Savannah by the Fire: An Autumn Stay Near Forsyth Park
Autumn is when Savannah's residential squares come into their own, and The Gastonian sits at the edge of them. The house is two mansions built in 1868 at 220 East Gaston Street, joined by a walkway over a garden, on the north edge of Forsyth Park. The fountain is about five minutes' walk from the front door. Everything else about the season is slower than that.
The Morning
Breakfast runs from 7:30 to 10, cooked to order with a daily chef's special, and on a cool October or November morning the garden between the two houses is the place to take a second coffee afterward. From there the park is the obvious walk: the fountain, the live oaks, and the long lawn that fills with the neighborhood on a weekend morning.
The Afternoon
Gaston Street and the squares south of the Historic District are the quiet side of Savannah, more residential and more architectural than the riverfront, and best covered on foot without a plan. Bull Street runs north from the park through a chain of squares all the way to the river, which is as good a route as any when the afternoon is cool enough to walk it.
The Evening
Wine and hors d'oeuvres are served from 5 to 6:30, and desserts, coffee and cordials from 8 to 10. In between, the rooms are the point of the house: fireplaces, claw-foot tubs, and period detail across 17 individually named rooms in two restored mansions. The Gastonian was on the Conde Nast Traveler Gold List in 2023, and it is the fireside hours that earn it.
If you have come to Savannah for ghosts, a gentle warning: our own haunting page calls this the least rumored haunted hotel in the collection. The city's haunts are all within walking distance. The house itself is for coming back to.
Before You Book
The Gastonian is adults only, with no pets. If you are traveling with children or a dog, our sister inn East Bay Inn is the one of the four Historic Inns of Savannah that welcomes both.
