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Chippewa Square

The Forrest Gump bench is gone. The square, the film angle and Daniel Chester French's bronze Oglethorpe are still here, halfway down the Bull Street walk.

Written by , Travel editor and researcherUpdated October 2026

Forrest Gump sat on the north side of Chippewa Square. The film crew brought in the bench, shot the bus-stop scenes with Oglethorpe behind him, and took the prop away. What remains is a good 20-minute stop: the film angle, a nine-foot bronze by Daniel Chester French and a working theater on the edge of the square. Then keep walking.

Visiting basics

Location
Bull Street at West Perry Street, Savannah, GA 31401
Laid out
1815, named for a War of 1812 battle
Center monument
James Edward Oglethorpe, by Daniel Chester French, unveiled 1910
Forrest Gump filming
Bus-bench scenes used the north side of the square
Bench today
The production brought it in; a replica is reported at the Savannah History Museum
Facts checked
September 1, 2026

The bench isn't here

The bus-stop scenes were shot on the north side of the square, with the Oglethorpe monument in the background. Stand on the north side facing the monument and you have the shot. The bench went with the production. A replica is reported at the Savannah History Museum on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard; exhibits change, so check with the museum if seeing the bench is the point of the stop.

Walk around the statue

French made the bronze figure; Henry Bacon designed the pedestal and base. Each corner lion holds a different shield, and the pedestal carries part of Georgia's 1732 charter. Oglethorpe faces south toward Spanish Florida, the colony's military threat. The back of the monument earns the extra minute.

The building on the edge is still a theater

William Jay designed it during his short Savannah career, alongside the Owens-Thomas House and Telfair mansion. One block north, Independent Presbyterian Church has an 1891 reconstruction of the church that burned two years earlier. Both are better treated as part of the walk than as extra destinations.

Don't make one square a road trip

From Wright Square, continue south on Bull Street to Chippewa. After the stop, keep going toward Madison and Monterey squares, then decide whether the group has the distance for Forsyth Park. That route shows you the street plan without visiting all 22 squares; the district guide lists what stands in each. If you also want a museum, the Jepson Center and Telfair Academy sit two blocks west of Bull Street, while the Owens-Thomas House is farther east and runs on timed visits. Reserve that first, then fit the free square stops around it. Park once for the day; the parking guide has the garage rates.

Self-guided stop or walking tour?

You do not need a guide to find the square or the filming side. A guided Historic District walk is worth the time when you want the stories behind the squares rather than a checklist of them. If you'd rather ride, stop 3 on Old Town's hop-on trolley is the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace, and Old Town lists Chippewa Square among that stop's sights. Walking tours are looser: check the route before booking around this square.

Get to the square with a guide

No tour stops for a bench, because there isn't one. These put Chippewa inside a narrated route.

  • Old Town Hop-On Hop-Off Trolley Tour

    ★ 4.7 (1,872 reviews) · 1 day · from $46

    Hop off at stop 3, the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace, and walk to the square; reboard all day.

    See the catalog breakdown
    Check availability →
  • Highlights & Hidden Gems Guided Walking Tour

    ★ 4.8 (267 reviews) · 2 hours · from $25

    A guided walk through the central squares; the listing doesn't name Chippewa, so check the route if the filming side is the point.

    See the catalog breakdown
    Check availability →

Catalog prices and ratings can move. Checkout shows the final terms. These links may earn the site a commission at no extra cost to you.

Useful on the ground

Find the film angle

Stand on the north side facing the Oglethorpe monument. That is the bus-stop frame. The production brought its own bench and took it away.

Do not chase the prop

A replica has been displayed at the Savannah History Museum, but exhibits change. Check before making a special trip for it.

Walk around Oglethorpe

The four lions at the base hold different shields: Oglethorpe, the colony, the state and the city. The pedestal carries part of the 1732 charter.

Keep walking south

Wright Square comes before Chippewa; Madison, Monterey and Forsyth Park come after. The whole sequence works better than a drive to one square.

Book the museum, not the square

Chippewa is free and always open. Reserve the Owens-Thomas House first, then fit this stop around that fixed time.

The bench questions, answered

Where exactly was the Forrest Gump bench?

On the north side of Chippewa Square, with the Oglethorpe monument visible behind Forrest. The bench was a prop the production brought in and took away; a replica is reported at the Savannah History Museum on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

What is the statue in Chippewa Square?

