Savannah Historic District: Walking Tour with Storyteller Guide

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Free cancellationTravelers' pickLikely to sell out

1/7

Duration2h

GroupUp to 30

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Savannah’s layered past unfolds in every square and street

You’ll walk Savannah’s historic squares with a local guide who knows every corner — from Madison Square to Chippewa Square and the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace. Expect stories you won’t find in textbooks, pauses for coffee or laughter, and a pace that lets you breathe in the city’s old soul. It feels personal — like you’re borrowing someone else’s memories for an afternoon.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Savannah's historic district

Visit Savannah Historic District
See Johnson Square and Church of England
Explore largest square, Bank Square
View 1906 City Exchange site
Stop at Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace
Admire 1819 church with cast iron steeple
Pass Chatham Boys Academy
Visit Chippewa Square and Oglethorpe statue
See Savannah Theater exterior
Take coffee break at local coffee house
View English-style pub facade
Stop at former Henry Ford showroom
Explore Madison Square and Gothic Revival architecture
Pass Sorrel Weed House
Visit classic English bookseller and teahouse
See 1853 Gothic Revival Home and Civil War history
View Sergeant William Jasper monument
Pass Chatham Artillery barracks
Visit Scottish Rite Masonic Temple tea room
Walk along historic Jones Street
Explore Monterey Square and Mercer House
Stop at Mickve Israel Temple exterior
View Mercer House and Jim Williams history
Pass Colonel Hardee Mansion
See 1917 mansion of Richard Kessler

The Experience

“You can’t rush Savannah,” our guide Shannon grinned, pausing under the shade of a live oak on Madison Square. He was right. Even the air felt slow, thick with that sweet gardenia smell and something like old paper — maybe all those stories tucked into brickwork. Our group shuffled closer as he pointed out the curve of wrought iron balconies and told us about Tomochichi, an Indian king buried somewhere nearby. I’d never heard his name before. Funny how history hides in plain sight here.

We wandered through the Savannah Historic District, past houses that looked like they’d been painted by hand and left to fade just so. At Chippewa Square (yes, the Forrest Gump bench is nearby — someone asked), Shannon got sidetracked talking about Daniel Chester French’s statue of Oglethorpe. “He was supposedly 6’11”, but this statue’s even taller,” he laughed, hands wide. The city’s rhythm is different; you hear church bells and then nothing but cicadas for a minute or two. It’s not quiet exactly, just... patient.

The private tour looped us by the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace — we didn’t go inside, but there was something about standing outside her house while kids in green sashes giggled by that made it feel real. At Sorrel Weed House, Shannon confessed he once produced a ghost episode there (“not my proudest moment,” he joked). We paused at Mickve Israel Temple too; I tried to pronounce it right and probably failed, but nobody minded. The synagogue’s older than most things I’ve seen in the South — over 1100 years old for their Torah, apparently.

I still think about Jones Street with its bricks underfoot and Spanish moss everywhere — almost tripped once because I was looking up instead of down. There were tea shops and antique stores where locals nodded like they recognized us from somewhere else in time. Our tour ended without fanfare near Monterey Square; no big finale, just Shannon waving us off with a “Y’all come back now.” And honestly? I might.

What’s included

Your day includes a guided narrated walking tour through Savannah’s oldest squares and streets with a knowledgeable local guide; it’s fully wheelchair accessible and suitable for families with strollers or service animals. All main sites are viewed from outside so you can soak up stories at your own pace before heading off to explore more on your own if you want.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Bonaventure, Historic Savannah, Low Country & Private with Shannon Scott Tours