How to Spend an Art-Filled Day in Savannah
Historic architecture, world-class exhibitions, and a thriving creative community make Georgia’s oldest city one of the South’s most rewarding cultural escapes for the fall
Brimming with Southern charm, Savannah is at once seductive and spooky. The coastal city—the oldest in Georgia—is instantly recognizable for its magnificent Southern live oaks draped in Spanish moss, which create canopies over boulevards, parks, and public squares. Together with a distinctive mix of Georgian, Federal, Victorian, and Italianate architecture, the city gives visitors the impression of stepping back in time. Wandering the streets of the historic district is a visual feast in itself, and a guided walking tour is a great way to learn about the various architectural styles and the stories of those who lived and worked in the grand homes.
But there’s more than history to enjoy here—Savannah is also at the forefront of creative innovation. Since 1978, the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) has drawn painters, sculptors, architects, weavers, photographers, filmmakers, and designers across fashion, product, transportation, and many more disciplines from around the world to study under some of the biggest names in their respective fields. Many choose to stay and practice in Savannah after graduating, resulting in a lively creative community that continues to shape the city’s cultural identity.
The institution is omnipresent throughout Savannah and has been responsible for restoring many of its historic buildings, including its very first acquisition: Poetter Hall, a red-brick former armory on Bull Street. It also happens to be a great place to start your day. Here, SCADstory—an immersive experience created by Disney Imagineers—explains the university’s history through a series of audiovisual environments. An adjacent gift shop sells a curated selection of artworks, homewares, objects, and gifts created by SCAD students and alumni.
For blockbuster exhibitions, head to the SCAD Museum of Art, housed within a historic 19th-century railroad depot that was renovated and extended in 2011. The museum presents two seasonal exhibition programs each year, attracting internationally acclaimed artists and high-profile names such as recent subjects Anish Kapoor, Dan Flavin, and Christian Siriano. This season features a mix of solo and group exhibitions by both established and emerging artists.
Already open and on view through December 13, 2026, Masako Miki’s The Garden of Wandering Spirits transforms a gallery into an immersive, Japanese-inspired domestic interior that opens onto an imagined garden populated by felted-wool sculptures and watercolor paintings. In Phantom Banquet, Stockholm-based artist Lap-See Lam explores shifts in Hong Kong–Chinese visual culture across generations and geographies through the history of Sweden’s Chinese restaurants. Meanwhile, the museum’s signature “jewel boxes” house Four, Once More, four boldly hued neon works by the late Stephen Antonakos, presented in tribute to his inaugural installation in these large-scale, exterior glass vitrines when the museum first opened 15 years ago. Both exhibitions remain on view through January 11, 2027.
Also open through October 4, 2026, Mexico City-based artist and SCAD alum Othiana Roffiel presents luminous paintings exploring the interconnectedness of the human body and the cosmos. Upcoming exhibitions, opening throughout August and September, include Andrew Kuo’s Attachments, Nengi Omuku’s There We Sat Down, Tremaine Emory’s Denim Tears from the Pool of Black Genius, and more. If you’re looking to take home original art, the Gutstein Gallery in the North Historic District houses SCAD Art Sales and regularly hosts rotating exhibitions of alumni work.
Elsewhere, along the Savannah riverfront, the Plant Riverside District combines an entertainment destination with a JW Marriott hotel housed inside a former power station. A cavernous space retaining many of the building’s original industrial features serves as the hotel lobby, while also accommodating a collection of local boutiques and galleries. Surprisingly, it’s also home to an exhibition of towering prehistoric geodes and a 135-foot-long chrome-dipped replica of an Amphicoelias fragillimus dinosaur skeleton.
Of the three venues that make up Telfair Museums—the South’s oldest public art institution—the Jepson Center presents historic and contemporary art from Savannah and the surrounding region in a Moshe Safdie-designed building. Through December 6, A Seat at the Table, a solo exhibition by SCAD alum Julia Roland, explores her experiences as a Black queer woman from the American South through figurative painting. The center also houses the Telfair Children’s Art Museum, which offers regular programming for young visitors, including painting and drawing classes, stroller and toddler art tours, and Friday storytime sessions.
A cluster of smaller galleries is scattered among the bars and souvenir shops of the tourist-oriented City Market, while bustling Broughton Street is the city’s main destination for retail therapy. Here, The Paris Market is a favorite with visitors and locals alike, offering two levels of books, antiques, novelties, jewelry, and a café in a French-inspired setting. Lovers of vintage furniture, homewares, and objets should also make the short trip to Seventh Heaven Antiques in the Thunderbolt neighborhood, southeast of downtown. The store is packed with finds spanning multiple eras, and there are genuine treasures for those with a keen eye.
And while you’re on that side of town, swing by Bonaventure Cemetery, the municipal burial ground immortalized in the bestselling novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (recommended reading before your trip). The 160-acre cemetery is filled with elaborate mausoleums, sculptures, memorials, and headstones. It’s free to explore its tree-lined avenues at your own pace, though private guided tours are also available. It’s a particularly atmospheric experience during fall’s spooky season.