Are you a fan of spooky stories? If so, this tour of spirit-studded Savannah is the tour for you! As you walk through this beautiful, historic city, you’ll encounter tales of phantoms of the Civil War and the yellow fever epidemic, ghosts of kidnapped sailors, and apparitions of children haunting world-famous mansions.
Download the TravelStorys app before you make the trip! The tour audio will trigger automatically as you approach each story site. (You can also enjoy the tour remotely and use it for trip-planning.)
You can’t miss the 16,000-square foot pink Greek Revival and Regency-style gem across the street from Madison Square. The Sorrel Weed House stands out even in a city of towering buildings. But it’s the house’s history—not its fine details—that draws ghost hunters by the thousands each year.
The Hamilton-Turner Inn is rumored to have inspired none other than Walt Disney’s Haunted Mansion. One old-timer remembers seeing Disney himself sitting on a bench outside, sketching this place. Though most historians don’t buy this legendary Disney connection, they have a hard time debunking the ever-growing collection of ghost stories here at one of Savannah’s most opulent mansions.
Many call this cemetery Savannah’s most haunted place. Fewer than a thousand markers exist there, but they mark some ten thousand graves, cradling the victims of yellow fever and countless duels. Many Revolutionary War soldiers, statesmen and even a signer of the Declaration of Independence repose here. But their stories are often eclipsed by the cemetery’s many tales of darkness. Night after night, visitors report dark shadows of human form and a ghoulish, green-tinted mist that moves with an intelligence of its own amid the broken stones and moonlight. But there is one phantom here that overshadows all others: the treacherous spirit of Rene Asche Rondolier.
Many chefs are super protective of their kitchens, but none as much as the headstrong head cook at the 17Hundred90 Inn. She’s said to rattle pots, jangle utensils and stare down the understaff. And—oh yeah—she’s a ghost.
Visitors staying at this romantic bed-and-breakfast frequently report the spirits of two of Savannah’s saddest legends: the ghostly twins of The Kehoe House. The playful apparitions are heard running and laughing, and they are known to lock guests in their rooms and bathrooms.
Some of this city’s most truly terrifying paranormal phenomena have been reported at the Marshall House, which opened in 1851. Built by local real estate investor and philanthropist Mary Marshall, it’s considered by architectural historians to be the finest of the many structures she brought to Savannah. But it’s become known today as one of the most haunted hotels on Earth.
A dark cloud seemed to hang over this once boarding house, built in 1796, but the structure’s haunting history really began in 1963, when it was purchased by a local man named Jim Williams.
One of the most notorious saloons in Savannah history, The Pirates’ House was plagued by the kidnapping of men to serve on ship crews in the 1850s. Boarding masters, or “crimps,” as they were called, were paid for each man they brought onboard the ships—whether he was conscious or not. Countless unsuspecting locals and travelers stopped in here for a drink or two, only to wake up hours or even days later on board a boat in the middle of the ocean. They were given one choice by the captains who had bought them: work or walk the plank.
In the 19th century, the big warehouses along Savannah's waterfront were home to a booming cotton industry. The walkways were built to help cotton brokers move easily between the upper floors of the warehouses and the city, which was built on a bluff. These brokers were called “factors.” But while the cotton trade thrived, even during the ravaging Civil War, this area of Savannah hosted another, much darker business: the slave trade. Ghost hunters in Savannah are drawn, specifically, to the vaults, or caverns, behind the arched openings along Factors Walk. Legend says that men, women and children were held in those vaults before being sold to American enslavers.
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This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
You will not receive a refund if you cancel.
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