Explore Savannah's Slavery to Freedom Guided Tour
Trace Savannah’s path from slavery to freedom with Gullah Geechee storyteller Sistah Patt
Duration
2 to 2.5 hours
Highlights
Explore Savannah’s historic landmarks and untold stories as you trace the journey from urban slavery to freedom. Walk with Gullah Geechee storyteller Sistah Patt over 2 to 2.5 hours, weather and traffic permitting.
- Follow stories of where West African slaves first arrived, were held, and were sold
- Visit River Street and Factors Walk on a guided walking tour
- Explore Johnson Square and other key sites tied to Savannah’s past
- Reflect at Laurel Grove Cemetery and learn the histories connected to the site
- Arrive 15 minutes early at 223 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd for check-in
- Plan for paid parking after the first free hour at the Savannah Visitor Center garage
Things to know
Late arrivals are not accommodated and will not receive a refund. Tour times are exact and may change due to local traffic conditions. Minimum numbers apply and the tour may be canceled if requirements aren’t met.
Cancellation Policy
Full refund with at least 24 hours notice. Full refund if the operator cancels due to severe weather or other unforeseen circumstances. No-shows or late arrivals are charged the full price.
FAQs
No. You cannot change your booking once the reservation is made.
Minimum numbers apply. If the tour is canceled because there aren’t enough passengers, you will be offered an alternative or a full refund.
Parking is available at 301 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd at the Savannah Visitor Center. It is free for the first hour, then $1 per hour after that.
Meeting details
More about Johnson Square
Johnson Square sits at the heart of Savannah's historic district, the oldest of the city's celebrated squares and a fitting starting point for understanding the layered story of slavery and freedom in the American South. Laid out in 1733 when General James Oglethorpe founded the colony of Georgia, Johnson Square has witnessed nearly three centuries of commerce, politics, and human struggle. On the Savannah Slavery and Freedom Guided Tour, this open green space becomes more than a pretty plaza shaded by live oaks: it becomes a doorway into the difficult truths and remarkable resilience that shaped the city you see today.
Standing in Johnson Square, your guide will help you read the landscape with fresh eyes, pointing out the buildings, banks, and monuments that surround you and explaining how this very ground was tied to the economy of slavery and, later, to the long fight for freedom and civil rights. You will hear stories of the enslaved Africans whose forced labor built much of early Savannah, alongside accounts of Black abolitionists, ministers, and entrepreneurs who carved out lives of dignity against staggering odds. The tour weaves Johnson Square into a broader walk through the historic district, contrasting its grand architecture with the human histories that grand architecture so often conceals, and connecting it to other significant sites where Savannah's Black community organized, worshipped, and resisted.
This experience is ideal for history lovers, families with curious teens, educators, and travelers who want their time in Savannah to mean something more than ghost stories and pralines. If you are drawn to honest, well-researched storytelling and prefer walking tours that treat their subject with depth and respect, Johnson Square is the perfect place to begin. By the time you leave, you will see Savannah, and Johnson Square in particular, not just as a beautiful Southern city but as a living archive of American memory.
