Where was Forrest Gump filmed?

Few films have turned a simple park bench into a place worth crossing a country for, yet that is exactly the pull of this beloved American story. Told from a seat in a leafy square, it folds a single life into the wider sweep of the late twentieth century, and the gentle, unhurried mood of those bench scenes is something fans love to recapture in person.

The bench sat in Chippewa Square, in the historic heart of Savannah. Shaded by towering live oaks draped in Spanish moss, the square is one of the prettiest in a city full of them, and standing in it you immediately recognise the calm, dappled light of those famous moments. The original prop bench is no longer in the square itself, but the setting remains every bit as evocative.

Savannah rewards a slow, walkable visit, so pair the square with a wander through the surrounding grid of leafy public squares and antebellum townhouses. Spring, when the azaleas bloom, is especially lovely. Build in time for the riverfront and a Southern lunch, and you have an easy, atmospheric day that lives up to the film's unhurried spirit.