Fifty Dollars, Full Day: The Case That Savannah Is America's Best Bargain Getaway
Photo: Jennifer Morrow from San Francisco, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Let's be direct about a claim that many destination guides are too polite to make: Savannah may be the best-value heritage city in the United States. While peer destinations have walled their historic cores behind parking garages and ticketed attractions, Savannah's founding design — its open, communal squares — remains free to anyone who walks into it. The city's greatest masterpiece is its own street plan, and no one is charging admission.
With modest planning, a visitor can experience a genuinely full day here for under fifty dollars, meals included. Here is the argument, and the evidence.
The Squares Cost Nothing and Give Everything
Savannah's twenty-two historic squares are the city's open-air living rooms, and they ask only that you enjoy them. Jones Street, routinely ranked among the most beautiful streets in America, costs nothing to stroll. The moss-draped oaks of Monterey Square, the monuments of Wright Square, the fountain of Forsyth — all free, all day.
Budget travelers should budget an entire morning to simply wandering between Bull Street's squares. Bring a camera; the architecture does the rest.
Forsyth Park: The Best Free Seat in the South
At the southern edge of the Historic District, Forsyth Park's thirty acres anchor the budget itinerary. Its cast-iron fountain, fragrant garden for the blind, and shaded walking paths make it the natural spot for a picnic lunch assembled from a grocery store or the Saturday farmers market held at its southern end.
A sandwich, fruit, and a sweet tea consumed on a Forsyth bench rivals any $40 restaurant table in town — and you will have spent seven dollars.
Museums That Respect Your Wallet
Savannah's museum landscape includes several institutions that keep entry affordable:
- The Andrew Low House and other house museums offer modest admission fees in the $10–$15 range, with discounts for students, military, and seniors.
- Free galleries connected to the Savannah College of Art and Design, including museum spaces in the heart of the district, charge nothing and rotate exhibitions of serious contemporary work.
- First Friday and monthly art scenes open studio doors across the Starland District at no cost.
Even a full day that includes one paid house museum stays comfortably under budget.
The Free Ferry and the Riverfront
Here is the city's best-kept budget secret: the Savannah Belles Ferry, connecting the riverfront with Hutchinson Island and the Savannah Convention Center, is completely free. It is also, quietly, one of the best sightseeing values in America — a fifteen-minute round trip across one of the nation's busiest ports, with skyline views that paid river cruises charge handsomely to match.
Ride it twice. Watch a cargo ship pass. Spend nothing.
Eating Well on a Shoestring
Savannah's cheap-eats credentials are strong. The historic City Market and Broughton Street corridors offer slices, Southern meat-and-three plates, and bakery counters where $10 buys a full meal. Split a praline or a cup of the famous frozen treat on River Street for dessert, and your daily food budget still lands near $25.
Sample Itinerary: The $45 Day
- 8:00 a.m. — Bakery breakfast on Broughton Street ($8).
- 9:00 a.m. — Walk the Bull Street squares south to Forsyth Park (free).
- 12:00 p.m. — Farmers market picnic in Forsyth ($9).
- 1:30 p.m. — Free SCAD museum gallery visit (free).
- 3:00 p.m. — Savannah Belles Ferry round trip (free).
- 4:30 p.m. — One house museum admission ($13).
- 7:00 p.m. — Meat-and-three dinner or pizza slice dinner ($14).
- Total: approximately $44.
For Families
Parents should note that children under a certain age frequently enter house museums free, the ferry is free for all ages, and the playgrounds within Forsyth Park and the squares cost nothing. A family of four can share picnic provisions and still keep the day's spending under $100 — a figure that would not cover parking alone in many coastal destinations.
The opinion, stated plainly: if your travel dollar needs to stretch this year, spend it in Savannah. The city was designed to be shared, and it still honors that design.
