Located on a bluff overlooking Savannah, Bonaventure is the most famous among the city's grave attractions. The cemetery rose to notoriety when it was featured in the best-selling novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. A walking tour of Bonaventure will take you through 160 acres of history including a piano-shaped headstone, the statue of Little Gracie and unmarked graves.
Sixth Sense Savannah and Savannah Walks conducts a daily walking tour of Bonaventure Cemetery. The cemetery is still in operation so visitors should be respectful of the grounds and other visitors. Tour guests should wear comfortable shoes and bring along drinking water.
Buried beneath the botanical surface of Colonial Park Cemetery are some of Savannah's oldest residents. The cemetery, located in the historic district, opened in the late 1700s and closed for burials in 1853. During its short history the cemetery became the final resting place for yellow fever victims, those fallen during Savannah's dueling period and one disfigured ghost named Renee. Being located in the central historic district most of Savannah's walking tours visit Colonial Park. Companies offering walking ghost tours are America by Foot, Savannah Walks, Hauntings Tours, SeeSavannah, Sixth Sense Savannah and Savannah Belle Walking Tour.
Divided by a highway and racial lines, Laurel Grove Cemetery has been Savannah's primary cemetery since 1850. The northern section contains whites and confederate buried soldiers and the southern, slaves and freed blacks.The grounds are filled with shade trees, grand mausoleums, simple headstones and wrought iron gates. L
ocated on the west side of Savannah, the cemetery has only one tour conducted by the Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum and this is only a short stop on their African-American tour. For those interested in their own tours the City of Savannah Department of Cemeteries offers downloadable maps and a listing of cemetery records to help create individual walking tours. The park is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and admission is free.
Savannah's historical downtown is best taken in by foot. Tree-shaded cobblestone streets lead to history, romance and some spooky tales. A number of local companies offer themed, mostly ghost, walking tours in the historic district. Savannah Walks offers a Civil War, historic homes, ghosts, gardens and pub tours. America by Foot offers a two Savannah tours, historical homes and ghosts, which last 90 minutes. Other walking tours are available from SeeSavannah, Sixth Sense Savannah, Hauntings Tour and Savannah Belle Walking Tour.
