Savannah’s squares tell stories, one block at a time. This self-guided smartphone tour is easy to start on your schedule and still covers a lot of ground in under an hour. I like that it keeps you moving square to square with history-led stops you can pause at will. The one drawback: the audio directions and humor style may not fit everyone’s taste, so you’ll want to stay alert to cues.

You’ll walk from Johnson Square to Chippewa Square, with most people finishing in 55 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes. It’s priced at $9.75 per person, and while it’s not a museum ticket package, you do get a guided route plus a virtual walk you can revisit later. Since it’s private for your group, you won’t be sharing audio with strangers.

One more practical note: this is available in English, and the tour is delivered through a phone app. The experience is designed to use your location, so plan to allow location permission before you begin—otherwise the timing can get weird.

Key things I think you’ll care about

• Start anytime you like: download first, then go at your own pace with stop-and-start control
• A tight square route: Johnson Square to Chippewa Square in about an hour
• Story stops you can tailor: you can pause for optional museum time at places like Owens-Thomas
• Movies as a thread: Georgia film connections show up along the way
• Forest Gump connection at the end: Chippewa Square is tied to the famous bench
• Phone setup matters: location permission helps the audio match where you are

How the WalknTours solo audio tour really works

This is a smartphone-guided, self-guided walking tour called Old Squares of Savannah. You don’t meet a person at a podium. Instead, you download the tour and play it as you walk, with each segment tied to a specific spot.

That sounds simple because it is—yet the payoff is real. You can take the route in one continuous run, or you can pause at a bench, step inside a museum you care about, or slow down when a square view catches your eye. I also like that the tour isn’t just for the walk itself. There’s a virtual walk available after, so you can refresh your memory if you’re the type who likes to remember names and dates later.

This experience is marked as private for your group, which matters even with solo audio. It means you’re not stuck behind a big crowd or waiting for other people to finish a photo moment.

And since the story is location-aware, you should do one setup step before you step off: turn on location permission. If you don’t, the tour may struggle to trigger the next narration when you reach the right spot.

Price and value: $9.75 for squares, stories, and a film stop

At $9.75 per person for about an hour to walk, this is aimed at visitors who want an organized route without paying for museum entry. That’s the key tradeoff: there are no included admission tickets in the overall price.

Still, the value is in what is included:

• Guided narration through the squares (history, founding, natives, and culture are part of the tour content)
• A walk that connects multiple named locations, not just one “see and go” square
• A specific pop-culture stop: you’ll see where Forest Gump was filmed
• The ability to stop, start, and pause—so you can control time at the places that interest you most

If you’re planning to do paid museum visits anyway, this tour can act like a smart pre-game or follow-up. If you’re not visiting museums, that’s fine too. You’ll still get the square route and the stories tied to each stop, including the more somber ones.

Reynolds Square: Olde Pink House stories and malaria remembrance

Your first major stop is Reynolds Square. Here, the narration focuses on the Olde Pink House and also brings in the story of victims who died of malaria in the square. The tone is described as a mix of historical and a bit spooky, which I think is the right way to frame it. Savannah’s squares can feel picturesque, but the past is not always gentle.

A small but useful extra: there’s also a brief moment to hear about the Lucas theater as you move through the area. This is the kind of short segment that keeps you from feeling like you’re just walking in a straight line. You’re getting a few “what to notice here” cues as you go.

Practical tip: when the audio gets more emotional or heavy, your pace will slow down naturally. Don’t fight it. If you rush through this stop, you’ll miss the contrast the tour is trying to make between the beauty of a square and the darker context behind it.

Quick Lucas Theater moment: don’t rush the transitions

The Lucas theater stop is short, but it’s exactly the type of stop that can get lost if you’re speed-walking. The audio is brief here, so stay attentive for the name cue and don’t stride ahead assuming you already heard it.

