Savannah is the most-photographed small-city reunion in the South — 22 manicured squares lined with live oaks and Spanish moss, an entire 2.5-square-mile Historic District on the National Register, and a riverside that comes alive in the evenings. Reunions concentrate around historic inns and hotels in the Historic District; the Mansion on Forsyth Park, the Marriott Savannah Riverfront, and the Hyatt Regency Savannah all handle 30–80-person groups. Plan around the comfort windows: March–May (azalea/wisteria bloom) and October–November. Avoid St. Patrick's Day weekend unless that's the point — Savannah throws the second-largest St. Paddy's parade in the country and the city is overwhelmed.
Where it is
Things to do (with the family)
Hand-curated. Every entry links to its official source so you can plan without guessing.
Forsyth Park
30-acre Historic District park with the iconic two-tier white fountain — the canonical Savannah family-photo backdrop.
Official source ↗Bonaventure Cemetery
Photogenic 1846 cemetery on the Wilmington River, made famous by "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil." Free; bring water and bug spray.
Official source ↗River Street
Cobblestone riverfront with restaurants, candy shops (Savannah's Candy Kitchen), and the riverboat cruise dock. Strolling here at sunset is a reunion essential.
Official source ↗Tybee Island (20 min E)
Atlantic beach + the 1736 Tybee Island Light Station. Easy half-day for a reunion that wants water.
Official source ↗Mercer-Williams House Museum
1860s mansion that anchored "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" — guided 50-minute tours of the first floor.
Official source ↗Telfair Academy
Oldest public art museum in the South (1886). Combined ticket with the Owens-Thomas House and Jepson Center for the Arts.
Official source ↗Owens-Thomas House
Regency-style historic house with one of the earliest urban slave quarters in the U.S. Tour balances slave-history context with architecture.
Official source ↗Wormsloe Historic Site
The famous 1.5-mile live-oak avenue. State-park entrance fee; the avenue itself is the photo. Pair with a Bonaventure morning.
Official source ↗SCAD Museum of Art
Savannah College of Art & Design's contemporary museum in a renovated 1853 railroad depot. Combines art with the city's industrial-history adaptive-reuse story.
Official source ↗First African Baptist Church
One of the oldest Black congregations in North America (1773); 30-minute guided tours of the historic sanctuary explain the Underground Railroad floor.
Official source ↗Old Town Trolley Tour
Hop-on/hop-off narrated trolley with 15 stops across the Historic District. The easiest way to get older relatives across the squares.
Official source ↗Visit Savannah (official tourism)
Itineraries, walking-tour maps, accessibility info, and group-travel resources from the official destination marketing org.
Official source ↗Find more things to do for your Savannah reunion
The picks above are general. Inside the Reunly app, Rosi tailors local activities, meals, and printables to your actual dates, group size, ages, and budget — and saves them straight to your reunion plan.
Good for
- Photogenic Southern reunions (live oaks, squares)
- Reunions of 20–60 in historic boutique hotels
- Multi-generational reunions wanting walkable history
- Combo trips with Charleston (2 hrs N) or Hilton Head (45 min N)
- Foodie reunions (low-country cuisine, shrimp & grits)
Practical logistics
- Closest Airports
- Savannah/Hilton Head International (SAV) — 13 mi NW of Historic District, rideshare ~$30, no MARTA/transit
- Group Lodging
- Hyatt Regency Savannah (River St., big ballroom), Marriott Savannah Riverfront, Westin Savannah Harbor (Hutchinson Island, full resort), The Mansion on Forsyth Park (boutique, Forsyth Park).
- Parking
- Historic District garages $20–$30/day; metered street parking enforced 8–5 weekdays. Many small inns have limited parking.
- Accessibility
- Squares and most museums are wheelchair-accessible. River Street's cobblestones are challenging — there's a paved upper-level walkway alongside it. Several historic inns have stair-only entries.
- Cost Per Person
- ~$170–$340/person/day for Historic District lodging + meals + 1–2 attractions; rates spike March–May and October.
- Cell Service
- Excellent everywhere; free wi-fi at most museums.
- Official Site
- https://www.visitsavannah.com/
When to go
Late March through May (azalea + wisteria peak in late March) and October through mid-November are the comfort sweet spots. Avoid St. Patrick's Day weekend (around March 17) unless that's the goal — second-largest St. Patrick's parade in the U.S. fills every hotel. July and August are humid and buggy; January–February are mild but quiet.
Best for your group size
Small group · 10–25
Groups of 10–25: a full buyout of one of the smaller Historic District inns (The Marshall House, The Gastonian, Foley House Inn) often runs 15–25 rooms and gives you a private property feel.
Medium group · 25–60
Groups of 25–60: block 15–25 rooms at the Hyatt Regency Savannah (River Street) or Marriott Savannah Riverfront. Both have ballrooms for 100+ and convention services on staff.
Large group · 60+
Groups of 60+: the Westin Savannah Harbor (Hutchinson Island, full resort with 403 rooms) and Hyatt Regency Savannah handle full ballroom-plus-room-block reunions. Book 9–12 months ahead, especially for spring or fall.
Sample 3-day Savannah reunion
A starter agenda you can copy into Reunly's Schedule and customize for your group.
