Columbia Square: Our most recommended tours and activities

Savannah: Ghosts and Gravestones Tour with Low House Entry

1. Savannah: Ghosts and Gravestones Tour with Low House Entry

Board the “Trolley of the Doomed” in Savannah for a guided sightseeing trolleybus around America's most haunted city. Look out for ghoulish creatures and venture inside both the haunted Andrew Low House and the haunted 19th Century shipping warehouse Perkins and Sons Ship Chandlery. Old Town Trolley Tours invites you to explore Savannah’s darker side mixed in with a good dose of humor. Hear tales no other tours will dare tell you, as the shadows play gentle tricks with your mind. Journey through time, and hear ghoulish legends of murder and intrigue. The tour starts down on the Savannah Waterfront and travels though the many historic squares located in the heavily haunted Savannah Historic District, such as Columbia Square, Wright Square, Telfair Square & Lafayette Square. Naturally there are also stories relating to the Colonial Park Cemetery. A highlight of the tour is entry into the haunted home of one of the most prestigious Savannah families – the Andrew Low House. Here you will learn tales of the unrest still in the home, as well as personal experiences of both staff and guests. Another highlight is a visit inside Perkins and Sons Ship Chandlery, a haunted 19th Century shipping warehouse restored from an era long past. Here you will experience the stories and legends of the Savannah Waterfront and River Street over the centuries. Other sites you will pass and hear spine-chilling stories about are the Olde Harbour Inn, the Pirate’s House, the 1790 Inn, the Hamilton-Turner Inn, and the Telfair Academy of Arts & Sciences.

Savannah: History and Sightseeing Trolley Tour

2. Savannah: History and Sightseeing Trolley Tour

This 90-minute trolley bus tour is one of the most entertaining ways to get to know the beautiful city of Savannah. Get a fully narrated sightseeing tour, by costumed guides, of one of the largest National Urban Historic Landmarked Districts in the United States. Be guided through more than 270 years of American history, as you journey through Savannah’s historic districts. Ride along cobblestone streets, beneath moss-draped oaks, and experience the Old South with her stately mansions, beautiful squares, romantic riverfront, and abundance of artifacts. The tour departs daily, 7 days a week, every 15-20 minutes from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM, giving you plenty of options of when to take your tour.

Historic Downtown Savannah: Guided Segway Tour

3. Historic Downtown Savannah: Guided Segway Tour

Glide along the streets of Savannah on a guided tour for either 60 or 90 minutes, seeing some of the city’s most beautiful and mystifying historical sites. Receive training on operating the Segway, get fitted with a helmet and radio, and then head out on the tour route with an experienced guide. Visit sites where Union soldiers fought and see the home where General William T. Sherman stayed while in Savannah on his march to the sea. Experience the rich history of Savannah while also getting to see the fun and modern side. See the bench where Forrest Gump shared his box of chocolates. Put yourself into the famous bus scene from Forrest Gump and learn a few Hollywood secrets that only the locals know about. Ride around the sites from other movies including Something to Talk About, and The Conspirator. See the lovely Mercer-Williams home from the famous book, and later the movie, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, and hear the true story of Mr. Jim Williams. Savannah is known as one of the most haunted cities in America. Ride past some of the haunted homes and hear the stories of their ghostly residents. Continue on past a cemetery as your guide entertains you with stories and reveals which significant historic figure is buried there. The Segway allows you an effortless way to see the Spanish moss hanging from the majestic live oaks, and some of the ironwork found all around the city, such as iron street signs, banisters, and even a beautiful wrought iron sunflower door. Admire the original antebellum architecture, the monuments, war cannons, and fountains that grace the beautiful squares throughout the city. The 90-minute tour option includes a visit to either the Harper Fowlkes House or the Webb Military Museum.

Savannah: Pub Crawl and Ghost Tour

4. Savannah: Pub Crawl and Ghost Tour

The Haunted Savannah Pub Crawl meets at 7:30 pm in Madison Square. To begin, this walking tour takes you through the Historic District of Savannah. Savannah is considered to be one of the most haunted cities in the country, and this tour takes you in many directions to understand the twists and turns that make up the oddities that happen here on a daily basis. As you begin the tour you will stop off for a beverage of your choice at a local pub and, since Savannah has an open container law, you are able to walk the streets with any type of beverage. Stay hydrated and enjoy the evening tales of this city.

