SAVANNAH FUN FACTS
With a unique combination of a rich historical background and modern sights and activities, Savannah is the perfect city for our members to explore for 2025 Annual Conference. But how much do you know about all that Savannah has to offer? Read these fun facts to get familiar with Savannah before Conference starts!
1. Savannah was a Christmas present to President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War.
The story goes that after Union Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman burned Atlanta to the ground, he arrived in Savannah with a plan to do the same. But, the city’s beauty inspired him to spare it. Sherman sent a telegraph to Lincoln offering the city to him as a Christmas present.
2. The First African Baptist Church is the first black church in the country, and dates to 1777.
It is also home to one of the oldest Jewish congregations in the United States. Congregation Mickve Israel started in 1733.
3. Take your cocktail to-go!
3. Take your cocktail to-go! Savannah allows you to take a to-go cup within the historic district boundaries (West Boundary Street to East Broad Street and Jones Street).
4. Author Flannery O’Connor grew up in Savannah and her childhood home still stands at 207 E. Charlton St.
Take a tour of the Flannery O’ Connor Childhood Home Museum, open Thursday through Sunday.
5. The fountain in Forsyth Park came from a catalog!
City planners ordered it from the Janes, Beebe & Co. catalog. It was installed in 1858.
6. Alcohol, slavery, and lawyers were all outlawed in the city’s first charter.
7. The Girl Scouts were founded in Savannah by Juliette Gordon Low!
Visitors can learn more at the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace Museum.
8. Horse hitches can still be found throughout the Historic District, in front of homes and businesses.
A hitch in the shape of a horse’s head stands at the gate of a large house on East York Lane near East Oglethorpe Avenue. It dates to the early 1800s.
9. Other interesting architectural finds include haint blue porch ceilings and fish downspouts.
These decor choices stem from the Gullah/Geechee as a way to ward off evil spirits.
10. Cobblestones that pave Savannah’s popular River Street were originally used as ballast material on ships that sailed into the harbor.
Some of those stones hail from Spain, France, and the British Isles.
And these are just some of the amazing things to learn about Savannah! Want more Savannah trivia like these before we see you there? Click the button below to check out more fun facts on Visit Savannah’s website!