Eliza Thompson House

The Eliza Thompson House puts you on Jones Street, the brick-paved, oak-canopied residential block that many visitors decide is the loveliest street in Savannah, and gives you a house with a story worth hearing. Joseph Thompson built it in 1847 for his wife Eliza and their seven children, and it is described as the first house on Jones Street. After Joseph's death in 1855, Eliza managed the family's investments herself and lived here until 1875 — a capable, independent woman whose name the inn proudly carries. The house was enlarged around 1870, served later as a doctor's home and office and then a dentist's, and was converted into an inn in the late 1970s, when the carriage house was rebuilt on its original footprint to add guest rooms connected to the main house. The result is a two-part inn around a private courtyard: period rooms with high ceilings and antiques in the main house, and quieter, more contemporary rooms in the courtyard building. The courtyard is the heart — lush greenery, moss-covered crepe myrtles, benches tucked into the corners and a fountain by the Savannah ironwork artist Ivan Bailey, with koi in the pool at its base. A complimentary breakfast is served each morning, and the inn's evening hospitality follows the style of its sister properties. It is part of the Historic Inns of Savannah group with the Kehoe House, the Gastonian and the East Bay Inn, acquired by {verdigreen} hotels in 2025. Fit: couples on a romantic weekend, history lovers, and travelers who want a quiet, beautiful street steps from the Bull Street spine.

Why Jones Street: it runs between the busy squares of the northern district and the quieter blocks toward Forsyth Park, so from the inn you are a block from the Bull Street spine and a few minutes' walk from Madison, Chippewa and Monterey squares, the cathedral, the Mercer Williams House and the cafes of the southern district. Jones Street itself is lined with townhouses, wrought-iron stoops and gardens, and an early-morning walk along it before the city wakes is one of the quiet pleasures of a stay. River Street is about fifteen minutes on foot, all through the squares.

Room strategy: choose the main house for history — tall windows, period furnishings and the feel of a nineteenth-century townhouse — and the courtyard building for quiet and a more modern layout. Rooms range considerably in size, so read descriptions carefully, and ask about stairs if mobility is a concern. Like most historic inns it is best suited to adults; families with young children usually do better in the city's larger hotels. Parking is off site with a fee, so many guests leave the car behind and walk everywhere.

Practicals: 5 West Jones Street; complimentary breakfast; off-site paid parking; about twenty-five minutes from Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport. Rates are moderate to upper-moderate for the historic-inn category, rising on spring, October and holiday weekends. The inn's own ghost lore — a staple of local haunted storytelling — is gentle and optional. Fit: romantic weekends, history buffs and walkers — a widow's house on Savannah's prettiest street. Booking advice: the Eliza Thompson House suits travelers who want to live, briefly, like a resident of the historic district — strolling to breakfast in a garden courtyard, walking everywhere, and coming home to a quiet street at night. It is a particularly good choice for a second visit, when the main sights are done and the pleasure lies in the squares themselves. Book early for spring and October, and ask for a courtyard-facing room if you plan to linger with a coffee by the koi fountain. Compared with its sister inns, it offers the best street and a gentler price point.