Savannah: Historic District Guided Bike Tour

5. Savannah: Historic District Guided Bike Tour

Travel back in time for a tour with a local guide and discover life in Savannah, Georgia, from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s. Pick from a variety of bikes and cycle at your leisure around the Historic District, stopping at Forsyth Park, Jones Street, and more for fun lessons in American history. Groups of all sizes, ages, and skill levels are welcome. Your guide will help you find the bike that’s most comfortable for you before setting off. Follow your guide through the safest cycling routes in the city, past quaint streets and ancient buildings. Enjoy an easy pace that lets you stop to smell the magnolias. Admire the gothic Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist. Next, pass Chippewa Square and find Forrest Gump’s famous bench. Continue to Jones Street, named one of the most beautiful residential streets in America by Southern Living Magazine. Learn about Savannah’s significance in US history with stops at Mercer Williams House Museum, Hamilton-Turner House, and Green-Meldrim House. Explore Forsyth Park and learn about the statues and fountains that make it beautiful. Stop at Wright Square, City Market, Washington Square, and Columbia Square and see vibrant city life.If that’s not enough, you can opt to keep your bike for the rest of the day. Get tips and maps from your guide to find even more gems around Savannah.

Savannah: Historical Panoramic City Tour

6. Savannah: Historical Panoramic City Tour

Enjoy a 360-degree panoramic tour of historic Savannah from the comfort of a convertible Mercedes Sprinter. Whether the roof is open or closed, you’ll enjoy a full view of the city’s beauty from side to side and above. The 360-degree view is perfect to admire the many church steeples and oak trees of Savannah's Old Town. The adventure tells the colorful story of the city’s past, and the route will take you to the city's main squares. Listen as your guide shares stories of the colorful characters that have made the city so inviting to visitors from all over the world. James Oglethorpe, Johnny Mercer, Juliette Low, Tomochichi, and many others have left their footprint around the squares of Savannah. Mansions, churches, parks, monuments, as well as City Market and River Street will all be viewed comfortably from the bucket seats of the Mercedes panoramic touring coach. Savannah’s Starland District is also included in this tour.

Savannah: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil Walk

7. Savannah: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil Walk

Who would have thought that a story about characters in a sleepy Southern enclave would have created the stir that John Berendt did with his non-fiction novel "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil"? Even the rumors whispered beneath dripping Spanish moss are enough to make a man blush, and it's all true! Just another day in this eccentric city? Savannah Walks is proud to present A Walk through Midnight, a saunter through the pages of Berendt's runaway 1994 bestseller, which Clint Eastwood made into a film in 1997. Guides offer personal insights and observations, as well as recently unearthed stories about the characters in what the people of Savannah have come to call "the book." Some of the guides were even extras in the movie! The guides also have special items of interest to show you along the way. Who knows? On some days you might even see some of the actual characters strolling about the city! No other "book tour" gets you as close as this!

Savannah: History and Southern Hospitality Homes Walk

8. Savannah: History and Southern Hospitality Homes Walk

The image of genteel Southern culture may or may not have been born in Savannah, but it surely lives on in this aristocratic city. This enchanting walk through the heart of the Historic District takes you inside one of Savannah's many beautiful historic homes, and focuses on the rich architectural heritage of the city's domestic dwellings. One place you'll see on this tour is the Owens-Thomas House, widely regarded as the premier example of regency architecture in the United States. You'll also see the Green Meldrim House, where General William T. Sherman was a "guest" during the Civil War. Other house highlights include discussions on the development of domestic dwellings in Savannah over two centuries. The tour includes admission to the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace, consecrated as Savannah's first National Historic Landmark to honor the founder of the Girl Scouts.

Savannah: Old Squares GPS Audio Guided Walking Tour

9. Savannah: Old Squares GPS Audio Guided Walking Tour

Embark on a step-by-step tour through the old squares of Savannah by following a GPS audio guide on your smartphone. Hear about the important history, stories, and filming locales of the city and discover the Telfair museum, Tomochichi's memorial, the founding of the Girl Scouts, and more. Walk through the original old town of Savannah at your own pace, guided by a GPS application on your phone. Appreciate a more convenient and better storyteller than a live guide and stop and start as you please along the tour. Find out about Savannah's founding, its buildings, churches, and squares. Take a moment to enter into the Telfair museum, where Forest Gump was filmed, and learn about the origins of the Girl Scouts. Discover Tomochichi's memorial in Wright Square and learn of the important relationship between the settlers and native peoples of America at the time. Take the option to stop the tour and browse the shops and squares, or get something to eat at a local restaurant. When you're ready to start again, just go to your last location and open the app. If you find yourself wondering more about a certain spot, click the Go Deeper button and uncover further insights into the monument.

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What people are saying about Columbia Square

Overall rating

4.6 / 5

based on 1,802 reviews

We met up with Gregg and a couple other people in the park. Gregg was very friendly, and knowledgeable. He made the whole tour very interesting, and it felt like he was telling a story. The history on these historical buildings is amazing. I wish this had been the way my history classes were taught in school. I would have retained a lot more. I highly recommend this tour! My husband and I had great time!

My friend and I just LOVED this walking tour. It was worth SO much more than what we paid. Brad was a very interesting guide. It was so interesting to learn some little known facts about the characters in the story and the filming of the movie. Thank you, thank you!!

Enjoyed the narration, ride was comfortable & period stops with actors renditions were a real plus.

Awesome tour. Neil was great. Thanks for a great evening.

the guid/driver was very enthusiastic in doing her job.