Things to Do in Savannah

The opening scene of Forrest Gump follows a feather as it floats above Savannah's rooftops, a view seen from the Sorrel-Weed House, where the scene was filmed. Completed between 1839 and 1840, the now-iconic building was distinguished as a state landmark in 1954—only the second house in Georgia to receive that honor. Today, during historic tours, guests patter down the same corridors where onetime houseguest General Robert E. Lee once practiced hacky sack, or track spirits during ghostly explorations of the home's creepy quarters. Southern history pervades each visit as guests catch glimpses of the house’s antique decor and Greek revival architecture.

Anyone active in Savannah’s theatre community in the 70s and 80s would likely have encountered Tom Coleman III, a director who began his career at the Savannah Young People’s Theatre. He produced and directed more than 200 shows in the ensuing 35 years, culminating in the founding of the Savannah Community Theatre. The company often produces shows by local playwrights, along with a weekly, pirate-themed murder mystery dinner show.

At Dancing Dogs Yoga, community springs from vibrant routines of bends and balances. Here, owner Shelley Lowther and a team of seasoned instructors cultivate a nurturing environment with warm greetings and personal attention. As a trainee of Baron Baptiste—a trailblazer in the world of power Vinyasa yoga—Shelley has built the studio around athletic, breath-fueled poses that bolster strength, flexibility, and focus. The signature Baptiste power Vinyasa routines unfold in an 85- to 90-degree room designed to deepen stretches and evict toxins. To help beginners build a sturdy yogic foundation, Basics classes place an extra emphasis on pose alignment. Yin sessions explore yoga’s softer side with lengthy, floor-based poses, and massage therapy melts lingering tension with strokes as soothing as a bathrobe made of chamomile flowers. When she’s not teaching classes in Beaufort or Bluffton, Shelley records yoga-themed podcasts, helms community-outreach initiatives, and serves as an ambassador for the Africa Yoga Project.

The turrets of Star Castle climb high above Mall Boulevard, its drawbridge lowered to lead visitors into to a grand hall filled with treasure and adventure. Inside the 28,000-square-foot entertainment stronghold, children glide across a solid-wood skating surface, rolling around to top-40 hits and classic tunes spun by a resident DJ. Coats of arms and archways surround the rink and lead to other fun-filled chambers, including a video arcade where guests can test their skills on games both nostalgic and new and redeem tickets for prizes or sew them into giant ticket sweaters. As if that wasn't enough, the castle also contains a 4,000-square-foot laser-tag arena, where future knights engage in simulated battles beset by black lights and fog, all under the supervision of an arena attendant and any friends or family members who wish to watch from the spectator room.

The array of glazes at Starlight Pottery puts a rainbow’s paltry six stripes to shame; 70 different hues await artists within the studio. Conversation drifts beneath full shelves of bisque pottery, centering on the mugs, plates, and figurines available for painting. Paintbrushes hush quietly in freehand curls or stencils on the pottery, and hands working with unformed clay make the gentle slapping sound of two scuba divers fighting. Experts fire creations in a kiln, and parties for adults and children fill the studio with laughter and artistic banter.

Nestled in the salt marshes of northern Wilmington Island, Bull River Marina is an ideal launch pad for exploring the region’s natural splendor. Experienced captains offer tours that find them steering their prow through the bottlenose-dolphin-inhabited waters off the shores of Savannah. Additionally, Bull River's captains lead crabbing and fishing charters that search the waters for everything from kingfish to sharks. The seasoned fishermen provide passengers with all the bait, tackle, and licenses they need to wrest trout and flounder from the refrigerators of submarine captains.