Why you should experience Ellis Square in Savannah, Georgia.
Ellis Square is a vibrant civic square where Savannah's Historic District's commercial heritage, welcoming public spaces, architectural character, and community life create one of the city's most dynamic gathering places.
Positioned between Bryan Street and Congress Street near City Market and just steps from the American Prohibition Museum, this lively square welcomes visitors with interactive fountains, shaded seating, public art, outdoor performances, and historic streets that connect Savannah's past with its energetic present. Flowing water, mature live oaks, and bustling cafés create an atmosphere where residents and visitors naturally gather throughout the day. Every visit captures the rhythm of one of Georgia's most walkable historic cities. The result is an experience defined by civic vitality, thoughtful urban design, and one of Savannah's most beloved public squares.
What you should know about Ellis Square.
Ellis Square is best known for its dramatic 2010 reconstruction, which restored one of Savannah's original public squares after it had been lost for more than half a century beneath the City Market Parking Garage, constructed in 1954. Originally laid out in 1733 as one of the first four squares in General James Oglethorpe's pioneering city plan, the space was named for Sir Henry Ellis, the second Royal Governor of Georgia. Following decades of public advocacy, preservationists, civic leaders, and the City of Savannah undertook an ambitious redevelopment project that removed the aging garage, reconstructed the historic square above a modern underground parking facility, and reestablished Ellis Square as a centerpiece of downtown life. The redesigned landscape incorporates expansive lawns, granite walkways, a highly popular interactive fountain, flexible event spaces, shaded seating, public art, and the bronze “A World Apart” sculpture by George Lundeen honoring Savannah's historic trading traditions. Positioned immediately beside City Market, the restored square has become one of Savannah's busiest civic spaces, hosting concerts, festivals, farmers markets, holiday celebrations, and community gatherings while demonstrating how historic preservation and contemporary urban planning can successfully coexist within one of America's most celebrated historic districts.
Beyond its historical significance, Ellis Square demonstrates the enduring strength of Savannah's Oglethorpe Plan by restoring a public space that had long been considered essential to the city's civic identity. The square now functions as an active outdoor living room where children play in the fountain, musicians perform beneath the trees, and visitors move seamlessly between City Market, surrounding restaurants, galleries, and nearby historic streets. Urban planning, historic preservation, landscape architecture, public art, and community engagement combine to create one of Georgia's finest civic spaces.
How to fold Ellis Square into your trip.
Ellis Square is best experienced as the social centerpiece of an exploration through Savannah's Historic District.
Begin at City Market, where restored warehouses and lively shops introduce the remarkable commercial heritage surrounding Ellis Square. Continue to the American Prohibition Museum, whose engaging exhibits complement the neighborhood's rich cultural history. Conclude at Johnson Square, where Savannah's oldest and largest public square provides a memorable finale celebrating the remarkable relationship between urban planning, commerce, and civic life that defines the Historic District. The progression moves naturally from historic marketplace to vibrant public square before concluding through one of Savannah's defining civic landscapes, revealing why Ellis Square remains one of the city's essential gathering places.
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