Vacation Rentals in Savannah’s Historic District
Walkable to Forsyth Park, River Street, and 22 squares. Permitted, professionally managed, and operated by a Savannah-based team that owns rentals here too.
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Where the Historic District actually is
Savannah’s Historic District is the National Landmark area bordered by River Street to the north, Gwinnett Street to the south, East Broad Street to the east, and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to the west. It contains 22 of the original 24 squares, the riverfront, Forsyth Park’s northern half, and most of Savannah’s best-known restaurants, bars, museums, and B&Bs. Locals split it into two zones. The North Historic District runs from River Street down to Liberty Street — louder, more touristed, walking distance to City Market, Broughton Street, and Plant Riverside. The South Historic District runs from Liberty down to Gwinnett — quieter, more residential, the Jones Street and Forsyth Park stretch most travelers picture when they say “Savannah.” If you want walking-distance access to bars, ghost tours, and live music, stay north. If you want shaded squares, slower mornings, and the porch-with-a-bourbon experience, stay south. Both are inside the same overlay district where short-term rentals are permitted by the City of Savannah.
Featured Historic District rentals
A sample of what we manage in the district. Full availability and dates on the booking site.
Jones Street Carriage House
Restored 1887 carriage house, private courtyard
From $245/night
View dates and rates →Forsyth Park Garden Suite
Garden-level entry, one block from the fountain
From $310/night
View dates and rates →Broughton Street Flat
Top-floor unit, rooftop access, walkable to everything
From $185/night
View dates and rates →What’s walkable from a Historic District rental
Distances measured from a central point near Wright Square. Your walk varies by exact address — ask us for property-specific distances when you book.
Restaurants and bars (within 10 minutes on foot)
- The Grey (Bay Street) — modernist Southern, often booked weeks out
- Husk Savannah (Bay Street) — open-fire Southern
- The Olde Pink House (Reynolds Square) — old-school Savannah
- Vic’s on the River — riverfront, Sunday brunch
- Treylor Park (Bay Street) — casual, biscuits and beer
- Six Pence Pub (Bull Street) — British pub, lunch staple
- Artillery (Bull Street) — high-design cocktail bar
- Alley Cat Lounge — speakeasy
Coffee and breakfast (within 5 minutes)
- The Coffee Fox (Broughton Street)
- Foxy Loxy (Bull Street, near Forsyth)
- Collins Quarter (Bull Street)
- Goose Feathers Café (Barnard Street)
Things to do (within 15 minutes on foot)
- Forsyth Park and the iconic fountain
- Mercer-Williams House (Monterey Square)
- Cathedral of St. John the Baptist (Lafayette Square)
- Telfair Museums (Telfair Square)
- City Market (Ellis Square)
- River Street + Plant Riverside
- SCAD Museum of Art (MLK Boulevard)
- Owens-Thomas House (Oglethorpe Square)
- American Prohibition Museum (City Market)
Squares worth a detour
- Chippewa Square (the Forrest Gump bench)
- Monterey Square (most photographed)
- Madison Square (under live oaks)
- Lafayette Square (cathedral views)
- Wright Square (central, busy)
Picking the right block within the Historic District
“Historic District” covers about 2.5 square miles. Where exactly you stay inside it changes the trip a lot. Three honest tradeoffs to think about:
If you want to walk to River Street and live music
Stay north of Liberty Street, ideally between Bay and Broughton. Trade-off: more foot traffic, more delivery trucks at 6am, more bachelorette parties on weekends.If you want a quiet residential feel
Stay south of Liberty, ideally near Madison Square, Monterey Square, or Forsyth Park. Trade-off: 10–15 minutes’ walk to the riverfront, fewer bars within stumbling distance.If you want the “magazine” Savannah
Look for properties on or near Jones Street, Bull Street between Madison and Monterey, or facing Forsyth Park. Trade-off: these blocks command the highest nightly rates in the city.If you have mobility considerations
Several Historic District blocks have brick or cobblestone sidewalks that can be uneven. Ask us before booking — we know which of our properties are on smooth sidewalks, ground floor, or have step-free entries.Permits, parking, and the rules nobody warns you about
Savannah caps short-term rental permits inside the Historic District. The city divided the area into wards, and only a fixed number of STR permits are issued per ward — when one expires without renewal, a new permit can be issued, and that’s it. New permits are not freely available. What this means for guests: every Sid Was Here rental in the Historic District operates under a valid Short-Term Vacation Rental (STVR) permit issued by the City of Savannah. The permit number is posted inside each property and listed in our city records. You will not arrive to find the property shut down by code enforcement. We do not list rentals we cannot operate legally. City of Savannah STVR ordinance → What this means for owners considering us: if you own a Historic District property without an active STVR permit, we will tell you straight whether one is realistically obtainable for your address before signing anything. Most of the time, the honest answer is “not without waiting for someone else’s permit to lapse.” Parking: Most Historic District rentals do not include dedicated parking. The city’s lots and garages (State Street, Whitaker Street, Bryan Street, and the Liberty Street garage) are the practical option for most stays. Some of our properties include reserved spots — we list parking specifics on every listing, and we’ll tell you before you book if a property has limited or no parking. Quiet hours and occupancy: Savannah’s STVR ordinance enforces noise limits and maximum occupancy. We tell you the legal maximum on every listing. We do not negotiate. This is the part of operating a permitted rental that keeps the permit.