This is also where phone behavior can affect your experience. If your volume is low, or you’re distracted by traffic, you might miss the Lucas segment entirely. I recommend keeping your phone volume at a level you can hear over street noise before you start walking.

When the tour is working well, these little “bonus” segments are what make the walk feel connected instead of mechanical.

Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters: pause for museum time if you want

Next up is Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters. The tour’s segment is outside-focused: you hear the story of the house and the slave quarters. The narration also flags an important option—the house is a museum you can visit, but it’s not included in the tour.

This is one of the best parts of a self-guided route: you get the storyline right where it matters, then you decide whether you want to keep moving or spend time inside. The tour even gives you a clear instruction style for this—if you’re curious, you can pause the audio, go in, and press play again when you’re ready.

What to consider: because the museum entry isn’t included, you’ll need to plan for time. If your schedule is tight, treat this as a “story stop first, visit later” moment. If you do want the full experience, build in extra minutes so you’re not trying to rush through a place that deserves your attention.

Davenport House Museum and Columbia Square’s historic fountain

You’ll stop outside the Davenport House Museum and hear its story. Like Owens-Thomas, this part is positioned for learning on the sidewalk, not as an included ticketed visit.

From there, the route heads into Columbia Square and includes a look at an old historic fountain. This is where the tour shifts from single-site storytelling to a slightly broader sense of space—how squares connect and how your walk naturally strings them together.

If you’re the type who likes photos, this is a solid section to slow down. You’re likely to want one or two moments to frame the fountain and take in the surrounding view before the next narration starts.

Wright Square: Tomochichi, his grave, and the statue in the middle

At Wright Square, the tour centers on Tomochichi, described as a chief who helped establish the city of Savannah. You also learn about his grave and the statue located in the middle of the square.

This stop is longer than the quick pop-ins earlier, and it’s marked as having admission included at least for this specific square segment. Even if you don’t plan to enter anything, the narration here gives you a reason to look at the center of the square instead of just treating it like a place to pass through.

I like this stop because it anchors the story with a real person tied to the city’s beginnings. It helps the rest of the route feel less like a checklist and more like a progression.

Wright Square Antique and the Georgia film industry connection

Another themed stop is Wright Square Vintage & Retro Mall (an antique and retro shop area). The narration connects this square stop to the movie industry in Georgia and emphasizes how widely Georgia filming shows up in productions you may recognize.

This segment is short, and it’s meant to be flexible. If a shop catches your eye, you can pause the tour and step inside. If not, you can treat it like a quick history-and-pop-culture beat and move on.

One note on expectations: this isn’t a cinema-themed museum visit. It’s a location cue—use it to notice that Savannah is part of a bigger screen-world, then keep walking.

Telfair Academy and the Telfair Museum entrance: the statues matter

The tour next goes to Telfair Square with a stop at the entrance of the Telfair Museum. The story here focuses on the museum’s origins—specifically that it’s the oldest art museum in the South—plus the five statues that sit out front.

Even if you’re not an art-museum person, this is still a valuable stop because it changes your viewpoint. Instead of thinking only about squares as open space, you’re seeing how public buildings and art institutions sit right at the edge of that same city fabric.

The tour doesn’t include museum entry for this part, so you’ll need to decide if you want to go inside on your own time. If you do, bring patience—you’ll be adding time beyond the core walking rhythm.

Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace Museum: Girl Scouts origin at the exterior

At Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace Museum, you stop by the outside of the birthplace. The narration ties Juliette Gordon Low to her role as the Founder of the Girl Scouts.

This segment is brief and exterior-focused, and that’s fine because the goal here is to give you context while you’re still in the walking flow. It’s also a nice change of pace after heavier historical themes. You get a recognizable figure and a clear, modern connection.

If you want more time here, you’ll need to plan on your own since admission isn’t included. But even without extra entry, the location cue helps you remember who she was and why the name is so important.

Chippewa Square finish: the Forest Gump bench moment

The tour ends at Chippewa Square, which the experience ties to a Forest Gump filming location. If the bench scene is part of your Savannah mental image, this is where you’ll match it to the real square.

