Occupying 30 acres between Drayton and Whitaker Street, Forsyth is Savannah’s answer to NYC’s Central Park. It’s not as massive as its counterpart, but blends more seamlessly into the city, and has long been a part of its history.
Forsyth Park was built in the 1840s and christened in honor of John Forsyth, a former statesman and Georgian governor. The park’s massive fountain, crowned with a female figure and flanked by spitting geese, was inspired by the fountain in Paris’ Plaza de la Concorde. With water shooting haphazardly in all directions, it’s one of the most recognizable landmarks of Savannah, appearing in films like 1962’s Cape Fear and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
Three monuments in Forsyth Park commemorate Savannah’s contribution to American wars. To the north, there’s one for the Vietnam War. An impressively large memorial to the Civil War’s Confederate dead is in the park’s center, with the biblical inscription: “Come from the four winds, o’ breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.” (It’s a touching line, but one which reveals disturbing pro-zombie tendencies; The Walking Dead is filmed in Georgia, isn’t it?). And at the southern end is an interesting tribute to the Spanish-American war, in which the US helped liberate Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippines and Guam from Spanish influence.
Though the northern third of the park is shaded and tree-filled, the rest is wide open, with flat lawns that host weekend picnics and pick-up sports. There’s a café, a visitors center and an open-air stage for summer concerts, as well as something I’d never heard of before: a Fragrant Garden for the Blind. The gate was locked, but I stuck my nose through the bars and took a long whiff. It smelled of trash and roses.
During our first few days in Savannah, we had already crossed through Forsyth Park multiple times. Practically an extended pedestrian-only section of Bull Street, it’s as much a thoroughfare as a destination, and I had a feeling we’d be getting to know the park intimately.
From our Savannah Travel Blog.
Lawd Ha' Moicy! When was yoo deya?
You tokin' bout my neck O' da woods now.
I grew up in Claxton Ga, just 60 miles west of Savannah, spent a fair amount of time traipsing through Forsyth park.
Love that city. "The Beautiful Lady with a Dirty Face" it was called by some yankee in the early 20th century, but that phrase caused a revival movement and many of the city's oldest landmark structures which had been slated for demolition were saved and restored.
Unfortunately, whatever was there before that parking garage was constructed wasn't saved.
City market and River St are great spots to visit, Lafayette Square is another, not to mention the many antebellum homes on the various squares and side streets.
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"The Beautiful Lady with a Dirty Face" - we heard that term many times and we think it's a perfect description of Savannah. We really loved our time there. It's a shame about the lost squares of Savannah but I'm glad that they're no preserving rather and destroying their history.
Stay tuned for many more Savannah posts coming up. Thank you so much for stopping by!
You didn't answer the question: When were you there? I saw the fountain all frozen, but I also saw photos from warmer times as well.
Just curious
Ah, sorry ... our initial For 91 Days was end of November 2010 on and we came back for 3 weeks in 2016 to update the blog. The frozen photos where from our first visit.
Love the fountain. Even though they always seem like a waste of water I think they are such a nice place to be close to. Just to enjoy the little water sprinkles in the air, relax with the sound of the splashing water and of course watch kids trying to climb into it 😅
And it cools you down in hot summer months! Thank you so much for stopping by!
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