Pedal Through Savannah's Historic District Square by Square
Your guide pedals ahead and pulls over for the history, the photos and tips on where to eat after.
Two hours on a pedal cruiser take you through Savannah's historic district with a guide, starting and ending at the operator's shop on East Broughton Street. The ride makes eight stops, opening at the fountain in Forsyth Park and closing on River Street, with City Market, Johnson Square, the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, the Andrew Low House, Monterey Square and the SCAD Museum of Art in between. The stops take up 81 of the 120 minutes, and the riding fits into the gaps.
The loop covers three to four miles of flat streets, by the operator's count. Every bike has a front basket for a bag or a camera, and each rider gets a bottle of water.
The booking covers the guide, the bike, a helmet and bottled water, and confirmation is instant. Riders aged 5 to 11 book as youths, and every booking needs an adult.
2-Hour Explore Savannah Bike TourGuided two-hour bike tour of Savannah's historic district with eight stops. Bike, helmet and water included. Meets at 502 E Broughton St.www.viator.comThe Squares Set the Route
Guides keep to the streets that pass through squares, where traffic slows on its own, the operator says. Hurried drivers stick to the through streets, by the same account, and the bikes share the square-lined blocks with horses, pedicabs and people on foot. Most rides take in at least nine squares.
The squares go back to the town plan General James Oglethorpe laid out in 1733. Johnson Square was the first of them, laid out by Oglethorpe and Colonel William Bull, and the twelve-minute stop there covers what the plan was and how it still works as a model of urban design. Savannah had 24 squares, and 22 survive.
City Market is the stop for planning the rest of the day. Guides double as what the operator calls a rolling concierge, handing out ideas for dinner and drinks along the way.
A Cathedral, a Carriage House and "Midnight"
The cathedral stop covers how Savannah's Irish made it big. The parish itself was started in the late 1700s by Haitian and French immigrants, and the present French Gothic Cathedral of St. John the Baptist was dedicated in 1876. A fire in February 1898 left only its outer walls and two spires, and the rebuilt cathedral was dedicated in 1900.
The Andrew Low House, on Lafayette Square, was Juliette Gordon Low's home. She formed the first troop of what became the Girl Scouts in Savannah in March 1912 and gave the girls the carriage house out back as their headquarters.
The Monterey Square stop is about Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, and filming for the 1997 movie began on that square. The book is built loosely around the May 1981 shooting of Danny Hansford by antiques dealer Jim Williams, who had restored the Mercer House as his home. The house was designed for General Hugh W. Mercer, great-grandfather of songwriter Johnny Mercer, but the Civil War stalled construction, he sold it unfinished, and no Mercer ever lived there.
Going inside the Andrew Low House or the SCAD Museum of Art is not part of the booking.
Trikes, Tall Bikes and Kid Carriers
The cruisers have one gear, back-pedal brakes and wide seats. Riders who can't balance on two wheels can take a trike, and children too small to ride go in a two-seat carrier towed behind an adult's bike. One group in March 2025 found a single trike ready at the shop and waited while a second was arranged. Ask for trikes when you book.
The shop also keeps tall bikes, step-through frames for stiff knees, and kids' bikes with 18-, 20- and 24-inch wheels, with training wheels on request. Helmets are required for kids and optional from age 16. Per the booking page, small children can ride in a pram or stroller and infant seats are available; the gear the operator describes is the towed carrier.
The oldest rider to finish so far was 94, by the operator's count. Small pets can come along if they ride quietly in the front basket or in a carrier you bring.
Rain, Heat and the 24-Hour Line
Rides go out rain or shine, and a full refund needs at least 24 hours' notice. The shop hands out free ponchos to anyone who wants one.
Heat is the other weather to plan for. One July 2025 rider took the 9:00 AM departure and "missed the worst of the heat." Water comes with the bike, the operator suggests bringing extra on hot days, and sunscreen and bug spray are on hand at the shop.
Plan on two hours, though traffic and weather can stretch a ride a little longer, per the operator. Alcohol is off limits on the ride and just before it. The shop closes on St. Patrick's Day, when the parade takes over the city.
📍 Meet at the operator's shop, 502 E Broughton St, on the northeast corner of Broughton and Price Streets, 10 to 15 minutes before your start time. There is a restroom at the shop for before or after the ride.
When checked in October 2026, the booking calendar sold three departures a day, at 9:00 AM, 12:30 PM and 3:00 PM, and closed sales an hour before each one. Per the booking page, public transport runs nearby; drivers can use the metered street parking in front of the shop.
The ride ends where it began, with most of the historic district behind you and the guide's dinner ideas in hand.