Several past posts here about crime in Savannah - my response has always been take normal big city (even though it is a small city) precautions and risks are minimal.

Not trying to scare people, but in past 72 hours there has been a very unusual surge in shootings (story on Savannahnow.com) - rare because they occured in daylight hours. Police quoted as saying nothing like this has happened in almost 2 decades. While these are about a mile or so outside historic district and involved people known to police, some innocent bystanders were injured and others terrified. (Several happened within blocks of where our son lives).

So I would continue to visit Savannah - I was there 2 weeks ago - but I would add one more caution in that if you venture outside Historic District, be especially careful. If driving, make sure you know where you are going, since there are some "bad areas" within a mile of Historic District and if one were lost or just exploring in a car, they could end up in one of these areas.

gail, I'm sorry, but how is this different from other tourist destinations? Atlanta? Miami? New Orleans? Charleston? Boston? DC?

If "nothing like this has happened in almost 2 decades" and these were "a mile or so outside historic district and involved people known to police" are those not indicators that this is local on local violence.

It's not good in any case. I guess I don't understand why SAVANNAH gets these updates on these boards and not Miami or Boston or DC, etc. I'm sure they have spikes on the crime radar.

gail, is correct in that there are unsavory sections of Savannah near the Historic District. You pretty much know when you are driving around "iffy" areas - but I maintain the same is true of other tourist destination cities.

Perhaps I am taking this personally - but in my job, I drive AND PARK in these neighborhoods. It's not my favorite part of my job - but I am probably there more than anyone else on this board. Liberty City (in Miami) is pretty much the only section that I demand to have someone ride with me - not that it will help, but it's a comfort anyway.

One day after five separate shootings kept Savannah Chatham police busy, they were already starting to make headway in closing those cases.

One man is already in jail, and several suspects are on the run in the shootings, but police got one surprising break.

http://www.wtoctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5463096

How many shootings in other cities during the same time span? LA? DC? Boston? Just wondering...

starrsville, to be fair, you shouldn't be comparing a small city like Savannah, pop 128,000, with huge cities like Miamia, Boston, etc. Yet it's come down to the small towns, hasn't it.

It's much more disturbing in a small city, because it's literally right around the corner. Not a car ride away, but within walking/biking distance. That's scary!

And you presume alot to state you're probably "there more than anyone else on this board" - how could you possibly know that?

I blame it all on crack and crystal meth. These drugs have a grip on this country like no others before them. One is impossible to kick, the other can be made in any kitchen. They ruin lives within a year.

And they're both everywhere.

My statement was that I drive and park in the neighborhoods gail is writing about "more than anyone else on this board". If there is someone else posting on this board that drives and parks in the neighborhoods surrounding the Historic District on a regular basis (NOT visitors to the Historic District) I would be surprised to learn it.

I am probably one of the most frequent visitors to the Savannah area - but other than SCAD parents (of which gail is one), I doubt many Fodorites spend their day in Savannah visiting (and parking in) the neighborhoods I'm in during the day.

I think it is VERY fair to compare tourist destinations, no matter the size. Yes, there is crime within a mile or so of most popular tourist destinations. Is the size of the surrounding metro area important to you? Evidently.

I've spent the last few minutes googling and reading crime stats and stories in and near other tourist destinations. I'm not going to post those links, because I do not see any purpose in that.

I presumed you were talking about Miami, and so generalizing about crime in any city. Sorry starrsville!

Due to my job, I have spent days - if not weeks - traveling to and parking in unsavory neighborhoods in Miami, LA, Boston, New Orleans, and the other cities I listed earlier. The reference to Liberty City was in terms of the only place I won't go solo anymore.

Funny story. I was in Harlem doing a workshop and was just used to the rep hitting the auto-lock on the door as we exited. I didn't realize that the rep cars in the city had NOTHING on them - in order to deter break-ins. One rep said that a theif was so p*d that there was nothing worth stealing, that he pulled the knobs off the AM radio in disgust! Anyway, unintentionally left the car unlocked as it was parked (during the middle of the day) across from a crack house. The rep was irritated - but I'm not sure why. There was nothing worth stealing from the car - nor the car itself.

