Four squares, one hour, zero fuss.

This solo self-guided Savannah walk uses your smartphone to tell the story as you move through the Old Squares. I like that you can download it and start whenever your schedule allows, then stop and start as your feet and curiosity decide.

Two other big wins: you get a tight route through signature squares (Johnson Square to Chippewa Square), and the audio points you to movie and local-culture stops like the bench from Forest Gump. One thing to consider: the experience depends on the app and your phone’s location cues, so if the directions feel off, you’ll want a calm plan B (pause playback and get your bearings).

Key Things I Think You’ll Notice First

• Phone-first start: download and begin when you’re ready, with no need to meet a live guide at a fixed time
• One pass or a break: tackle the full 55 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes, or pause for extra exploring
• Savannah squares focus: Reynolds, Wrights, Telfair, and more, tied to people and events tied to each spot
• Pause for museums when you want: the route includes outside-the-building stories, with an option to visit for real
• Film-footprint moments: you’ll be pointed toward where Forest Gump was filmed
• Audio navigation quirks: some people find the directions or narration style a bit awkward, especially if GPS is finicky

How This Self-Guided Old Squares of Savannah Tour Works

This is a WalknTours solo walking experience built for your smartphone. You buy a ticket, download the tour content, and then let the audio guide you from square to square at your own pace. The format is simple: you walk, press play when you’re ready, and the narration lines up with where you are.

The biggest practical advantage is control. If you’re hungry, taking photos, or just lingering to watch squirrels behave like they own the place, you can pause. If you want to zoom through and be done in under an hour, you can do that too.

It’s also designed as GPS-aware audio. That means your phone’s location permission matters. If you keep location services off, the “on location” story timing can get out of sync. So before you start, turn on location permissions and give the app what it needs.

Johnson Square to Chippewa Square: The Route in Plain English

Your tour starts at Johnson Square (Savannah, GA 31401) and ends at Chippewa Square (also Savannah, GA 31401). The route is built around the city’s famous square system, so you’re not wandering in the dark or guessing how the neighborhoods connect.

Most visitors like a walk like this for one reason: squares are the natural landmarks in Savannah. Instead of trying to interpret streets, you’re aiming for something distinct, each time. And because your end point is Chippewa Square, you’ll finish at a spot many people recognize right away, thanks to its movie tie-in.

If you want the route’s best flow, plan to stay near the center of the historic district and keep your phone charged. You’ll be doing your best listening with your full attention, and you’ll want enough battery for a full pass plus any pause-and-look detours.

Reynolds Square: Olde Pink House and Malaria Memories

The first stop is Reynolds Square, where the audio covers stories connected to the Olde Pink House and the victims who died of malaria in the square area. This is where the tour starts to feel like more than a scenic stroll. The subject matter can be a bit heavy, and the mood can come off spooky if you’re already primed for ghosts and old-world tragedy.

If you like history that’s specific—names, places, and events tied to an exact coordinate—Reynolds Square will feel like a strong opener. It gives the tour its tone: this is Savannah, but you’re learning why it became Savannah.

A practical note: since the stop is short, you’ll get the high points. If you want more, don’t force it during the walk. Just let the audio give you the foundation, then decide later if you want to go deeper on your own.

Lucas Theatre Moment: A Quick Culture Stop

Next, the route includes a brief stop by the Lucas Theatre, where you hear a snapshot of its history. This isn’t a long pause, and you’re not going inside as part of the experience. It’s more like a signpost: you learn enough to know what you’re looking at, then you move on.

This kind of short stop is good when your main goal is to cover multiple squares efficiently. It’s also good if you’re saving energy for the later locations that include more story time.

If you’re the type who likes to linger at theaters, you might wish this moment had a longer stretch. You can always slow down on your own after the audio finishes.

Owens-Thomas House and Slave Quarters: Outside Story, Real Option to Visit

You’ll stop outside the Owens-Thomas House, and the narration includes the story of the house and the slave quarters. The important practical detail: you’re hearing this from the sidewalk. The house is also a museum, but museum admission is not included in the tour.

