Halloween in America’s Most Haunted City
When our youngest son recently moved to Georgia’s oldest city, we decided a Halloween visit would be an early necessity. Savannah finds itself firmly atop most listings of America’s Most Haunted Cities. And, we (mostly Jackie) love to be scared.
Although we were unable to lure any spirits to interact with us, we visited plenty of the city’s scariest spots. We were regaled with many truly fascinating stories, some of which might actually have been true… Just for good measure, we added a few more modern scare opportunities. All of this in a whirlwind 48 hours…
Just to be clear, we had two nights in Savannah. There are approximately four million different haunted experiences in the city, so we sampled only a small percentage. Our son, Sean did a lot of the research and affirmed that they were “good enough” for Mom. They have dragged me to Halloween Horror Nights multiple times, so it’s no surprise a few similar haunted trails/houses were planned.
Grave Encounters Tour
Our first reservation was on the Grave Encounters Tour. Our pregame prep for the tour was to sample a few local pubs. We hit Rusty Rudders and Dubs Pub, two joints with plenty of beers on tap. We got a little local advice on which haunted places we should visit, and enjoyed the festive Halloween décor, which seemed prominent throughout the city.
Jackie and I grabbed a drink to go and strolled through the city towards our tour. After checking in, we climbed aboard the “trolley” where we were given an overview of the tour, and a contact person to use should we need an exorcism – very thoughtful. Apparently the lonely spirits are prone to hitching themselves to facial hair on men. This was one time I was thankful for my shiny dome. We pulled out and started our ninety-minute journey.
The tour was entertaining and our guide fascinated us with continuous stories about the places we passed and the spirits who had lived there previously. We heard sad stories of infanticide, suicide, kidnapping, war atrocities, yellow fever and more. The stories were truly captivating, and also helped us nail down our destinations for the following evening. The actual mansion that inspired Walt Disney’s Haunted House, is also on the route. The entire group was also able to disembark and tour a haunted art gallery – not scary, but some cool paintings.
Our storyteller was excellent, and we also had two guest spirits hop on the trolley to share their tales of woe, as we circled the city. It was a cool twist, and apparently the two characters change from tour to tour, always offering a different experience for guests.
Colonial Park Cemetery
Smack dab in the middle of Savannah’s historical district sits the city’s oldest and most haunted cemetery. In Colonial Park Cemetery, graves date back to the mid-1700’s and are dominated by markers from the early 1800’s. The gates lock up before dark, so we didn’t enjoy the full spooky experience. Still, it was particularly haunting viewing the many aboveground family crypts. These resting places were for families devastated by Yellow Fever more than 200 years earlier. The cemetery was particularly haunting envisioning the numerous victims believed to be accidentally buried alive while in a comatose state.
There was a time when Yellow Fever victims were buried with a string tied to a bell, in the sad case that they regained consciousness six-feet under. The idea was that they’d pull the string, ring the bell and attract rescuers. Hence the expression “saved by the bell.”
Moon River Brewery and The Pirates’ House
We planned happy hour and dinner for the most haunted brewery and restaurant respectively.
Our bartender at Moon River (“Your favorite local haunt”) shared stories of the various methods of hauntings at their place, including doors mysteriously opening in his presence. Without prior reservations, we were unable to tour the upstairs area or basement, which are reportedly the two most haunted portions of the building. It’s a cool joint that dates back to 1821, when it originally opened as Savannah’s first hotel and post office. Go there to grab a tasty local beer and to look around, but make sure you pre-book a tour in advance if you want to wander on the other levels.
The Pirates House actually predates the brewery by about 50 years. Developed as an inn during the 1750’s, it became a haunt for local pirates who frequented the city via the river one block away. We were able to tour this sprawling facility, and got to peek down two passageways to tunnels beneath the building. One tunnel was infamous for it’s unsavory purpose. The shaft was used to lure unsuspecting travelers (ok, drunks) downstairs for a drink, where they’d be knocked out, then drug through the tunnels to a boat waiting on the river. There, they’d be forced to work as a crew member, or walk the plank. One of the locations they were sailing to was Shanghai. Now you know where the term “being shanghaied” originated.
We did eat at the Pirates House, too, and found their food to be tasty with a distinctive Southern Pirate flair. Our bartender/server was great and entertaining. No ghosts or interactions were noticed, but a few hours later it felt like an evil spirit had settled into my digestive track.
Alee Shriners Terror Plantation
Reading through the description and strong reviews, this seemed like a great opportunity for Jackie to get her HHN fix. The attraction was a few miles outside of the city, but definitely worth a trip. The wait was about sixty minutes but didn’t seem too harsh, as the staff working the event were friendly and accommodating. The art and imagery throughout were topnotch and the experience lasted about ten minutes. The actors looked scary and played their parts well, but there were truly precious few scare-worthy moments. Nonetheless, we all agreed we’d do this again next year – definitely worth the $15 fee.
Haunted Forest at Moose Lodge
Another haunted trail with excellent reviews was our last stop on our Savannah haunted weekend. It required a ride outside of the city that we’d gladly take again. Jackie and Sean both agreed that this was the scariest event of the weekend. “Scarier than anything at Halloween Horror Nights,” was Jackie’s direct quote as she staggered out. It was also about ten minutes of entertainment through a dark wooded area with a plethora of scare actors. The “walk” required navigating through a few decision points including entering a room and choosing the right door to exit. Bottom line: there really wasn’t a best answer, as all choices led to chaos. The trail was done well, and the staff here was killer, too. Lots of nice people. $20 and worth every cent.
As we drove back late that night, we stopped and viewed a handful of amazingly well-decorated local Halloween Mansions. Think of the most exquisitely decorated Christmas houses and replace Santa and Rudolph with Jason and ghosts. This city takes Halloween and haunting seriously, and it was a nice relaxing way to end our thrill-filled 48 hours.
If you love Halloween and hauntings/ghosts, Savannah needs to be on your list. We sampled just a small portion of what is available for guests, so do your homework and give yourself at least two or three days to explore.
Bob and Jackie
Sunshine Vagabonds
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A quick drive-by of one of our favorite decorated homes: