunch only, no reservations, and the wait is part of it. Worth knowing it is cash-friendly and gets busy.
Husk Savannah
Husk Savannah
Farm-to-table Lowcountry cooking in a restored downtown home. The menu shifts with what Southern farms and the coast bring in, so it reads a little different each visit. Locals put it on their short list.
Approx. price
$$$
Known for
The seasonal Southern plates, which change with what is fresh
Why it matters
A good pick when you want something current rather than old-Savannah. The menu turning over often is the point.
Pickleball and rec
Pickleball in Savannah
Where to play, drop in, and meet people. Court times, fees, and how busy it gets.
Lake Mayer Community Park (Chatham County)
Lake Mayer Community Park
A Chatham County park on the Southside with dedicated pickleball courts, plus a loop around the lake for walking. It is a county facility, so the courts are open to the public. Address is 1850 E Montgomery Cross Rd.
Why it matters
The main public spot most local players name first. Worth checking court times and how busy mornings get.
Savannah Pickleball Academy
Savannah Pickleball Academy
An indoor, air-conditioned facility with several courts, open play sessions, and lessons. The indoor option matters in a Savannah summer when outdoor courts bake. Check their site for the current open-play schedule.
Why it matters
The go-to when it is too hot or wet to play outside. Worth calling ahead, since open-play slots and fees vary.
Daffin Park
Daffin Park courts
Daffin Park in midtown has free public courts with pickleball lines painted over tennis courts. The net sits a touch higher than a true pickleball net. No fee and no reservation, so it is casual and first-come.
Why it matters
The free, no-fuss option close to downtown. Worth knowing the lines are shared with tennis, so it can get crowded.
The Landings Golf & Athletic Club
The Landings Golf & Athletic Club
Out on Skidaway Island, this private club runs 15 pickleball courts at its Franklin Creek Sports Complex with weekly clinics. It is members-only, so it matters mainly if you settle in the Landings community.
Why it matters
A real draw if you are looking at the Landings to live. Worth weighing the membership cost against how often you would play.
Senior help and discounts
Help and discounts for Savannah seniors
Programs, classes, free city services, seasonal help, and useful local deals.
City of Savannah Golden Age Program
City of Savannah Golden Age Program
The city runs recreation centers for adults 55 and older with fitness classes, workshops, and group activities. It is geared toward folks who are getting out and staying active. Programs run at neighborhood centers around town.
Why it matters
A low-cost way to meet people and stay busy when you are new in town. Worth calling to ask which center is closest.
The Learning Center (Senior Citizens Inc.)
The Learning Center at Senior Citizens Inc.
Senior Citizens Inc. runs a learning program with courses, lectures, and group travel built for older adults. It is the spot if you want classes and conversation rather than a gym. Topics run across the humanities.
Why it matters
A different flavor than a rec center, more learning and travel. Worth checking the term schedule and any membership fee.
What’s coming up
What’s coming up in Savannah
Local events worth putting on the calendar. Check the host page for dates and parking before you go.
Savannah St. Patrick's Day Parade
March 17, 2026
10:15 a.m.
St. Patrick's Day Parade
When
Savannah throws one of the largest St. Patrick's Day parades in the country, a tradition going back to 1824. Downtown fills with hundreds of thousands of people in mid-March and the squares turn into one big party.
Why it matters
It is huge and downtown gets packed and parked-out. Worth deciding early whether you want to dive in or stay clear.
Savannah Music Festival
March 25 to April 5, 2026
Savannah Music Festival
When
A two-week spring festival running March 25 to April 5 in 2026, with dozens of concerts across Historic District venues. The lineup spans jazz, blues, bluegrass, and classical. Tickets sell by the show.
Why it matters
The biggest music event on the calendar, and it overlaps peak spring crowds. Worth booking tickets and rooms early.
SCAD Savannah Film Festival
October 24 to 31, 2026
SCAD Savannah Film Festival
When
Run by the art college, this eight-day festival lands October 24 to 31 in 2026 with screenings, premieres, and talks at venues around downtown. You will see new films and the occasional famous face. Tickets go on sale ahead of time.
Why it matters
A real cultural draw in the fall if you like movies. Worth grabbing passes early, since popular screenings sell out.
SCAD Sidewalk Arts Festival
April 25, 2026
SCAD Sidewalk Arts Festival
When
On April 25 in 2026, art students turn the sidewalks of Forsyth Park into a giant chalk gallery. It is free and open to anyone, and you just stroll through and watch the work come together. A nice low-key spring morning.
Why it matters
Free, family-friendly, and easy to drop into. Worth going in the morning before the spring sun gets strong.
Forsyth Farmers' Market
Saturdays, year round
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Forsyth Farmers' Market
When
Every Saturday from 9am to 1pm, year-round, at the south end of Forsyth Park. More than 70 local vendors bring produce, pasture-raised meats, eggs, baked goods, and flowers. It is a standing weekend ritual for a lot of locals.
Why it matters
A reliable weekly anchor for fresh food and running into neighbors. Worth getting there early before the good stuff goes.
Tybee Island Pirate Festival
October 8 to 11, 2026
Tybee Island Pirate Festival
When
A costumed pirate festival out on Tybee Island, October 8 to 11 in 2026, about 20 minutes east of downtown. There is a parade, music, and a lot of eye patches. It started to bring people to the beach in the off-season.
Why it matters
A fun day trip to the beach with a theme. Worth knowing Tybee parking is tight on festival weekends.
Savannah Holiday Tour of Homes
A Saturday in December
Savannah Holiday Tour of Homes
When
Each December the Downtown Neighborhood Association opens private historic homes and inns for a walking tour. You get inside places you would normally only see from the street, dressed up for the holidays. Tickets are timed.
Why it matters
A rare look inside the old downtown homes. Worth buying tickets in advance, because it sells out most years.
Christmas on the River
Through the holiday season
Christmas on the River
When
The holiday season on River Street brings lights, a parade, and festive music along the waterfront. It runs through the season rather than a single day, so there are several nights to catch it. Bundle up, the river gets breezy.
Why it matters
An easy free outing for the holidays downtown. Worth checking the dates, since events spread across several weekends.
Worth knowing
Worth knowing about the area
City services, neighborhood updates, seasonal notes, and the everyday details that matter.
Chatham Emergency Management Agency hurricane guide
What hurricane season means here
Savannah sits on the coast, so hurricane season from June through November is part of life. Chatham County publishes a hurricane guide with evacuation zones and a prep checklist. Summers are also hot and very humid, with feels-like temps that climb fast.
Why it matters
Knowing your evacuation zone and a storm plan matters before you buy. Worth reading the county guide and pricing flood insurance early.
City decisions
City decisions to watch
Council agendas, hearings, and public meetings that can change access, housing, services, or costs.
Chatham County Board of Assessors
How property taxes work here
In Chatham County, the Board of Assessors sets the value of your home, and your tax bill is based on that value. Georgia offers a homestead exemption on your primary residence, and there are added breaks for some older homeowners. You file for exemptions through the county.
Why it matters
Your real cost is the tax bill, not the sticker price. Worth checking the assessor site for the homestead and senior exemptions before you close.
Health and Medicare
Health and Medicare
Care, Medicare counseling, caregiver help, transportation, and the local senior support to line up.
Georgia SHIP (GeorgiaCares)
Free Medicare help through Georgia SHIP
Georgia SHIP, also called GeorgiaCares, gives free one-on-one Medicare counseling from certified, unbiased counselors. They help you compare plans, enroll, and find help paying for coverage. You can reach a counselor weekdays from 8am to 5pm.
Why it matters
A free, no-sales-pitch way to sort out Medicare when you move or turn 65. Worth saving the number, 1-866-552-4464, before open enrollment.
Common questions
What people ask before retiring in Savannah
Short answers to the questions most people ask first. The full source trail sits in the guide above and the sources panel below.
Is Savannah, GA a good place to retire?
Plenty of people do retire here, so it is a real option to look at. The honest version is whether the home costs, the health and senior support, the activities, and the family side of life all fit yours, not just whether it ranks well on a list somewhere.
Source: City of Savannah CalendarWhat costs should you check before moving to Savannah?
Price the month, not the postcard. Keep separate lines for home, property taxes, insurance, utilities, transportation, health, and everyday spending. A low-tax headline can quietly hide a high insurance bill, or the other way around.
Source: City of SavannahWhere do you find things to do in Savannah?
Parks and rec, the local event calendar, the visitor bureau, the senior center, and the restaurants people actually go to. The thing worth checking is whether they are close enough and often enough that you would really use them, not just visit them once.
Source: City of Savannah CalendarWhat health and senior support matters in Savannah?
Medicare counseling, the nearby hospital systems, pharmacy access, transportation, caregiver help, and an emergency contact. These can change whether the move works even when the lifestyle side looks great on paper.
Source: City of SavannahWhat should your family ask before you move to Savannah?
Driving, airport access, local services, who to call in an emergency, care backup, home upkeep, and how often help would be needed. The goal is to see the move as a real support plan, not just a nice address.
Source: City of SavannahRetirement Life Score
A quick read on the life you would actually live.
Savannah scored across eight things that decide whether a move feels good: monthly affordability, home costs, restaurants and outings, activities, parks, health and senior support, weather, and getting around. The full numbers are below.
Savannah Retirement Life Score
71
Workable, verify carefully / 65-74
Support is the strongest daily-life fit. Home costs is the piece to verify before treating the move as settled.
A city has useful strengths, but the guide is showing meaningful cost, access, weather, or evidence gaps.
Strongest fit: Health & support access
Verify first: Home, taxes & insurance
Everyday affordability
Counts a lot69/100
How the ordinary monthly life could feel once taxes, insurance, fees, utilities, meals, and errands are in view.
What’s good: Lower-tax signals, visible discounts or free programs, ordinary-cost dining and errands, and practical transportation backup.
What to check: High housing pressure, insurance or storm costs, HOA or assessment friction, resort pricing, and thin cost evidence.
Price the month, not the postcard.
How this factor is scored
Signals checked: The Grey · Watch: Chatham County Board of Assessors
Evidence weighed: Tax, housing, insurance, senior-service, transportation, and local deal sources.
Weight in the total: High weight
Home, taxes & insurance
Counts a lot45/100
Property taxes, assessments, homeowners insurance, storm exposure, maintenance, and local housing friction.
What’s good: Clear assessor or property-appraiser sources, homestead or senior relief signals, and plain-language housing-cost context.
What to check: Coastal or wildfire exposure, insurance pressure, high home prices, amenity fees, HOA or district assessments, and missing local tax sources.
Separate the house from the lifestyle.
How this factor is scored
Signals checked: The Grey · Watch: City of Savannah
Evidence weighed: County assessor, property appraiser, tax collector, insurance, emergency management, and housing sources.
Weight in the total: High weight
Restaurants & outings
76/100
Restaurants, coffee, arts, downtown meals, family visits, and low-friction places to go without over-planning.
What’s good: Specific restaurants, coffee shops, arts districts, downtown routines, visitor-hosting ideas, and source links that feel repeatable.
What to check: Only generic visitor copy, heavy seasonal crowds, hard parking, expensive dining signals, or no specific local outing ideas.
Look for repeatable evenings, not only famous spots.
How this factor is scored
Signals checked: The Grey · Watch: City of Savannah Calendar
Evidence weighed: Restaurant sites, tourism boards, chambers, downtown groups, event venues, and local dining guides.
Weight in the total: Supporting weight
Activities & social calendar
88/100
Events, clubs, classes, pickleball, senior programs, volunteer options, and the weekly social rhythm.
What’s good: Dated events, parks and rec classes, senior-center programming, clubs, pickleball options, volunteer leads, and repeatable weekly activities.
What to check: Undated or stale calendars, few senior-friendly programs, heat or traffic timing issues, and no clear way to register or show up.
Make sure the week has more than errands.
How this factor is scored
Signals checked: The Olde Pink House · Watch: City of Savannah
Evidence weighed: City calendars, recreation departments, senior centers, libraries, clubs, parks districts, and community event pages.
Weight in the total: Core weight
Parks & outdoor life
66/100
Parks, trails, beaches, gardens, preserves, water access, golf, and everyday outdoor routines.
What’s good: Specific parks, trails, beaches, gardens, water access, golf, outdoor classes, and low-friction places to be outside often.
What to check: Extreme heat, smoke, flooding, storm seasons, winter driving, crowding, parking friction, or thin park-level detail.
Check whether outdoor life works in the season you will actually live there.
How this factor is scored
Signals checked: Forsyth Park · Watch: City of Savannah
Evidence weighed: Parks departments, park districts, conservancies, recreation sources, tourism sources, and trail or beach authorities.
Weight in the total: Supporting weight
Health & support access
Counts a lot91/100
Medicare help, aging agencies, caregiver backup, transportation support, pharmacies, and local service depth.
What’s good: Area Agency on Aging, SHIP or SHINE counseling, senior services, caregiver support, transportation help, and credible health-resource depth.
What to check: Weak care-radius evidence, no benefits counseling source, unclear transportation backup, or hints that specialist access requires long drives.
Do not let a fun town hide a weak care radius.
How this factor is scored
Signals checked: Telfair Museums · Watch: City of Savannah
Evidence weighed: Area Agencies on Aging, county health and human services, senior services, Medicare counseling, transit, and hospital or clinic sources.
Weight in the total: High weight
Weather comfort
51/100
Heat, storms, flooding, smoke, winter, seasonal swings, and how much resilience planning the move demands.
What’s good: Evidence that outdoor life works in ordinary seasons, plus clear planning sources for heat, storms, winter, smoke, or emergency readiness.
What to check: Sustained heat, hurricane or flood exposure, wildfire or smoke risk, winter driving, evacuation complexity, and missing resilience sources.
Plan the hard season, not the best week.
How this factor is scored
Signals checked: The Grey · Watch: City of Savannah · 68F annual average, 216 sunny days
Evidence weighed: Emergency management, weather-resilience, utility, health, parks, insurance, and local government sources.
Weight in the total: Core weight
Getting around & family visits
69/100
Driving, parking, airport access, golf-cart life, visitor logistics, medical trips, and family backup.
What’s good: Airport or transit access, shuttle or senior transportation, walkable routines, golf-cart usefulness, and simple family-visit logistics.
What to check: Traffic, parking scarcity, seasonal congestion, night-driving issues, long medical trips, or no car-light backup.
Test the drive on an ordinary Tuesday.
How this factor is scored
Signals checked: City of Savannah Golden Age Program · Watch: City of Savannah
Evidence weighed: Transit agencies, airports, city transportation pages, senior services, tourism access pages, and guide items with location detail.
Weight in the total: Supporting weight
How we keep this current
Sources for Savannah
A mix of city pages, community calendars, senior services, council agendas, official tourism, restaurant sites, and registration pages. Every claim above links to where it came from.
See the 32 sources behind this guideEvery claim above links to where it came from.ShowHide
official / weekly
City of Savannah
Official city source for resident services, departments, notices, and civic information.
official / weekly
City of Savannah Calendar
Official city calendar for local meetings, programming, and public events.
institutional / weekly
Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce
Local business and community source for dining, visitor, and area context.
official / weekly
Chatham County Board of Assessors
County property and assessment source for housing-cost checks.
official / weekly
Georgia Division of Aging Services
State aging-services source for older adults, caregivers, and support resources.
official / weekly
Chatham Area Transit
Transit source for car-light planning and transportation backup.
community / weekly
The Grey
James Beard award-winning restaurant from chef Mashama Bailey in a restored 1938 Greyhound bus terminal downtown.
community / weekly
The Olde Pink House
Classic Southern dining in a 1771 mansion at 23 Abercorn Street; named the South's Most Legendary Restaurant by Southern Living.
community / weekly
Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room
Family-style Southern lunch at communal tables in an old 1946 boarding house at 107 West Jones Street; cash and a line out front.
community / weekly
Husk Savannah
Farm-to-table Lowcountry cooking that changes with the season, listed among locals' favorite Savannah restaurants.
institutional / weekly
Forsyth Park (Visit Savannah)
30-acre downtown park with the famous 1858 fountain, oak-lined walking paths, and a weekend farmers market.
official / weekly
Wormsloe State Historic Site
Historic site south of downtown with a famous live-oak avenue, tabby ruins, and an easy interpretive nature trail along the marsh.
official / weekly
Skidaway Island State Park
State park with easy loop trails over salt flats and tidal creeks through maritime forest, about 20 minutes from downtown.
institutional / weekly
Telfair Museums
Three museum sites in the Historic District: the Jepson Center, Telfair Academy, and the Owens-Thomas House.
official / weekly
Lake Mayer Community Park (Chatham County)
Chatham County park on the Southside with dedicated pickleball courts, a lake loop, and a community room; (912) 652-6780.
community / weekly
Savannah Pickleball Academy
Indoor air-conditioned pickleball facility with several courts, open play, and lessons.
community / weekly
Daffin Park
Free public courts at Daffin Park with pickleball lines overlaid on tennis courts in midtown Savannah.
community / weekly
The Landings Golf & Athletic Club
Private club on Skidaway Island with 15 pickleball courts and weekly clinics at Franklin Creek Sports Complex; membership required.
official / weekly
City of Savannah Golden Age Program
City recreation program for adults 55 and older with fitness classes, workshops, and activities at neighborhood centers.
institutional / weekly
The Learning Center (Senior Citizens Inc.)
Senior learning program with courses, lectures, and educational travel run by Senior Citizens Inc.
institutional / weekly
Savannah Music Festival
Two-week spring festival, March 25 to April 5 in 2026, with 51 concerts across Historic District venues.
community / weekly
Forsyth Farmers' Market
Year-round Saturday market, 9am to 1pm at the south end of Forsyth Park, with 70-plus local vendors.
official / weekly
Savannah St. Patrick's Day Parade
One of the largest St. Patrick's Day parades in America, a downtown tradition dating to 1824 that draws huge crowds in mid-March.
institutional / weekly
SCAD Savannah Film Festival
Eight-day film festival, October 24 to 31 in 2026, with screenings and talks across SCAD venues downtown.
community / weekly
Tybee Island Pirate Festival
Costumed pirate festival on Tybee Island, October 8 to 11 in 2026, about 20 minutes east of downtown Savannah.
community / weekly
Savannah Holiday Tour of Homes
December walking tour of private downtown homes and inns hosted by the Downtown Neighborhood Association.
institutional / weekly
SCAD Sidewalk Arts Festival
Free spring chalk-art festival in Forsyth Park, April 25 in 2026, open to the public.
community / weekly
Christmas on the River
Holiday season on River Street with lights, a parade, and festive performances along the waterfront.
official / weekly
Chatham Emergency Management Agency hurricane guide
Chatham County's official hurricane guide covering evacuation zones and storm preparation for the Savannah coast.
official / weekly
Chatham County Board of Assessors
The county office that sets property values for tax purposes and handles homestead exemptions in Chatham County.
institutional / weekly
Georgia SHIP (GeorgiaCares)
Free state Medicare counseling; certified SHIP counselors take calls Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm at 1-866-552-4464.
institutional / weekly
St. Joseph's/Candler
The leading health system in Savannah, with two hospitals and a 55-plus SmartSenior membership program.