Fort Pulaski National Monument sits about 15 miles east of Savannah, on the way to Tybee Island — an easy half-day trip from the city.
The fort is a massive brick fortification begun in 1829 and completed in 1847. Its defining moment came in April 1862, when Union forces used rifled cannon fire to breach the southeast wall in just 30 hours — a result that shocked military strategists worldwide and rendered brick fortifications obsolete almost overnight. The Confederate garrison surrendered, and the age of masonry forts was over.
The National Park Service maintains the site in excellent condition: well-preserved casements and earthworks, interpretive exhibits, and reconstructed period interiors. The surrounding salt marshes are beautiful in their own right, with alligators, wading birds, white-tailed deer, and good birdwatching during migration season.