River Street is a commercial street and promenade in Savannah, Georgia, United States. It runs along the southern edge of the Savannah River for 2 miles (3.2 km), from the merging of North and East Lathrop Avenues in the west to East Bay Street in the east. Its most well-known section runs from the Talmadge Memorial Bridge, then below City Hall and Yamacraw Bluff, to its eastern terminus. Large tankers and container ships proceeding to and returning from the Port of Savannah west of the city sometimes pass within yards of the promenade.
Due to its popularity and view, hotels on River Street tend to be more expensive than other locations in Savannah but offers easy access and charming view of the surroundings. We typically stay at the Hilton Homewood Suites on River Street that offers a set of rooms with surrounding of 3 sides of River Street encompassing the river, the city and historic buildings.
Today, East River Street consists largely of restaurants, cafés and craft shops, and is one of the city’s major tourist attractions. Its half-mile-long pedestrian promenade, the John P. Rousakis Riverfront Plaza, is named for Savannah’s longest-serving mayor (1970–1992).
There are no city bus stops on River Street. Old Town Trolley Tours has a stop (number 10 of 15) on River Street below Factors Walk. Old Savannah Tours has two stops on River Street: one close to Old Town’s stop and the other at the marketplace further east. Several riverboats are berthed beside River Street, including the Belles Ferry, the PS Georgia Queen and the PS Savannah River Queen.
At its downtown stretch, the street’s southern side is populated by terraces of former King Cotton warehouses, the industrial rear portions of the more fashionable Bay Street frontages. Factors Row, a bluffside row of red-brick buildings where cotton brokers bargained during the product’s heyday, helps preserve this industry in its name. Factors Walk is “built on the middle level of a sloping bluff with warehouses beneath and Bay Street above.” The warehouses were also used as holding cells for African slaves.
Take a virtual walk on River Street on the video below during a quiet January Evening in Savannah, Georgia, USA!
All Around The World 