Savannah is part of my territory and I am there every other month - and NOT in the areas where tourists are spending the day. I am as aware of the possibilities as I am in the other cities I mentioned. Another question - what city DOESN'T have housing projects within a mile of major tourist destinationos?

starrsville - thanks for your insight. The purpose of my post was in delayed response to those who might be hearing this on national news (as I did). I think people are far more alert to dangers in larger cities, and especially northern cities, than in smaller southern cities. And Savannah is such a small city that people easily get lulled. (The most scared I ever was in a city was in Utica, NY, however).

I am a community health RN working primarily in public housing in Boston area - so I also am crime aware.

So my distinction was based on city size and several posts here recently questioning crime in Savannah - of course there is crime everywhere. Obviously my interest was because our son was in earshot of the shootings.(Although fortunately shoot-outs on public streets at mid-day are
relatively rare everywhere except
perhaps Baghdad)

And to further agree with you - what I have told our son is to be aware and careful - just like he would be anywhere. Students and young adults often, for financial reasons, live in higher crime areas. I certainly did, and in his chosen field he will likely relocate to some other city with the same crime issues.

Unfortunately the Abercorn-Park location is not outside the historic district, but on the very last edge of it that I'd consider walking in (and have many times), southeastern side of Forsyth Park.

Have to go get to a class. More later...have some strong feelings about safety there.

Back again. I've got a lot I'd like to write and not a lot of time today so I may have to break this down and make it choppy.

My background? I lived in Savannah in the historic district for 4 years, moved almost 9 years ago. Went back for visits as we loved it, but won't often now as we moved even further away last year. My husband ran a hotel there and we lived in it. It was in as good a location as any in the historic district and a few were in worse positions, crime-wise.

I was out and about in the historic district daily. I ran 6 miles every day and it was through all streets in that area, as well as Forsyth Park. I felt very safe in the day but would not consider running there in the dark despite all the street lights around the squares.

I'm not entire unused to iffy areas. I was at one time a social worker and was out in the field daily, in the housing projects in and around Norfolk, VA. I felt some protection from my city car, identifying who I was, and my little black notebook...a familiar sight in those neighborhoods.

There are housing projects, and there are housing projects. I would not have done that job in the next city we lived in, New Orleans. Changed careers. Big mistake. Savannah's projects are not nearly as bad as New Orleans' were, but worse than Norfolk. I would not consider leaving my car today parked in one of the projects, unless, as in Norfolk, it was a city car.

Get on with it, OO, get on with. OK...background helps! I'm not a chicken. I've even run from our Bay St location, out the south side of Forsyth Park and continued south, crossing Victory, and running the streets in Ardsley Park...for those of you who know the city.

Was that a safe run? Absolutely not! I realized about halfway between Park and Victory that I had no business being there on foot by myself.

Why was I there anyway...one of the first people I met prior to moving to Savannah was the wife of someone on the Chamber who assured me that the city was as safe as any and it would be a fine run. That was the Chamber talking! You should not ever walk south of Forsyth Park (Park St is the southern most boundary of the park and runs east and west. Further south it's a pretty bad neighborhood until you hit Victory Dr, when it improves. Even driving through that in the day after that, I always checked to make sure my doors were locked.

That's south of the historic district and there are housing projects both east and west of it, within walking distance.

The city: small town really and it gives the impression of being even more so as "downtown" consists of beautiful squares lined with townhouses/row houses, and a couple of main business streets where there are only shops and offices, then a couple of pockets of concentrated shops with heavy tourist concentrations as well...City Market and River St. It makes it seem as if you are not walking so much in a city, but lovely residential areas and they are lovely and they are well-to-do.

I'm trying to be concise. It's not working, LOL, but for those who haven't been, you need the picture.

Our personal experiences with crime:

We lived on the top floor of the hotel, with a nice patio which was actually the roof of the floor below us. A sliding glass door led from our bedroom to the patio. The patio was separated from the rest of the hotel roof by 2 a 4/5' walls, one forming the boundary marking one side of our patio and the other on the other side of the hotel, the boundary for a sundeck out there. There was only one door leading out to it aside from ours, and that is on the other side of the hotel.

