If you come to Savannah looking for Southern clichés, you can certainly find them. At first glimpse the city appears almost absurdly cinematic: gothic church spires reach upwards; horse-drawn carriages meander along quiet streets; and live oaks are festooned with Spanish Moss.
But the city isn’t preserved in aspic. Much of Savannah’s newfound energy can be attributed to the SCAD effect. The Savannah College of Art and Design, founded 36 years ago, has imbued the city with a modern edge.
The college has restored more than 70 historic buildings. and also opened the excellent SCAD Museum, which features modern galleries integrated within the ruins of the 1853 Georgia Railroad Depot ($10). The gallery features a strong contemporary collection, which includes recent innovators such as Nick Cave among names like Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg.
As America’s first planned city, laid out according to General James Edward Oglethorpe’s visionary plan of 1773, Savannah is best explored on foot. The 2½-square-mile Historic District is a Mecca for small businesses.
There’s the proudly independent E. Shaver, a 36-year-old bookseller with tomes chronicling the city’s dynamic history. Then there’s Arcanum, a beloved address along Whitaker Street’s dedicated design district, known for its blend of antiques and modern pieces (422 Whitaker St.). Just north of gracious Madison Square is shopSCAD, which features works from the college’s students and alumni with 3D-printed jewelry and sculpture.
A few blocks away lies Monterey Square, perhaps the most beautiful of the city’s 22 spectacular leafy public parks. Tourists equipped with well-thumbed paperbacks will lead you to the Mercer Williams House, immortalized in John Berendt’s “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” splendidly restored by antiques dealer Jim Williams.
Aesthetes can delve deeper into the city’s architectural history — a glorious assortment of styles from English Georgian to Federal to American Gothic — by touring other important homes. The Flannery O’Conner House, now a museum dedicated to the literary heroine, is a charming three-story residence restored to reflect her 1920s Depression-era childhood ($6). By contrast, the Owens-Thomas House gives a fascinating glimpse into the city’s elite almost two centuries ago.
The precise school of design is a little harder to pin down at the Mansion on Forsyth Park, Savannah’s most luxeurious hotel (from $179). The 126-room property occupies a turreted red-brick 1888 building that has been decorated in wild Victoriana-meets-Versace fashion. Also worth considering is the Bohemian Hotel, overlooking the Savannah River (from $225).
Finally, Savannah’s best kitchens tend to embrace “New Southen Cuisine.” Among the tastiest are Local 11 Ten, which does wonders with Georgia’s produce, much of which is sourced at the weekly Forsyth Farmer’s Market (Saturdays). Meanwhile, 700 Drayton serves she-crab bisque in a former mortuary.