Factors Walk

Between Bay & River Streets
Historic District
24 hours
Free to explore

Review

Back in the 1800s, the buildings along the north side of Bay Street were used for the region’s booming cotton trade. Although may were torn down and replaced over the years, many still exist stretching from roughly Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd to East Broad Street.

If you approach from the Bay Street side it looks like the buildings are only two or three stories tall but, in fact, are five or six since they sit alongside the bluff that goes down to the Savannah River.  Cotton was brought in from the fields via Bay Street, then lowered down to River Street to get loaded onto waiting ships.

To accommodate the cotton merchants (also known as “factors”) that went from building to building, they constructed a series of cobblestone streets and alleys joined by wooden and iron walkways now known as Factors Walk.

Along some portions of Factors Walk you’ll find restaurants, inns, bars, stores, museums, and more.  There are also historic displays and markers along the way.

If you’re a fan of the spooky, exploring this area at night can help your imagination run wild!

Note that people with mobility issues may want to pass this one by.  The only way to access most of it is via very steep, historic steps or cobblestone streets that are hard to walk on even for those who don’t have said issues.