1st episode: sleeping with the sliding glass door open and only the screen door to our patio closed. We felt absolutely safe to be doing so. As is often the case, my husband is quick to fall asleep and I often am awake for a long time and was this night. Lying on my stomach I heard a noise I didn't recognize, rolled over and saw a man's form silhouetted in our patio doorway. The noise I had heard was the screen door sliding back. His eyes, adjusted to the dark, had to see me sit up and bed but he didn't move, nor did he move when I screamed and ONLY when I called my husbands' name and he jumped up. The guy took off, put his hands on top of the wall and vaulted over, running across the roof. Called security but they didn't get him. End of ever sleeping with doors open or unlocked.

Gonna post this and continue in the next post with 2nd episode. OK...no one hurt.

2nd episode: I'd had an app't and returned to the hotel to see 3 or 4 police cars in the driveway. They often came for lunch. No big deal, but I got up to our suite, the door was wide open and they are inside it.

While I was gone, our son who was home from college (summer) at the time, had been in the other end of the suite, a long suite with LR,DR and kitchen in the middle, and bedrooms on each end. He'd been in his room and heard some noise from our bedroom. He knew I was gone and thought it was the cats playing, but then there was more and louder noise so he went to investigate. The sliding door, which had been locked, had been lifted off it's track so the person could get in the free edge. He was standing in front of a big display cabinet I have filled with antiques, just looking when our son arrived and asked what he was doing. "Working on the roof". "Why'd you do that to the door?" asks son and the guy turns and runs back out the crack. DS heads to the kitchen for a knife to chase him AND calls security, fortunately, giving the person a chance to get away without the two of them facing each other with a knife for Pete's sake!

He was later caught doing the same thing at another hotel which anchors the other end of the same street we were on. They went to court and our son was called to testify about our case. Oh..fingerprints taken from our door were his.

Thank heavens he had no weapon, or if he did, he chose not to use it. He was young, 18 or 19 and from the project.

After that any of the rooms there that had sliders had their doors changed out to doors that swung open and were locked with keys. Top floor of a 7 story hotel!

As busy as that street is, there were occasional problems with employees from all businesses leaving late at night. Robbery, some armed. No shootings at that time anyway.

Remember, that area is the safer part of the historic district because of the heavier foot and auto traffic.

I'm going through all this as much as I truly don't like to, and my intent is NOT to scare people away from Savannah, but to make you aware of what can go on there...was then when we lived there, and is still, that the average tourist just is not aware of. I can't tell you the number of times I've seen it disputed, here, that it's a safe place to stroll at night. It is not. Absolutely not. I felt safe of River St at night, and safe in City Market. We would go from City Market back to our house but with considerable caution along the way at night. My health club was 2 blocks away and if I left in the evening after dark, I ran the distance back rather than to be by myself in the two squares I crossed. Remember. This is the good part of town! Enough things had happened to us and to friends, that it simply was not something a prudent person did. Drive through at night in car. Fine. Just don't be on foot, especially looking like a tourist (other than City Market and River St,and for the most part Bay, although there were a couple of incidents there too). Please, no matter how safe it seems, it simply is not, at night. Oh..and I'm not talking about walking along drung and carefree, either, but sober and aware.

By the way, the 2nd break-in did have an amusing angle. My son had thought the cats were doing something which is why he investigated...one had run under the bed to hide as she always does, the other, our Siamese was curled up in the middle of our bed, watching the entire scene unfold. Totally unperturbed.

I did not walk in Savannah with a purse ever. That just wasn't wise, day or night. If I was shopping I carried a credit card in my pocket. Purse snatchings were the most common daytime crime and I was somewhat careful about jewelry as well. Daytime, otherwise, I felt absolutely safe to walk anywhere and everywhere within the historic district. Generally there were no problems then.

One of these daytime shootings was 1 block off the southern most part of Forsyth Park. Another was two blocks south of it, and either two blocks east or two blocks west as well, depending on whether he was on East Duffy or West Duffy. Neither are good neighborhoods and the average tourist would know not to go there on foot...unless the C of C told them it was all in their mind that it looked dangerous, that it was perfectly safe! As much as I love that city and as much as I want to promote tourism there, I'll be darned if I'd say the same thing.

