The trans-Atlantic slave trade brought millions of Africans to America with many passing through the port of Savannah and forming the Geechee and Gullah cultures of the Atlantic coastal communities in Georgia and South Carolina. The slave trade in the South would lead to a new social economic era, where the color of one’s skin determined whether you lived your life enslaved or free. It would take three generations and a war between the states to bring an end to slavery in America.
First stop: The Savannah Visitor Information Center and Savannah History Museum showcase the city’s history from its founding in 1733 to the present day. Inside, you can see exhibits about the Revolutionary War Battle of Savannah, rare dugout canoes from the 1800s and a changing exhibit of women’s fashions from the 19th and 20th centuries. The museum is also home to Forrest Gump’s bench, one of Johnny Mercer’s Oscar Awards and a carriage owned by the family of Girl Scouts founder Juliette Gordon Low. Other exhibits include weapons and military uniforms, as well as items from Savannah’s railway history. Visitors may also enjoy our plush theatre and film presentation, "Savannah the Survivor."
Lunch: Savannah has several group dining establishments to tempt your group’s taste buds. Catch the beautiful views from River Street, enjoy the quirky charm of the City Market or choose one of the many restaurants nestled along the quiet streets of the city’s Historic District.
Take a History Tour: Guests who come to our city are truly captivated by Savannah’s charm, its rich heritage and all the activities the city offers every day of the year. Your group’s visit begins with experiencing the soul of Savannah, where the African-American Heritage is celebrated. Several tour companies specialize in presenting this fascinating history. Tours includes remnants of an underground railway, historic African churches, Civil Rights Museum, Beach Institute and slave burial grounds.
Laurel Grove Cemetery: Laurel Grove South is one of the most significant final resting places for African-Americans who died in the 19th and 20th centuries. While slavery was still legal, there were more free black slaves interred in Laurel Grove South than any other cemetery in the Southeast. The cemetery serves as a culturally and historically significant site for African-American religion, education, civil rights and business.
Dinner: Your group covered a lot of ground on their first day and may want to have a casual bite to eat before retiring for the evening. Savannah’s historic River Street has all types of casual and upscale dining options. Seafood, steaks and light fare can all be found in the restored cotton warehouses that are home to some of Savannah’s favorite restaurants and pubs. We can help you determine which restaurants are particularly group friendly!
Visit the King-Tisdell Cottage Foundation: Start your day off at the King-Tisdell Cottage. Dating to the 1890s, this small cottage has served as a cultural museum of African-American arts and crafts since 1981. Next, visit The Beach Institute established in 1865 as a school for newly freed slaves - it is Georgia’s oldest continuous standing school for blacks. Now it is home to the African-American Arts Center.
Lunch: Take a break for lunch at one of Savannah’s many delicious cafés such as Express Café and Bakery or Harris Baking Company. You can get a sandwich to go and enjoy it in one of Savannah’s 22 squares. Underneath the live oak canopy, you can enjoy the sites and sounds of Savannah while resting before you resume your tour of the city.
Take a Tour of History: In April 2009, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue signed House Bill 108 making Savannah’s Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum the official Civil Rights Museum of Georgia. The Savannah landmark is named in honor of the late Dr. Ralph Mark Gilbert, Father of Savannah’s modern day Civil Rights Movement. The museum chronicles the civil rights struggle of Georgia's oldest African-American community from slavery to the present. Three floors of photographic and interactive exhibits include an NAACP Organization exhibit, a fiber optic map of 87 significant civil rights sites/events, a lunch counter where "sit-ins" occurred, segregation exhibits, and video presentation.
Then, take a stroll through the city to Rousakis Plaza on River Street, where you will find the African-American Families Monument - a bronze and granite monument which shows two adults and two children standing with broken chains at their feet. The base is inscribed with Maya Angelou’s words depicting the horrors of a slave ship voyage but ending on a note of hope.
Dinner: While you are on River Street, enjoy some local fare from one of our several Savannah restaurants such as the Chart House or Fiddler’s Crab House just to name a few. After dinner, you can satisfy your sweet tooth with a visit to River Street Sweets.
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Visit the Massie Heritage Interpretation Center: The Massie Common School House was opened in 1870 and continued to offer public education until the occupation of Savannah by General William T. Sherman. During the spring and summer of 1865, Massie served as a school for black children under the order of General Sherman.
Lunch: Plan a tour with Mikki’s Tours by Taste who offers a gastronomic tour if your group is interested in cooking. Cooking classes are taught by chefs, cookbook authors and other experienced professionals who offer generous servings of the dishes prepared.
Take a Church Tour: Founded in 1773 by Georga Liele, the first Baptist in Georgia, the First African Baptist Church remains the oldest Black church in the U.S. Once part of the Underground Railroad, it has served as home to the congregation ever since. Participants in the early Civil Rights Movement in Savannah held weekly meetings at the First African Baptist Church and the church remains an important part of African-American history. A unique feature of the church is its collection of stained-glass windows depicting African-American subjects.
Dinner: Enjoy your last dinner aboard theSavannah Riverboat. Here your group will enjoy a gourmet buffet while experiencing the calm evening of Savannah. After dinner, enjoy tunes from the ‘50s through today preformed by one of the riverboat’s entertainers.
Beaufort, SC: Located just 42 miles from Savannah, sites of interest include St. Helena Island, where the Gullah culture of former slaves is being preserved. A highlight of the island includes the Penn Center, founded after the Civil War to educate blacks and is now a museum.
Sapelo Island: Located 58 miles south of Savannah is Sapelo Island. Cotton magnate Thomas Spalding owned a plantation on this barrier island in the early 19th century. Ruins of his tabby sugar mill and other buildings are visible on the island. The island is now a National Estaurine Research Reserve and houses Hog Hammock, an African-American community where descendants of Spalding’s slaves still live.
Savannah National Wildlife Refuge: Just 10 miles north of Savannah is the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge, which preserves the physical aspects of the rice plantations, the first use of slaves in Georgia. Now a peaceful home to wildlife such as alligators and a large variety of birds -- the paddies, dikes, and trunk gates basic to rice production are preserved here. Rice production, and its profit possibilities, was a major motivation for the 1750 repeal of the prohibition of slavery in Georgia.
