Savannah's Original Dark History Tour
Recommended by 98% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Savannah, USA
- 2 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Discover Savannah’s darker past on an evening walking tour exploring the city's most infamous crimes, duels, and tragic events. Visit historic locations while uncovering the true stories that shaped the city, from the colonial era to more recent history. Focusing on documented events rather than ghost stories, this tour offers a unique perspective on one of America's most historic places after dark.
- Discover the true stories behind Savannah's dark past
- See familiar landmarks through a different lens
- Experience a fact-based alternative to traditional ghost tours
- Gain deeper insight into the city's history and heritage
What's Included
- All Fees and Taxes
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Oglethorpe's BenchSavannah, GA 31401, USA
We'll meet in the small park surrounding Oglethorpe's Bench.
End point
- Monterey Square11 W Gordon St, Savannah, GA 31401, USA
We'll conclude near Mercer House, just off of Monterey Square.
Itinerary
1
Colonial Park Cemetery
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Infant seats available
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
- Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.9
based on 179 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Information was very well researched & tour guide was entertaining. During the summer it is very warm & muggy so be prepared.
Originally I was going to book a ghost tour because I like macabre history and they’re kinda funny but my friend who went to SCAD suggested this instead and I’m SO GLAD she did!!! Amazing tour with a really knowledgeable guide that gives you the real and interesting history of Savannah!! And really considerate of potential weather issues (that didn’t end up being a problem). Go to this tour instead of the silly ones where they have guides holding Halloween lanterns in August lol
Very knowledgeable guide and interesting information about Savannah, GA. Although not a ghost tour (as we wanted), they still included the common stories told about an area and then some debunking facts about them. IMO - best of both worlds!
We were lucky to get a small group, so it was nice to be able to ask questions and chat more openly with our guide.
The tour includes many shaded areas but would recommend bringing some water.
Our tour guide Shirley did a good job of giving the Factual history of Savannah and debunking several of the ghost stories.
Impressive collection of facts about nearly every step we took through the squares of Savannah! True history buff with a great presentation. We lucked out finding this tour through Reddit.
The guide was upbeat and personable. She seemed to be very knowledgeable. We enjoyed the tour. She would tell us a local historical story and then explain why it was a myth. This is not a ghost tour. Its more of a historical tour.
So much dark history in Savannah! Shirley was great at telling us all about it. No ghost stories here - facts can be stranger than fiction! Highly recommend.
Great guide! Extremely knowledgeable and friendly. Pace was comfortable. Learned a lot about Savannah history.
Brandon was a great guide and I learned a lot. I liked hearing the comparison to other tours and the true stories.
This was a great time walking around the city and learning about the darker side of Savannah. Our guide was great and very knowledgeable about history, answering all our questions and giving us some bonus stories!
James gave a wonderful tour- full of historical facts and entertaining. Highly recommend for a fun evening.
This was not a paranormal tour and definitely history focused. However, they still share commonly told ghost stories, followed by the truth behind what records show. Our guide had a wealth of knowledge and we learned so much. History lovers, you won't want to miss this! I appreciated how this offered something different than cheesy, overly-embelished ghost stories. Those can be fun, but I loved walking feeling like I had learned so much! I've done many historical and paranormal tours, and I feel like this was so well balanced, educational, and fun. This was my favorite tour to date!
Excellent factual overview of the darker side of Savannah’s history-skip the “ghost tours” and hear about what actually took place throughout the city’s tumultuous past!
Sarah was an amazing tour guide who is so incredibly knowledgeable about the history of Savannah. We really enjoyed our tour and highly recommend it for anyone!
Rodney was an amazing tour guide. He was the perfect blend of entertaining and informative. We loved taking a tour where the guide really focused on giving us facts, not stories that sound good but aren’t true! We even got some great recommendations for restaurants, too. Highly recommend this tour!
Fun and informative tour. Tour guide was knowledgeable, charismatic, and engaged. I highly recommend!
We highly recommend Rodney. He was knowledgeable and debunked a couple of local legends. You can tell he was well versed in the topics he spoke on, and had the facts to back up the stories he told.
This is the actual history of Savannah explained and shared in a nutshell by a true Savannah historian in a most entertaining way. All visitors to Savannah should take this tour on their fist day in Savannah. Thank you Brandon
Fantastic time. The crew was very nice and even the dolphins were a little elusive we manage to have a wonderful time.
I was so excited for this walking tour, but I was really disappointed. There were about 30 people in our group, so unless you were able to stand right next to the tour guide, it was hard to hear him. The tour was supposed to be a “Dark History Tour” and about Savannah’s haunted history. The guide was very knowledgeable, but I felt it was more about “debunking” all of the haunted stories told by other tours. He talked mostly about the founding of Savannah, and the battles on the ground. We did stop at several squares and statue sites, but it was difficult to take pictures of things that we were seeing, because it was all night photos. This tour would be better during the day time. There was nothing scary about it, except walking around the city at night, and trying to find your way back to your hotel in the dark. It should also be noted that the beginning and end of the tour are in totally different locations.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Christine,
While we appreciate your taking our tour, your review is simply not true. We even worked with you to move your tour to another date (so the larger tour you took was of your own choosing). Though Viator wasn’t allowing you to move your tour, we did, though we didn’t have to. Less than ten minutes of the tour discusses the founding of Savannah and the difficulties of the original settlers. We spend time discussing one battle (not the “battles on the ground” you noted), and if there’s one thing I’ve never been accused of until today, it’s being quiet. We actually do offer the tour during the day, though you chose a night tour. If you wanted daytime pictures, why in the world would you take a night tour? That’s not my fault!
Worse yet, you said this tour was supposed to be about “Savannah’s haunted history.” Nothing could be further from the truth. The first question I asked the group was whether you understood this wasn’t a ghost tour. That info is all over our website as well. This tour isn’t supposed to be scary. Unlike many of Savannah’s ghost tours, there’s nothing made up on this tour. Had you told me then that you thought you had signed up for a ghost tour, I would’ve refunded you on the spot, and you could’ve joined one of them. In fact, had you emailed me afterward with that info, I still likely would’ve refunded you. Instead, you attended the full tour, said nothing when offered a chance to object, and left a false review on TripAdvisor.
It’s one thing if you didn’t enjoy the tour, it’s another to come here and lie about it. We’re proudly Savannah’s only fact-based Dark tour. Next time, we recommend taking a ghost tour.
Great tour with lots of cool factual history about Savannah’s dark past. The walk wasn’t bad at all, and our guide was super friendly and engaging.
We truly enjoyed this tour. Accurate history is not always pleasant and Savannah is no stranger to this. No ghost stories needed to feel your spine tingle. We love the macabre and mystery in the surroundings. Thank you for an enjoyable experience. Would highly recommend.
The guide was very knowledgeable on his history and open to answer all questions. He was extremely kind and passionate about Savannah.
From $29.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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