Violent crime there sadly, is generally black on black. The episodes prior to our moving there that were mentioned in the article were gang violence and that was not black on black. As part of an initiation rite, they had to "get" a white person. The police department cracked down in a big way and that gang and violence was eliminated. Over and done with. The current spree also seems to be black on black and drug and rival gang related. That's my read, so they aren't after the average tourist. From that standpoint, as I see it anyway, things are no worse now for the tourists today than they were when we lived there.

Drugs and how to get the money to buy them, and the people looking for an easy way out of their strangling poverty are creating the problems for tourists. The projects are close, as I said, walking distance. They aren't going to get anything robbing another person in the project (usually) so if the need is strong enough some head to the historic district, almost always at night and it's almost always a non-violent crime.

Don't stop going. Don't stop walking around and enjoying it in the day, but if you are inclined to walk at night. Stop. You could probably do it 200 times with nothing happening, but why take the chance that you are #201?

These are your experiences and they are valid. I hope you aren't slammed by the same folks who chased bamakelly away after voicing similar concerns about New Orleans. They told her (and her relative who lived in the city) that they were crazy for expressing concerns regarding safety in the Big Easy.

I still maintain that what you describe is happening within a mile of many tourist destinations we rave about on this site.

Awareness is good everywhere we go.

Husband and I have an April 2007 trip planned to celebrate our 15 year anniversary. I've been reading the Savannah News Paper online daily. Friday/Saturday morning there were 5 armed robberies. I'm to the point were we're starting to have second thoughts about going or stop reading the daily paper, go to Savannah anyway and try to travel safely. We have plans to spend our 1st night outside the historic distric at the La Quinta on Abercorn. The next day rent a car and drive to Isle of Hope, Tybee and Fort Pulaski. Then spend 3 days in the historic distric. What are the unsafe areas to avoid.

Abercorn area you speak of is fine - it is called Midtown (for some reason that escapes me). You will be in an area near Oglethorpe Mall and many strip malls, big box stores. Not very picturesque, but certainly safe.

Armed robberies of gas stations and convenience stores happen all the time in every city I can think of - I think they became news-worthy because of the recent and unusual street violence I spoke of.

I live in a small, affluent town near Boston and was reading crime log in local paper this Sunday AM and read of some drug-related shootings at a local hotel - so stuff like this happens anywhere.

It would be very unlikely you would be in any "bad areas" - these are residential areas outside Historic District that would be somewhat difficult to stumble upon unless you were off exploring. Stick to main roads like Abercorn, MLK Blvd and it is unlikely you will encounter anything other than people going to/from work, school, stores.

In the Historic District I would take the same precautions one takes in any city - stay in well-lit areas after dark, don't flash belonging, keep an eye on your purse, avoid deserted areas.

Savannah is perfectly safe, and a lovely city. Some people seem to have bad experiences, others don't. Generalizations really don't help.

The "truth" is somewhere in the middle (dangerous vs. perfectly safe), but I still maintain the same can be said of any tourist destination. Is Yosemite "unsafe" because of what happened a few years ago? IMO, of course.

My folks have a house in historic Savannah and have never had a problem. As others have said, "be aware" and you'll be most likely fine. Another piee of advice if you're concerned: cabs at night!

We went to Savannah last year,walked everywhere day and night in the historic district without a problem.
We decided to go to fort Pulaski driving from our hotel in the historic district,we took a four lane road,dont remember the name, when suddenly a man ran by the side of the car and fell to the ground,my husband was going to stop but I said no,as we were leaving we saw two more men hiding and the one in the ground stood up and he was watching us. I dont want to think what could had happen is had stopped.
We left the next day and no more exploring around.
We were mugged a few years ago in New Orleans,at a stop sign outside the French quarter.

I was stalked several years ago and took a series of self defense classes that have really helped me in sketchy situations.

If you ever find yourself in an unsafe situation, look people in the eye, stand up tall, and be loud. Attract attention to yourself.

Of course get out of it as quickly as possible.