90 Minute Historic Savannah Walking Haunted Bar Pub Crawl

Savannah’s old squares are at their best after dark, when cemetery gates, church towers, and grand homes take on a more curious mood. This walk mixes ghost tales with real Savannah history, from yellow fever and Civil War hospitals to famous duels, fires, and tragic families.

I like the compact evening schedule and the way the route uses important city landmarks rather than keeping you inside a bar. I also like the personal storytelling, especially when guide Craig leads the group. The main caution is that this is more of a historic ghost walk with drinks than a nonstop pub crawl, and the tour may last closer to two hours than the advertised 90 minutes.

What makes this Savannah walk different

• Colonial Park Cemetery after dark: Hear about yellow fever, mass graves, duels, and the unsettling claim that some people were buried alive.
• Seven history-heavy stops: The route connects cemeteries, churches, squares, homes, bars, and a former Civil War hospital.
• Craig’s personal stories: Craig is named in several accounts and is praised for humor, local details, and strong storytelling.
• Drinks are extra: You buy your own alcoholic beverages, so you control how much you spend.
• A flexible evening length: The stated time is 90 minutes to two hours, making it easy to fit around dinner or another night activity.
• A small-to-moderate group: The maximum is 30 people, which is manageable but not especially intimate.

A ghost walk that begins with Savannah’s darker side

This is not a theatrical haunted house tour. It is a walking tour through the old city, with spooky stories attached to places that already carry plenty of history.

The guide connects Savannah’s ghost lore to real events: epidemics, fires, murders, suicides, military conflict, and sudden deaths. That approach gives the stories some weight. You are not simply being told that a building is haunted. You are hearing why local legends grew around it.

The tour begins at 7:15 pm at Chippewa Square. The published route includes Colonial Park Cemetery, the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Hamilton-Turner House, Madison Square, Original Pinkie Masters, Chippewa Square, and McDonough’s Restaurant and Lounge. Since Chippewa Square is also listed as a stop, confirm the exact meeting instructions in your booking confirmation.

Your guide is a trained, certified tour guide. Craig is the named guide associated with several outings, and his style appears to be conversational, humorous, and personal. That matters here. Ghost stories depend less on grand production than on timing, voice, and knowing when to let a strange detail sit for a moment.

Colonial Park Cemetery sets the mood

Colonial Park Cemetery is one of the strongest stops because it gives the tour a real sense of place right away. It is described as Savannah’s last remaining Colonial Period cemetery above ground, and its stories are more troubling than the usual haunted-house material.

You hear about yellow fever plagues and large pit graves. The tour also covers famous duels, unhappy love stories, and people who may have been buried before they were truly dead. The warning to watch where you walk is part of the fun, but it also points to a serious fact about Savannah: the modern city was built over layers of earlier burials.

The stop lasts about 10 minutes and has no separate admission charge. That short length is probably right. A cemetery can set the mood quickly, and a long lecture here could make the evening feel heavy before it gets moving.

If you are sensitive to stories about disease, mass death, or premature burial, pay attention to the tone. This is not a light collection of campfire tales. The material includes real suffering, even when the guide presents it with humor.

Gothic stone and St. Patrick’s Day tradition

The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist gives the walk a change of pace. Instead of a cemetery or haunted house, you get one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in the United States.

The guide points out the cathedral’s place in Savannah life, including the tradition of beginning St. Patrick’s Day with Mass there. The stop is scheduled for about 15 minutes and does not include a separate admission fee.

This is a useful pause in the route. The cathedral adds architecture and religious history to an evening that could otherwise lean too hard on murder and ghosts. You should expect to hear about the building from the outside as part of the walking route, not assume that an interior visit is included.

Hamilton-Turner House and the Midnight Garden connection

The Hamilton-Turner House brings literary fame into the evening. The home has a connection to Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, the book that helped push Savannah’s strange characters and old houses into the wider public eye.

The guide also tells stories of accidental deaths, murder, and spirits said to remain around the property. The scheduled stop is about 15 minutes, enough time for a few stories and some context without turning the tour into a formal house visit.

This stop will appeal to anyone who enjoys the overlap between real places and popular storytelling. You get a famous Savannah address, local legends, and the sense that the city’s reputation was built through both history and carefully repeated tales.

Madison Square brings in war, heroes, and scandal

Madison Square adds some of Savannah’s strongest Civil War material. You hear about the Siege of Savannah and Sergeant William Jasper, remembered for his heroic actions. The guide also covers General Sherman’s 1864 stay at the Green-Meldrim House.

The stories then turn toward the Sorrell-Weed House and the sad fates of Francis Sorrell’s three wives. Suicides, hangings, and voodoo are part of the darker material connected with the property.

This is one of the stops where the tour’s mix of history and folklore is clearest. You are moving from documented military events to stories that have gained a more mysterious life over time. I find that combination more interesting than a tour that treats every ghost claim as proven fact.

The stop lasts about 10 minutes. Madison Square is also the location of Sergeant William Jasper’s statue, and the square sits across from the Sorrell home and near the DeSoto Hotel. That makes the setting easy to recognize as you walk.

Original Pinkie Masters adds local bar character

Original Pinkie Masters gives the walk its most social stop. The bar is linked to a friendship between former President Jimmy Carter and Pinkie Master, the owner and originator of the establishment.

The bar is also tied to Savannah’s St. Patrick’s Day habits, when locals traditionally start the morning with a Bloody Mary there. You get about 10 minutes at this stop, which is enough to hear the story and, depending on the group and timing, purchase a drink.

Keep your expectations clear. Your alcoholic beverages are not included, and the tour does not appear to provide a set round of drinks. You are responsible for your own purchases. That is actually useful for anyone who does not drink or wants to keep costs down.

