Attractions and Places To See around Hardeeville - Top 20

beautiful sacred building on one of the main streets of Savannah

Beautiful and quite large park, unfortunately the Forrest Gump Bench is no longer there.

This historic square was established in 1815 to honor the Battle of Chippewa during the War of 1812. In its heart stands a statue of General James Oglethorpe, the colony's founder, who was both a military leader and a champion of social reform. It's also famously known as “the Forrest Gump square” due to its appearance in the movie, where the main character sits on a bench and recounts his life story over a box of chocolates. The scene was filmed on the square's north side with Oglethorpe in the background, using a unique bench brought in for filming. It's a beautiful location with majestic live oaks dripping with Spanish moss and plenty of benches to sit and take in the scenery, especially after a long ride.

The bench from the film never existed here, it was purely a film prop (it's in the museum)!

Wright Square has two of the most impressive monuments in all of downtown – a towering statue and an enormous boulder. Its layout materialized in 1733. The original name of the square was Percival in honor of Viscount Percival, who became the Earl of Egmont. Later, the city decided to rename it Wright Square, after Sir James Wright, Georgia’s third and last Royal Governor. The central monument honors William Washington Gordon, the founder of the Central of Georgia Railroad, and the boulder in the southeast corner memorializes Tomochichi, the leader of the Yamacraws, a friend of General Oglethorpe and ally of the English. Tomochichi negotiated a treaty that gave General Oglethorpe the land that became Savannah and was a key part in establishing the military outpost against the Spanish invasion. After he died in the Yamacraw Indian Village in 1737 he was brought back to Savannah to be buried among his English friends, at his request. His body lies in the center of the square with a pyramid of rocks placed over his grave. General Oglethorpe’s ordered the burial arrangements. https://www.savannah.com/wright-square/

Chippewa Square is one of the most known squares in all of Savannah. Forrest Gump made Chippewa Square famous with its bench scenes, where Forrest waited for the bus. They actually used at least four fiberglass benches while filming these scenes on the square. One of which was donated to the city and moved into the Savannah History Museum. The centerpiece for this beautiful square is a Statue of General James Oglethorpe, the founder of the colony of Georgia. https://www.savannah.com/chippewa-square/

Founded in 1755, the Independent Presbyterian Church was originally called The Presbyterian Church and is considered to be the mother of Georgia Presbyterianism. With more than 250 years of history and authentic beauty, the church offers a special experience to people of all faiths. When a hurricane damaged the church in the 1800’s, plans were made to reconstruct it to its original condition. Today, guests to the church can see the marble baptism font which was hauled in wagons pulled by oxen from New Jersey and the rich mahogany pulpit that was used to preach many meaningful sermons—both original items that survived various destructive events. The Independent Presbyterian Church can also be seen in the movie Forrest Gump, when a white feather floats across the tall steeple. https://www.trolleytours.com/savannah/independent-presbyterian-church https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/GA-01-SA08

Johnson Square it the oldest and largest square in Savannah. Some of the most magnificent buildings downtown, including City Hall, the Christ Episcopal Church and several banks surround Johnson square. The square was laid out in 1733 and named after Robert Johnson, the Royal Governor of South Carolina in 1733, because of his help growing the colony. The square features a 50-foot marble monument to honor General Nathanael Greene, a hero during the American Revolution. Greene died near Savannah on June 19, 1786 and was originally buried at what is now known as the Colonial Cemetery. Vandalism during the Civil War resulted in the loss of many burial sites, including Greene’s. Fortunately, his remains emerged in the Graham vault and placed beneath the monument in 1901. https://www.savannah.com/johnson-square/