Friday — Arrival & River Street
- Fly into SAV; rideshare to Historic District (~$30, 25 min)
- 4 PM hotel check-in
- 6 PM welcome reception at hotel
- 7:30 PM dinner at The Olde Pink House (Reynolds Square — book the upstairs private room)
- 9 PM stroll on River Street
Saturday — Squares + Bonaventure + Photo
- 9 AM Old Town Trolley tour (90 min, narrated)
- 11 AM walk Forsyth Park + family photo at the fountain
- 12 PM lunch at Mrs. Wilkes' Boarding House (line forms by 10:30)
- 2 PM Bonaventure Cemetery + Wormsloe Historic Site
- 5 PM rest at hotel
- 7 PM dinner at Vic's on the River (private room)
Sunday — Tybee or Museums + Goodbyes
- 9 AM brunch at hotel or J. Christopher's
- 10 AM split: Tybee Island beach (May–Sept) · Telfair Academy + Owens-Thomas (rainy or cold day)
- 1 PM final family photo at Forsyth Park or River Street
- 2 PM travel home
Reunion organizer tips
Stay inside the Historic District (between the river and Forsyth Park). The Hyatt Regency Savannah and Marriott Savannah Riverfront put you on the river; The Mansion on Forsyth Park puts you on the southern edge near Forsyth's fountain. Off-Historic-District hotels lose the entire walkability that defines a Savannah reunion.
Take the Old Town Trolley once on day 1 to orient everyone. The 90-minute loop covers all the squares with narration; afterward, the under-30 crowd can walk and the older relatives can reuse the day pass to skip between specific stops.
Anchor the big dinner at The Olde Pink House (Reynolds Square — Southern fine dining, second-floor private rooms for 25–60), Vic's on the River (low-country, river views), or Mrs. Wilkes' Boarding House for the iconic family-style Southern lunch (no reservations, line up by 10 AM).
Schedule Bonaventure Cemetery + Wormsloe for a single morning. They're 12 minutes apart on the Wilmington/Skidaway Roads. Bonaventure's photo opportunities are best in the soft morning light; Wormsloe's avenue of oaks is best mid-morning.
Plan a Tybee Island half-day if it's May–September. The 20-minute drive east puts you at Atlantic beaches with public-access pavilions. Reserve a beachside lunch spot at A-J's Dockside or The Crab Shack.
Walk the Historic District in the early morning before the heat — the squares are loveliest 7–9 AM with low light through the live oaks. Save museums for the hot mid-day stretch.
How Reunly helps you plan it
Reunly is the all-in-one app made for family reunion organizers. Free to start. No credit card. Cancel anytime.
Smart guest list
Drop in any spreadsheet — Rosi (our AI) reads multi-sheet, color-coded family groups, even handwritten exports. RSVP, dietary, T-shirt, paid status all in one row.
Open in Reunly →Public RSVP link
Share one link with the whole family. They RSVP per event (Friday BBQ, Saturday dinner) without making an account. You see live counts.
Open in Reunly →Budget that adds up
Track estimated vs. actual, who paid, who still owes. Auto-creates per-guest fee rows from your registration cost.
Open in Reunly →Day-by-day schedule
Friday welcome BBQ, Saturday photo, Sunday brunch — with location, meal flag, and per-event RSVPs.
Open in Reunly →Name tags + printables
Avery 5160 sheets color-coded by family, programs, welcome packets, packing lists — auto-filled from your data.
Open in Reunly →Rosi the AI helper
Stuck on a reminder email? A budget? A timeline? Click Rosi anywhere in the app — she drafts it from your live data.
Open in Reunly →Plan your Savannah reunion with Reunly
Free to start. Build your guest list, share an RSVP link, track payments, and print name tags — no spreadsheets.
Frequently asked
When is the best month for a Savannah family reunion?
Late March through May (azalea and wisteria peak in late March) and October through mid-November are the comfort sweet spots. Avoid St. Patrick's Day weekend (around March 17) unless that's the goal — second-largest St. Patrick's parade in the U.S. and every hotel fills. July and August are hot, humid, and buggy.
How many hotel rooms should I block for a Savannah reunion?
Plan ~1 room per 1.5 adults plus extras for families with kids. A 30-person reunion typically needs 14–18 rooms. The Hyatt Regency Savannah and Marriott Savannah Riverfront have dedicated group sales — call 6+ months out for spring or fall, 9+ months out around St. Patrick's Day.
Can we do Savannah without renting cars?
Yes if you stay in the Historic District. The squares, River Street, Forsyth Park, and most museums are walkable. Rent at least one 8–12-person van for the Bonaventure / Wormsloe / Tybee day — none are reachable by transit. Old Town Trolley covers the Historic District on a hop-on/hop-off basis.
Where should we host the big group dinner?
The Olde Pink House (Reynolds Square — second-floor private rooms for 25–60), Vic's on the River (low-country with river views), and Belford's in City Market all handle reunion-sized parties. Mrs. Wilkes' Boarding House is unmissable for one Southern family-style lunch but takes no reservations — line up by 10 AM.
How much does a Savannah family reunion cost per person?
~$170–$340/person/day for Historic District lodging + meals + 1–2 attractions. Rates spike March–May and October. Reunly's budget tool tracks per-guest fees, paid status, and methods so it's clear who owes what.
Is Savannah accessible for older relatives?
Squares and most museums are wheelchair-accessible. River Street's cobblestones are challenging — but there's an upper-level paved walkway alongside it. Several historic inns have stair-only entries; ask the hotel about accessible rooms when booking. The Old Town Trolley is fully accessible.
Other reunion-friendly spots nearby
Helpful planning guides
The complete family reunion checklist
12-month, 6-month, and day-of checklists organizers actually use.
Read the guide →Family reunion budget guide
How to estimate, track, and split costs without spreadsheets.
Read the guide →Family reunion for 50 people
Logistics, lodging, and budget for a 50-person reunion.
Read the guide →