James Oglethorpe, the founder of Georgia, in a nine-foot bronze by Daniel Chester French on a pedestal and base by Henry Bacon, the architect who worked with French on the Lincoln Memorial. It was unveiled with ceremony in 1910, erected by the State of Georgia, the City of Savannah and patriotic societies, and it faces south to symbolize the threat Spain posed to the young colony.

How long does Chippewa Square take?

15 to 25 minutes to find the monument and the filming side, unless you stop for a show at the theater on the square or a service at one of the churches nearby. It is a stop on a Bull Street walk, not a destination.

Is the Forrest Gump bench still in Chippewa Square?

No. The bench was a film prop; the production brought it in for the bus-stop scenes on the north side of the square and took it away afterward. What is still there is everything behind the bench in the shot, the monument first of all.

Why does the Oglethorpe statue face south?

To symbolize the threat of Spain's imperial ambitions to the young colony. Spanish Florida lay to the south of the colony chartered in 1732, and the 1910 monument turns Oglethorpe toward it, sword in hand.

Who designed the Oglethorpe monument?

The statue is by Daniel Chester French, and the pedestal and base are by Henry Bacon, the New York architect whose collaborations with French include the Lincoln Memorial. The State of Georgia, the City of Savannah and various patriotic societies erected it, and it was unveiled in 1910.

What do the four lions on the monument hold?

Shields. The four lions at the corners of the lower base carry, respectively, Oglethorpe's coat of arms and the great seals of the Colony of Georgia, the State of Georgia and the City of Savannah. The pedestal carries part of the text of the colony's 1732 charter.

What is the theater on Chippewa Square?

A theater designed by William Jay, the English architect who arrived in Savannah in December 1817 and also designed the Owens-Thomas House and the Telfair mansion. In 1820 it made Chippewa Square the center of the city's nightlife. The building has been altered a great deal since, and it is still a theater.

Do you need a ticket for Chippewa Square?

No. Chippewa is a public square with no gate and no admission, like the other 21 in the Historic District. The theater on its edge and the house museums nearby sell tickets; the square does not.

Which church is next to Chippewa Square?

Independent Presbyterian Church, one block north on Bull Street at Oglethorpe Avenue. The congregation was organized in 1755. Its 1819 building on this site was dedicated with President James Monroe in attendance, burned in 1889, and was rebuilt by 1891 under William G. Preston with the temple front and spire you see now.

When was Chippewa Square laid out, and why the name?

In 1815, and it is named for a battle of the War of 1812. It is the third square down Bull Street from the river, one of the 22 that survive from the city's ward plan.

How do I fit Chippewa Square into a walk?

Come south down Bull Street from Wright Square, give Chippewa 15 to 25 minutes for the north side and the statue, then continue to Madison and Monterey squares and decide at Monterey whether the group has the distance for Forsyth Park. If you want a museum, the Jepson Center and the Telfair Academy are two blocks west; the Owens-Thomas House is farther east and needs a timed reservation.

The 20-minute version

Approach from Wright Square, use 15 to 25 minutes at Chippewa for the north side and the statue, then continue south through Madison and Monterey. Stop before Forsyth if the heat, the walk or a museum time has already used up the group's energy.

Bookable tours

If you want a guide for the whole grid

A shorter history walk, a bike tour and the Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil walk, Savannah's other famous book-and-film story. None guarantees a Chippewa stop; verify the route in the listing.

Savannah: History Walking Tour from 1733 Onward
★ 5.0 (45)1.5 hoursfrom $35

History Walking Tour from 1733 Onward

Check availability →

Free cancellation listed

Savannah: Historical Bike Tour with Tour Guide
★ 4.8 (155)2 hoursfrom $49

Historical Bike Tour with Tour Guide

Check availability →

Free cancellation listed

Savannah: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil Sites Tour
★ 4.8 (223)2 hoursfrom $35

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil Sites Tour

Check availability →

Free cancellation listed

Primary sources

Checked September 1, 2026. Schedules, fees and policies can change, so recheck a linked source when the detail will affect your visit.

Keep walking south

Chippewa is the middle of the Bull Street line, so give it its 20 minutes on the way from the river to the park. The Historic District walk sets out the five squares in order, Forsyth Park is where the line ends, and the Telfair museums are the timed museum to book before you plan the day. The parking guide has the garage to leave the car in.

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