The nice part is that the tour gives you a choice. If you want to step inside and see more, you can pause the audio, visit, and then press play again when you’re ready to continue. That flexibility helps because this topic deserves more than a quick glance if it’s personally meaningful to you.

If you want my advice, it’s this: don’t try to “catch up” while your brain is absorbing difficult history. If the narration hits hard, pause and take a moment. You’ll get more out of the rest of the route when you’re ready.

Davenport House Museum and Columbia Square Fountain: Two Stops, One Flow

Another outside stop is at the Davenport House Museum. The narration shares the story, but again, you won’t automatically get entry as part of the tour.

Right after that, the route heads into Columbia Square and points out an old historic fountain. This is one of those moments that balances the heavier topics with something you can see right away. Even if you don’t stop for long, the fountain works like a mental reset: you shift from story to scene.

If you enjoy photographing details, keep your camera ready here. It’s the kind of square feature that rewards looking up and around.

Wrights Square: Tomochichi, the Chief, and the Middle-of-Square Statue

At Wrights Square, you’ll hear about Tomochichi, the chief who helped establish the city of Savannah. You’ll also learn about his grave and the statue that sits in the middle of the square.

This stop is one of the stronger “anchor” moments because it connects the physical square to a named person tied to the city’s origin story. It also helps explain why Savannah’s squares aren’t just decorative—they’re political and cultural markers.

The tour time at each square is short, so if you want to really study the statue or read more closely, pause and spend extra minutes. Wrights Square is the kind of place where it’s easy to slow down naturally.

Wrights Square Vintage & Retro Mall: Georgia Film Stories and Photo Breaks

The next stop is by a Wrights Square Vintage & Retro Mall, where you get stories related to the movie industry in Georgia. The audio highlights that Georgia is a major filming location, and it points out that many movies you know were filmed here.

This is a fun tonal shift. After earlier history-driven stops, this one brings the city into modern pop culture. It’s also practical: if you want to duck into a shop, this is your moment. The tour encourages you to pause and check out what’s inside, then resume when you’re done browsing.

If you’re visiting with someone who loves movies, this stop usually lands well. Even solo, it’s a nice way to connect Savannah’s past to what you’ll be seeing on screen later.

Telfair Academy Entrance: Old Art Museum Signals

You’ll move to Telfair Square and stop at the entrance of the Telfair Museum, described as the oldest art museum in the South. The narration covers how it was established and mentions the five statues sitting out front.

Even if you don’t go inside, stopping at the entrance works because the museum’s exterior does a lot of talking for you. The statues give you something concrete to focus on while the audio fills in context.

Admission to the museum is not included, so if you’re tempted to step in, pause the audio and decide on the spot. This is one of those choices where a solo format is a win—you control whether you want the museum moment.

Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace: A Founder’s Trail

The tour ends with a stop at the outside of the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace Museum, the founder of the Girl Scouts. This is another “outside story” stop, so you’re hearing context from the street rather than entering.

In my view, this is a fitting chapter for a tour of squares. It adds a personal, human-scale thread to the city’s story. You’re not only learning about architecture and power; you’re learning about leadership and community work too.

If you’re traveling with kids or you’re a history-and-people person, this stop often becomes a standout for how direct and memorable the subject is.

The Best Part: Ending at Chippewa Square and the Forest Gump Bench

The tour finishes at Chippewa Square, a place tied to Forest Gump. The experience specifically includes a pointer to where the film was shot, so you’re not just arriving at a pretty square—you’re arriving with a storyline.

This finish matters because it gives you a payoff you can recognize visually right away. Squares like Chippewa also feel like they were built for lingering, so finishing here makes it easy to keep walking after the tour ends, whether you’re aiming for more photos or just hunting for a bench-level moment again.

Price and Value: $9.75 for a Full Square Circuit

At $9.75 per person, this tour is priced like a low-cost way to add depth to your day. You’re not paying for museum admissions or a live guide’s time, so you should treat it as a guided walk you can steer, not a ticket into every building on the route.