One account described only three or four pub stops, despite the name pub crawl. That matches the overall shape of the route. Bars are part of the experience, but the main product is the storytelling walk.

Chippewa Square and the city built upon the dead

Chippewa Square is one of Savannah’s best-known public spaces and a natural place to discuss the city’s reputation as the City Built Upon The Dead. The guide explains how repeated fires, murders, suicides, and wars helped create the city’s paranormal reputation.

This stop includes stories about ghosts and orbs, bodies buried in the wall of a local bed-and-breakfast, and one of the oldest and most haunted theaters in the United States. The subject matter is broad, so this section may feel like a rapid collection of local legends rather than one single story.

The scheduled time is about 15 minutes. Since Chippewa Square is also the stated meeting location, arrive early and make sure you can identify the guide or group. The information provided gives a 7:15 pm start, but it does not provide a detailed recognition point such as a specific statue or corner.

McDonough’s closes with a former hospital

The final stop is McDonough’s Restaurant and Lounge, at 332 Bull Street. The building has served as a bar, restaurant, grocery store, and hospital for the Southern Army during the Civil War. That past gives the stop a grim edge, especially when the guide describes dying soldiers and blood throughout the building.

The story then shifts to a dissatisfied grocer and to Billy Lee, who operated the Savannah landmark for 40 years. Billy reportedly became frightened after moving into the apartment he built on the third floor.

This is a good closing location because it brings the ghost stories back to an ordinary working building. Savannah’s haunted reputation is not limited to mansions and cemeteries. Bars, shops, homes, and former hospitals all become part of the story.

The stop is scheduled for about 15 minutes. The tour ends here, so you can continue at the restaurant and lounge if you want to buy a drink or meal, but the provided details do not state that food or drinks are included.

How long the tour really takes

The advertised duration is 90 minutes to two hours. One account noted that the guide intended to conduct a 90-minute tour but went beyond two hours to give the group more time.

That extra time can be welcome if you enjoy stories and do not have a firm dinner reservation. It can also become a problem if you have theater tickets, a second tour, or a set bedtime. I would leave a little room after the scheduled finish instead of planning your evening too tightly.

The route is on foot through central Savannah. Public transportation is nearby, but the tour itself is a walking experience. Wear shoes that are comfortable for city streets, and bring what you normally need for an evening outdoors. The supplied details do not give a total walking distance.

The group maximum is 30 people. That is small enough for a guide to address the group, though it is not the close-knit feel of a private walk. A lively group can add to the fun, while a slow group can help explain why the route sometimes runs long.

What the mixed feedback means for your decision

The strongest praise centers on storytelling, local history, and the route through attractive parts of Savannah. Craig is repeatedly singled out for personal stories, humor, pacing, and details that are not always part of the standard tourist script.

The main criticism is also clear: some people expect more pub time. This is not a bar-to-bar crawl with a drink waiting at every stop. It is a historic walking tour with several tavern connections and optional drink purchases.

There is also one serious service concern involving a missed tour, a booking-record problem, and an unpleasant phone exchange. That appears to be an isolated account rather than a comment on the usual guiding style, but it is still worth taking seriously. Save your booking confirmation, arrive at the meeting point early, and contact the booking company promptly if anything goes wrong.

The overall rating provided is 3.5 out of 5 from 15 ratings. That fits the pattern: strong enthusiasm for the guide and content, with some concern about the pub-crawl balance and one major booking-service complaint.

Value, drinks, and who should book

No tour price is provided here, so I cannot judge the exact dollar value. I would measure the price against what you want from the evening. If you want a guide-led introduction to Savannah’s haunted history, several recognizable landmarks, and a few chances to buy drinks, the short format may work well.

If your priority is alcohol, the value is less certain because drinks cost extra and the route may stop at only three or four pubs. You are paying mainly for the guide and the stories, not for included beverages.

I would recommend this tour to:

• First-time visitors who want an evening orientation to central Savannah
• Couples and groups who enjoy ghost stories with real historical background
• People who prefer a short walking activity instead of a long formal tour
• Fans of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
• Anyone who wants to mix sightseeing with an optional drink

I would choose another activity if you want a serious architectural tour, a long cemetery visit, or a dedicated bar crawl with little history. This experience asks you to enjoy both sides of Savannah: the polished squares and the uncomfortable stories underneath them.

Should you book the 90-minute haunted pub crawl?

Book it if you want Savannah history with a spooky twist, and if you are happy to buy your own drinks along the way. The cemetery, cathedral, Civil War stories, Hamilton-Turner House, Pinkie Masters, and McDonough’s create a varied route rather than a string of identical ghost tales.

Go in expecting a walking history tour first and a pub crawl second. Arrive at Chippewa Square before 7:15 pm, keep your confirmation handy, and leave extra time in case the stories carry the group past 90 minutes. If that sounds like your kind of evening, the tour offers a practical way to see several important Savannah sites after dark.

FAQ

Where does the tour start?

The tour starts at Chippewa Square in Savannah, Georgia.

What time does the tour begin?

The stated start time is 7:15 pm.

How long does the tour last?

The listed duration is approximately 90 minutes to two hours.

Where does the tour end?

The tour ends at 332 Bull Street, Savannah, Georgia.

Are drinks included?

No. Alcoholic beverages are not included, and participants pay for their own drinks.

How many people can join the tour?

The maximum group size is 30 people.

What language is the tour offered in?

The tour is offered in English.

Is the tour led by a guide?

Yes. A trained, certified tour guide leads the experience. Craig is one guide associated with the tour.

Are service animals allowed?

Yes. Service animals are allowed.

Can I cancel for a full refund?

Yes. You can cancel up to 24 hours before the experience for a full refund.