Isle of Hope
Historic Waterfront Community | Savannah, GA 31406 | Bluff Drive, Marina & Skidaway River Living
There's a line a longtime resident once used to describe Isle of Hope that still holds up: 'a quarter mile and a world away from the continental United States.' That's the feeling you get when you cross the small bridge onto this peninsula along the Skidaway River — something shifts, the pace slows, and the Spanish moss hangs a little heavier.
Isle of Hope has been a refuge since the 1840s, when Savannah's elite built summer retreats here to escape the city heat. The Historic District is registered with the Historic Savannah Foundation and includes some of the most intact antebellum residential architecture in coastal Georgia. It was the backdrop for Forrest Gump and Cape Fear — not because it was dressed up for cameras, but because it actually looks like that.
The Homes
Bluff Drive, the neighborhood's signature waterfront road, is lined with homes ranging from 19th-century Greek Revival and Victorian estates to renovated midcentury bungalows and Craftsman cottages — some sitting on private docks above the Skidaway River. Prices span widely: mid-$400,000s to $700,000s for the midcentury and bungalow stock, and up to $3.5 million for the larger Colonial Revivals on the bluff.
The Amenities & Character
The Isle of Hope Marina is the community's social anchor — 4,000 feet of concrete docks, deepwater face docks, and a gathering point at sunset for golf cart rides and neighbor conversations. Wormsloe Historic Site, with its stunning mile-and-a-half Avenue of Oaks first planted in 1891, is just minutes away. Sandfly — with boutiques, coffee, and the 5 Spot restaurant — provides everyday dining and shopping.
The Lifestyle
Isle of Hope is golf-cart-friendly, boat-centric, and genuinely community-oriented. It attracts retirees seeking a quieter coastal life, families drawn to the schools and the outdoor lifestyle, and buyers who simply want to live somewhere that feels unlike anywhere else. Downtown Savannah is 15 minutes. Tybee Island is 20.