In value terms, you get:

• a structured path through multiple major squares
• history and cultural context tied to what you’re seeing
• the option to pause for independent museum visits
• a virtual walk you can take after the in-person outing

For many visitors, the virtual replay is what makes the price feel even better. You can revisit the route later without re-buying anything, which is helpful if you missed a detail or you’re planning a return trip.

Timing on Foot: 55 Minutes to 1 Hour 15

Expect the full walk to take about 55 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes. That range is helpful because it matches how people actually move through historic districts: quick walkers in the lower end, photo-and-pause types in the upper end.

A smart way to do it is to decide your pace before you start. If you’re only in town for a short visit, take it straight through, then add museum time afterward. If you have more time, pause at locations you care about and treat the rest as background until you reach the next square.

This is one of those tours where speed can be a choice, not a requirement.

Tech Reality Check: GPS, Directions, and the Audio Style

Because this is audio on a phone, small tech details can affect your mood. The most important one is location permission. If you don’t allow it, the audio may not trigger correctly at the right spots, and you’ll feel like you’re doing extra work for no reason.

There’s also a human factor: the narration style isn’t everyone’s favorite. Some people say the humor lands oddly, and that certain direction wording can be confusing—especially phrases like facing. If you run into that, don’t fight it. Pause, reposition yourself, and re-start the segment once you’re sure where you are.

One more thing: the environment in central Savannah can include sounds from street life. If you know you’re sensitive to background noise, use your phone’s audio volume carefully and step close to where the story is tied to the square feature.

What’s Included vs. What You’ll Need to Pay Separately

This tour is built as a “stand outside and learn” route. That means:

• No food is included
• No museum entrance is included
• you’re mostly listening at entrances, sidewalks, and square focal points

The trade-off is flexibility. If you want to visit the Owens-Thomas House museum, the Telfair museum, or the Juliette Gordon Low site, you can pause and go in. But you control timing and budget.

If you’re someone who prefers not to add extra ticket purchases mid-walk, you’ll still get value from the outside narration alone.

Who This Solo Old Squares Walk Is Best For

I think this tour is a strong match if you:

• want an easy way to get your bearings in Savannah
• like walking between landmarks instead of relying on a vehicle
• enjoy history tied to specific places, not just general facts
• want to go at your own pace, including pausing for shop stops or museum visits
• like pop-culture tie-ins, especially Forest Gump

It’s less ideal if you strongly prefer a live guide, because there’s no real-time Q&A. It also might frustrate you if you hate app-based navigation or you’re short on phone battery.

Should You Book This Old Squares of Savannah Tour?

Yes, I’d book it if your goal is a low-cost, structured introduction to Savannah’s squares with story guidance you can pause and replay. At $9.75, it’s a practical way to turn a pretty walk into a smarter one—especially because it ends at Chippewa Square with the Forest Gump connection.

Skip it (or go in with eyes open) if you know you struggle with app directions or you dislike audio narration that may not match your humor preferences. In that case, plan to rely on the square landmarks visually and pause as needed.

If you’re heading to Savannah for the first time, this is the kind of add-on that makes the whole city feel easier to understand.

FAQ

How long is the Old Squares of Savannah solo walking tour?

The tour runs about 55 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes, depending on how often you pause.

Where does the tour start and end?

It starts at Johnson Square and ends at Chippewa Square.

Is this tour fully self-guided?

Yes. It’s a smartphone guided experience where you listen and follow along on your own.

Do I get tickets to museums during the tour?

No. Museum admissions and food are not included. You can pause the tour if you want to visit sites like the Owens-Thomas House and Slave Quarters or the Telfair area.

What language is the tour available in?

The tour is offered in English.

Do I need to allow location permission on my phone?

You should. The experience is designed to be GPS-aware, so location permission helps the audio guide you properly.

Can I cancel if my plans change?

Yes. You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund. If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience, the amount paid is not refunded.