Bonaventure Cemetery Scenic History Art Symbols and Film Tour
Description
Since 2002, Shannon Scott and his gifted guides have shown visitors not just a cemetery, but an ancient burial ground transformed into an 18th-century riverside plantation, now a Victorian cemetery. You'll be awestruck by the beauty and characters buried here, but will marvel at the hidden meanings of esoteric, religious symbols adorning grave art, and how much of it connects to Savannah and our everyday lives. As much as this is a history buff's deluxe day out, Bonaventure is a haven for wildlife with over 100 daily bird species! It's not unusual to see varieties of owls, hawks, eagles, but also foxes and, at times, dolphins in the river! While a photographer's dream tour, for our film buffs, Bonaventure as a filming location stretches back to the Silent Film Era all the way up to modern-day Film & TV, and of course, is central to everything inspirational to Midnight In The Garden of Good and Evil! By tour's end, you'll feel like a mini-expert and glad for the adventure!
Tour Options
Itinerary
Host Shannon Scott or his highly-rated protégé stroll you through Bonaventure Cemetery's most coveted historic sections with detailed stops covering stories of the famed dead, statues, symbolism, burial rites, plant life and much more. Gravesites generally include Johnny Mercer, Conrad Aiken, Little Gracie, and locations particular to setting for Midnight In The Garden of Good & Evil.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Please check your Parking & Meeting Instructions
- Wheelchair accessible, but there are uneven surfaces that may require a helper
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
Reviews(890)
Meredith was great! Very knowledgeable and witty!
Glad to hear Meredith a great impression and will certainly pass along your compliments thank you.
Our tour guide, Pascal, was extremely knowledgeable of the subject matter and was very engaging as a guide. He is a long-time resident of Savannah with family buried in the cemetery and his enthusiasm for the subject matter and love of the city really shine through. It was a great way to learn the true history of Savannah going waaaaay back in an interesting and entertaining way. We would all definitely go back for more. The cemetery itself is also interesting and beautiful.
Greg! This is a review which in our camp we call Suitable For Framing! And you paint a fine portrait of your experience with Paschal Miller if you don't mind us saying! He's turned touring into an art form and Savannah and our team, incredibly blessed for this unique talent and rare soul that he is! Naturally we hope you'll pursue a tour with him downtown or on his personal favorite, Laurel Grove Cemetery or The Hidden Gem tour as it's known! You'll be glad you did as he turns it up a few notches! Thank you again and we'll share your generous words with him and our team!
Hannah is such a knowledgeable and fantastic guide! I booked this tour at the last minute and it turned out to be the highlight of my trip. Highly recommend, definitely worth every penny! ❤️
Hannah Welling was a wonderful guide yesterday morning! There were 4 people on our tour that lasted about 2 hours. Unique stories and symbolism of grave sites and The Book. Would recommend highly!
Laura, isn't Hannah, just an absolute doll? We're so beyond lucky to have this history, story and art savant on our team and are so pleased you had such a delightful outing with her as your guide! We'll share your blessing of a review with her and our team! Next time you're in town, try and catch her on our Wandering Historians city tour!
Paschal was awesome! He was engaging smart and knowledgeable of the cemetery
Chef, how apropos that you left such a positive review about your time with Paschal in Bonaventure on the cemetery's 180th Birthday! That's good fortune upon all of us! Thank you again and be sure to check out Paschal in his other tour capacities next visit!
Hannah was awesome. So knowledgeable and enthusiastically explained everything.
Anthony, your review was just shared today with Hannah and our storyist team! We're so glad she was more than up to snuff and inspired a few words here for all to consider as they seek out similar adventures while in Savannah. Hannah is a rising star and as a company we're almost in disbelief how luck we are for her in our company! Take good care and check out her Wandering Historians tour next visit!
Great walking tour of the cemetary. Pascal was a wonderful guide and very knowledgeable and friendly. He shared much about the cemetary, the people buried there and the symbolism everywhere. Highly recommend!
Jakim, and hope I have that right, your review of Paschal is just a delight and while we're not at all surprised by it, we'll never take it for granted and always feel rewarded to know someone like yourself had such a great time with him! He's proof that our goals and standards for our guests are more than intact! Be sure to request him for his Laurel Grove Cemetery Hidden Gem Tour or Wandering Historians Tour next time as he shines there, too. Thank you, again!
Very informative and engaging tour of this beautiful cemetery. Paschal was very knowledgeable, funny and showed us neat little things that we would’ve never noticed without him. I would definitely recommend this tour with him to anyone.
Paschal was terrific, his knowledge is extensive and his commentary was in-depth and so interesting. He welcomed questions and was so amiable and courteous, the 2 hours with him just flew by. Of all the tours guides we engaged during our Savannah visit, he was hands-down the best; our only regret is that we didn't have more time to spend with him. Simply the best!!!
Our tour guide was Paschal and he was amazing! He knows his stuff and he has great energy and a personality to boot. You can tell he truly loves what he does and his home city. He was EXTREMELY knowledgeable and one of those people you would love to have a drink with and just listen to him tell stories for hours. Something tells me he’s got MANY good ones to share! I’ve never called a Cemetery a magical place before, but Bonaventure is. It’s stunning. Full of history. Either get there early or plan to stay after, because it is massive and I promise you’ll want to explore more than what the tour time allows. Take the tour, you won’t regret it. Paschal we’ll be seeing you again! - Two Mainers