It’s also one of the most visual places on the route. By the time you reach Chippewa, you’ve already learned how the squares connect through multiple stories—so the final pop-culture reference doesn’t feel random. It feels like one more layer of Savannah’s identity.

Chippewa Square is marked as open all day, and that matters because it means you can finish without stressing about the clock for a basic outdoor stop.

Practical approach: plan to spend 5 to 10 minutes at the end even if the tour audio finishes sooner. Sit, take your photo, and let the walk’s story thread land.

Small issues to plan for: narration style, directions, and setup

A self-guided tour is only as good as your setup and your preferences. Here’s what I’d watch for based on real-world friction points.

1) Audio humor and tone may not fit you.

The narration includes jokes, and some listeners won’t love the style. If you prefer straight history, keep your expectations flexible. Turn the volume up enough to catch names and key facts even if the humor doesn’t land.

2) Follow directions carefully, especially around orientation words.

Some people find the direction language like facing and quick turns harder to follow. My practical fix: slow down at transitions. If you’re not sure you’re at the right spot, check your phone screen and compare your surroundings before you move on.

3) Keep a map on your phone as backup.

If you’re not seeing a map cue clearly in the app, use a standard map view so you always know where you are between squares. Savannah’s squares are close enough that you can correct course fast.

4) Expect city sounds.

Street noise can compete with narration. If you hear trains tooting or other sound, it can be distracting. If that matters to you, pick a quieter time of day for your walk.

5) If the audio starts jumping ahead, pause and reset.

Sometimes segments can feel like they shift too quickly. If you notice it, stop moving for a moment and let the audio catch up, then continue at a calmer pace.

Who this tour suits best (and who should skip it)

This tour fits you if:

• You want a structured walking route without paying for an in-person guide
• You like reading the city through named stops and stories tied to each square
• You enjoy a mix of history and pop culture, including Forest Gump and Georgia film connections
• You want control: pause for photos or consider optional museum visits

You might want to choose something else if:

• You’re sensitive to narration humor or you hate any kind of audio trying to be funny
• You prefer guaranteed turn-by-turn clarity with minimal phone fiddling
• You don’t want to manage app behavior (location permission and phone volume matter here)

This works especially well for solo travelers who like walking at their own speed and for couples who don’t mind splitting time (one person listening, the other chatting or taking photos).

Should you book Old Squares of Savannah?

I’d book it if you want a low-cost, story-first way to see Savannah’s squares in about an hour, with enough structure that you don’t feel lost. At $9.75, it’s a smart value when you treat it as a walking companion rather than a museum replacement.

I’d think twice if you know you hate app-based GPS triggering or you’re very picky about narration style and directions. In that case, look for an alternative that comes with a human guide or more straightforward wayfinding.

If you do book: give yourself a small buffer at the start of the walk to get the phone working right. Turn on location permission. Then enjoy the route—especially Wright Square and the film-and-squares payoff at the end.

FAQ

Where does the Old Squares of Savannah solo walking tour start and end?

It starts at Johnson Square, Savannah, GA 31401 and ends at Chippewa Square, Savannah, GA 31401.

How long does the tour take?

The duration is approximately 55 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes.

Is the tour offered in English?

Yes, it’s offered in English.

Does the price include museum tickets or entrances?

No. Entrance tickets to museums are not included, though the tour may include some stops where admission is noted as free.

Can I pause the tour to visit the Owens-Thomas House museum?

Yes. The tour includes an instruction that you can pause and visit the Owens-Thomas House, since it’s not included in the tour admission.

Is there a version I can do after the walk?

Yes. The experience includes a virtual walk you can take after you do the in-person route.

Do I need location permission on my phone?

To have a GPS location aware experience, you need to allow location permission so the tour can trigger the story on location.

What cancellation options are available?

You can cancel for a full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours in advance.