What Is the Pirates’ House?
One of Georgia’s oldest buildings, this swashbuckling restaurant grew from the home of the gardener for the Trustees’ Garden!
What Makes It Historical?
James Oglethorpe’s Trustees’ Garden did what it needed to do very quickly: deciding on cotton and peaches over wine and silk as Georgia’s agricultural stars! From there, the land was redeveloped into a residential area, equipped with an inn & tavern for sailors visiting the bustling port of Savannah! Not all of these sailors were law-abiding, and even today, there is an extensive network of tunnels under the Pirates’ House, once used for smuggling, kidnapping, and escape! There’s a legend that a local police officer came here for a drink and woke up on a schooner bound for China!
Regardless of how much of this is true, the inn picked up enough of a reputation to show up in Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island as the location where Captain Flint died, leaving behind the map that sparks the adventure! What is true is that this historic location owes its restoration to Mary Hillyer, wife of the president of the Savannah Gas Company. She and her fellow history-minded ladies renovated this area in 1945, turning the inn into a museum. In 1953, restaurant entrepreneur, Herbert Smith Traub, and his business partner, Jim Casey reimagined the museum as a tea room then expanded it to a 23-room, 500-guest dining destination!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Have dinner at the Pirates’ House!
- Donate to the Georgia Historical Society!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How Do I Get There?
20 E Broad St
Savannah, GA 31401
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
The Pirates’ House is open daily from 11:00 AM until 9:00 PM (Sunday through Thursday) or 9:30 PM (Friday and Saturday)!
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