Community Invited to Celebrate Savannah's Five Years of Healthy Walks on March 22 and March 25
Friday, March 21st, 2025
Five years ago, an idea for people to escape the isolation of a pandemic lockdown was planted in the Savannah community. The pandemic came to an end, but every Tuesday at 7:30 a.m., Healthy
Savannah’s Armand Turner, Paula Kreissler and Devin Frails continue to lead participants on Healthy Walks around Savannah and Chatham County.
Now, after growing the program to nearly 200 Healthy Walks over the past five years, the organization is celebrating the initiative by encouraging the community to join them in a trail cleanup on March 22 and for a special anniversary walk on March 25.
Hosted by the Friends of Tide To Town Board, the trail cleanup is scheduled for 9 – 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 22 at two locations, on the Truman Linear Park Trail, leaving from Scarborough Sports Complex, and in the Holly Heights Neighborhood, leaving from the community garden at 1712 E 58th St.
Then, on Tuesday, March 25, Healthy Savannah is inviting the public to meet up, along with the YMCA of Coastal Georgia and Friends of Tide to Town, to celebrate the 5th anniversary of Healthy Walks.
Participants will gather at 7:30 a.m. in the parking area at Scarborough Sports Complex, Skidaway at Bona Bella Ave. Frails and Turner will lead a low-impact two-mile walk along a portion of the Tide To Town Urban Trail system known as the Truman Linear Park Trail, which is level and accessible, with wide, paved walkways and highly visible pedestrian crosswalks. The walk will last about an hour and end back at the starting point.
“Paula and I developed these walks to redirect that feeling of helplessness and isolation we all felt in March 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns took effect, and we grew this activity so folks could get out and participate in a safe social setting that also encourages physical fitness,” said Turner, who assumed the mantle of executive director when Paula Kreissler retired last fall.
Healthy Savannah also invites local dignitaries to join in on the walks, as well as area historians to tell the story behind the trail or point out significant landmarks.
The walk will follow a section of the Truman Trail between Lake Mayer and DeRenne Ave. that was completed in 2020. Currently, work is underway on the second phase from DeRenne to 52nd St. and Bee Rd. Once completed, the Trail will fully connect the Lake Mayer Park Trail Loop to the Daffin Park Trail Loop, creating nine miles of continuous off- and on-road bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure through the heart of Savannah.
When completed, Tide to Town will include a network of 30+ miles of bikeable and walkable trails connecting more than 60 neighborhoods and 30 schools in Savannah and Chatham County, from downtown to the marshes and waterways.
“These walks have become much more than a way to escape isolation,” said Kreissler. “They have become ways for people to meet new friends and experience our local trails and parks and see areas of our city and county from a different perspective."
Founded in 2007 to make Savannah a healthier place to live, Healthy Savannah, together with the YMCA of Coastal Georgia, currently administers a five-year $5.1 million Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) grant to foster sustainable health equity among racial and ethnic minority populations in low-wealth neighborhoods in areas of nutrition, physical activity and the reduction of chronic diseases. A portion of the grant funding also supports the development and use of the Tide to Town urban trail system.
The Friends of Tide to Town was founded in 2018 to lead the community-based engagement, implementation and stewardship of the urban trail system through the lens of health and equity.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates a single session of moderate to vigorous physical activity such as a brisk walk can provide immediate health benefits including improved sleep, less anxiety, and lowered blood pressure. Long-term benefits can include improved heart and brain health, a healthier weight, bone strength and even a lower risk for certain cancers.
“Whether you join our Healthy Walks or explore these routes on your own, we encourage everyone to get out and get healthy, using the Healthy Walks map,” said Frails. “You can also watch live streams and recordings of our walks on Healthy Savannah’s Facebook page.”
Healthy Savannah’s online Healthy Walks map, https://healthysavannah.org/our-programs/physical-activity/healthy-walks-story-map/, shows trail routes all across Savannah and Chatham County. Trail users are encouraged to share walk experiences by tagging photos and videos with #HealthyWalk and #ActivePeople.
To learn about upcoming Healthy Walks, click on Healthy Savananh’s Healthy Activities calendar, https://
