Savannah Historic District Walking Tour: Untold Stories
Hear Savannah's full story, not the version everyone else tells
A guided walking tour of Savannah's Historic District led by historians, archivists and genealogists trained by Shannon Scott, the founder who brought the city's untold narratives to national attention. The tour moves through the original Colonial squares (Johnson, Chippewa, Madison and Monterey) stopping at landmarks like the Mickve Israel Temple (home to a Torah over 1,100 years old), the Sorrel Weed House, the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace and the Mercer House, weaving together the stories of ancient peoples, European settlers, enslaved and freed Africans, women pioneers, industrialists and Civil War figures. The guide speaks English. Children from age 1 are welcome, and all areas are wheelchair accessible.
Step-by-step itinerary
- Savannah Historic Districtpassing by
- Juliette Gordon Low Birthplacepassing by
- Chippewa Square10m
- Madison Squarepassing by
- Sorrel Weed Housepassing by
- Mickve Israel Templepassing by
Explore Savannah's historic district
- Explore oldest city areas
- Visit Johnson Square and City Hall
- See Church of England site
- Stop at Indian King burial site
- Walk along Bull Street's city squares
- View 1819 church with cast iron steeple
- Observe Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace
- Pass Chatham Boys Academy
- Visit Chippewa Square
- See Savannah's first boarding house
- View historic religious structure with balcony
- See Oglethorpe statue
- Pass America's oldest theater
- Optional coffee break at local coffee house
- View English-style pub facade
- See Moorish inspired former stable
- Explore Madison Square and art school
- View Sorrel Weed House exterior
- Visit classic English bookseller and teahouse
- Pass Gothic Revival home linked to Sherman
- See Seargent William Jasper monument
- Pass Chatham Artillery barracks
- Walk along Jones Street rowhouses
- Visit Monterey Square and Mercer House
- See Pulaski monument
- Visit Temple Mickve Israel exterior
- View Mercer House exterior
- Pass Colonel Hardee Mansion
- See 1917 mansion of Richard Kessler
The experience
If you're new to Savannah or have an afternoon free, this is the tour that explains why the city feels different from anywhere else in the South. Most walking tours hit the same squares and rattle off dates. This one starts with the mound builders and doesn't stop until you understand how Savannah became what it is: a place where a Jewish congregation older than most American cities still worships in a Christian-styled building, where a Girl Scout founder shaped a nation, where a general's house became the setting for a bestselling murder mystery, and where the streets themselves were laid out as an act of deliberate urban planning in 1733. The guides are historians, librarians, archivists and genealogists, not actors reading from a script. Ken Burns' American Journeys selected this company as contract recipients, which tells you something about the depth of what you're getting.
The route moves through five city squares over two hours, each one revealing a different layer of Savannah's past. You'll stand outside the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace, an 1820 William Jay masterpiece, and hear not just about the Girl Scouts founder but about her family's arc from immigrants to industrialists. At Monterey Square, the guide walks you through the Mercer House story with details most tours skip, then takes you to the Mickve Israel Temple, where the oldest Torah in the world sits inside a building that shouldn't exist by any logic except Savannah's own. The Sorrel Weed House, often called the finest example of Greek Revival in America, gets its full context: the families who built it, the paranormal reputation it gained, and why that reputation matters to understanding the city's preservation movement. You don't enter the touring homes, but you spend quality time at each one, which means the guide can tell you stories that matter instead of rushing you through rooms.
The walking pace is steady but not rushed: the company notes the tour suits all fitness levels, and the Historic District's brick and asphalt streets are wheelchair accessible throughout. The guide will point out details most visitors miss: the cast iron window lintels on the Colonel Hardee Mansion, the 119-foot steeple of the Independent Presbyterian Church (where Woodrow Wilson married in the courtyard), the lion's paw colonnade on the 1917 mansion that housed a Day's Inn founder. If time allows, there's a stop at a local coffee house. Bring water and comfortable shoes. Savannah's squares are beautiful but they're also open, and the Georgia sun doesn't take breaks.
What’s included
- Guided narrated tour led by a historian, archivist, genealogist or librarian trained to the highest standard.
- stops at five original Colonial squares and landmarks including the Mickve Israel Temple, Sorrel Weed House, Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace, Mercer House, and Monterey Square.
- stories spanning ancient mound builders, European settlers, enslaved and freed Africans, women pioneers, industrialists and Civil War history.
- a coffee house stop when time allows.
Information
Lasts 2h, runs every day at 10:00 and 15:00, from US$ 36.50 per person, with a live guide in English and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.
Prices and times updated yesterday
Operated by Bonaventure, Historic Savannah, Low Country & Private with Shannon Scott Tours
Is this one for you?The tour moves at a steady walking pace over two hours through brick and asphalt streets, so wear comfortable shoes and bring water, but every area is wheelchair accessible and the route suits all fitness levels. Book this one if you want the full story of why Savannah is different, not just the highlights everyone else tells.
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Top questions
Can children come?
Yes. Ticket types: Youth (1 to 15 years).
What happens if it rains?
It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.
What makes this tour different from the other walking tours in Savannah?
The Wandering Historians were selected as contract recipients by Ken Burns' American Journeys and have spent over 30 years uncovering Savannah's overlooked stories. The guides are trained historians, archivists, genealogists and librarians, not actors, and they weave together narratives of ancient mound builders, European settlers, enslaved and freed Africans, women pioneers and Civil War figures instead of sticking to the standard version most tours repeat.
How long does the tour take and what's the walking distance?
The tour runs two hours and covers Savannah's five original Colonial squares: Johnson, Chippewa, Madison, Monterey and the surrounding Historic District. The pace is steady and suitable for all fitness levels. All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible.
Do we go inside the historic homes like the Mercer House and Sorrel Weed House?
No, those are operating museums or touring homes and the company does not enter them. You spend quality time at each location outside, which allows the guide to tell you the full story (the families, the history, the context) without being rushed through rooms.
What is the Mickve Israel Temple and why does it matter to Savannah's story?
The Mickve Israel Temple is home to America's third-oldest Jewish congregation and holds the oldest Torah in the world, over 1,100 years old. The temple sits inside a Christian-styled building, which reflects Savannah's unusual history as a place where different communities coexisted in ways that defied the usual patterns of the era.
What's the story behind the Mercer House and why is it famous?
The Mercer House is an 1860 mansion built by the great-grandson of General Hugh Mercer (who crossed the Delaware with Washington). In 1981, a killing occurred there that became the subject of the novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, which became a New York Times bestseller. The guide brings personal context to this story that most other tours don't cover.
Savannah Historic District Walking Tour: Untold Stories
2h · EN
from US$ 36.50 per person