What should I pack for Savannah?

River Street's surface is the thing nobody warns you about. The cobblestones aren't European pavers. They're rough-cut ballast stones from 18th-century cargo ships, with gaps wide enough to catch a heel or twist an ankle. The 9-block descent from Bay Street drops about 40 feet on steep brick ramps slick with morning dew. Forsyth Park, established in 1840, covers 30 acres, and the 22 downtown squares add up to 6-10 miles of walking on a typical sightseeing day. Pack hiking shoes or thick-soled sneakers for those distances. Sandals do not survive River Street.

Savannah sits at 32°N, the same latitude as Marrakech, and September humidity currently hovers around 90%. The air feels closer to 31°C than the actual 26°C reading. Three quick-dry shirts will serve you better than five cotton ones that stay clammy against your skin by noon. One light long-sleeve top is worth the suitcase space for the SCAD Museum of Art and the Telfair Museums, where AC runs cold enough to raise goosebumps within minutes. Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, founded in 1873, requires covered shoulders and knees for entry. A $5 cotton scarf in your daypack handles that without forcing long sleeves in 34°C heat. Afternoon thunderstorms roll through from May to October. They sometimes drop 2-3 inches of rain in 20 minutes. A packable rain shell weighing 6-8 ounces keeps the camera dry.

Mosquito repellent is cheaper in Savannah than at the airport. The squares' live oak canopy traps warm, still air after dusk, and the mosquitoes find you fast. Any CVS on Broughton Street sells OFF! Deep Woods for about $7, half the airport markup. Sunscreen at the same CVS runs $8-12. An umbrella is dead weight when Walgreens on Bull Street has them for $8 if an afternoon storm catches you. A 20-ounce reusable water bottle earns its weight in this heat. Forsyth Park's main fountain is decorative, not drinkable, but refill stations sit near the Visitor Center on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Worth noting, Savannah's tap water carries a faint sulfur taste from the Floridan Aquifer. Safe to drink, but a gallon of bottled water at Kroger on East Gwinnett Street runs about $1.50 if the mineral notes bother you.

Winter visitors from December through February need different gear. Temperatures drop to 4-12°C, and damp cold off the Savannah River cuts through a fleece faster than dry mountain cold at the same reading. A medium-weight waterproof jacket and one warm layer handle most days. March and April bring the best walking weather, 18-25°C, but also peak pollen season. Savannah's live oaks release yellow-green pollen thick enough to coat a car hood in an hour. If you're allergy-prone, bring Claritin or Zyrtec from home. A lint roller, about $3 at any Savannah drugstore, removes the yellow film from dark clothing.