Frequently asked questions
Can you legally rent a vacation home in Savannah’s Historic District?
Yes — within the city’s STR overlay district, which includes the Historic District, Victorian District, and parts of Mid-City. Properties must hold a valid Short-Term Vacation Rental (STVR) permit issued by the City of Savannah. The city limits the number of permits issued per ward, so legal inventory is finite. Every Sid Was Here rental in the Historic District is permit-compliant.
Where in the Historic District should I stay?
If you want walking access to River Street, City Market, and bars, stay north of Liberty Street. If you want quiet residential charm, oak-shaded streets, and a slower pace, stay south of Liberty near Madison Square, Monterey Square, or Forsyth Park. Both areas are inside the legal STR overlay zone.
Is the Historic District walkable?
Yes — the Historic District is roughly 2.5 square miles laid out on a flat grid with 22 squares acting as natural rest stops. From most rentals, you can walk to dozens of restaurants, bars, museums, and the riverfront in under 15 minutes. Sidewalks include some uneven brick and cobblestone, so factor in mobility considerations when picking a block.
Do Historic District rentals come with parking?
Some do, most do not. Most Historic District properties were built before cars existed, so dedicated off-street parking is rare and valuable. City lots and parking garages (State Street, Whitaker Street, Bryan Street, Liberty Street) handle most stays. We list parking specifics on every listing and will tell you before booking if parking is limited.
What’s the difference between the Historic District and the Victorian District?
The Historic District is the original 1733 city grid with 22 squares, bounded roughly by River Street, Gwinnett Street, East Broad, and MLK Jr. Boulevard. The Victorian District sits directly south of Forsyth Park — Savannah’s first suburb, built mostly between 1870 and 1910, characterized by gingerbread Victorian homes on tree-lined streets. Both allow permitted short-term rentals. The Historic District is closer to River Street and the squares; the Victorian District is quieter, more residential, and often a better value per square foot.
How far is Tybee Island from a Historic District rental?
About 18 miles east — roughly 25 to 35 minutes by car depending on the season. Tybee is a real beach day trip from the Historic District, not a walk. If you want both downtown and beach access in the same trip, plan to drive or rideshare.
Are pets allowed in Sid Was Here Historic District rentals?
Some properties are pet-friendly; others are not. Filter for pet-friendly when browsing inventory, or contact us and we’ll send you the current pet-friendly Historic District properties with the pet fee structure for each.
How early should I book a Historic District rental?
For St. Patrick’s Day weekend (the largest Savannah event of the year), 9–12 months ahead. For Savannah Music Festival, SCAD graduation, peak fall (October–November), and Christmas, 4–6 months ahead. For shoulder seasons (January, February, late summer), 4–8 weeks ahead is usually fine.
Why book a Historic District rental through Sid Was Here
Local operator, not a national platform
We live and work in Savannah. Our team is on the ground in the Historic District daily — for cleans, repairs, guest issues, and the occasional after-hours noise call. Our founder, Julie Gates, is a licensed Georgia broker who owns rentals in the district herself. National platforms route guest issues through call centers in different time zones. We don’t.Permit-compliant inventory only
Every Historic District property we list holds a valid STVR permit. We don’t book guests into properties operating in violation of city ordinance — that’s how guests end up with last-minute cancellations and how owners end up with fines. Compliance is non-negotiable.Independent reviews, not curated ones
Sid Was Here properties have earned 2,292+ verified Airbnb reviews. We don’t publish a sanitized testimonial wall. Read the reviews directly on the platform where they were left.Own a Historic District property?
If you own a permitted Historic District rental and you’re tired of self-managing — or you’re paying a national platform 30% to under-deliver — we should talk. We manage 100+ Savannah properties, we know the permit landscape, and we’ll show you exactly what we’d project for your address before you sign anything. Get a management proposal →Explore other Savannah neighborhoods
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