Genteel & Bard

Savannah ghost and history walks with headsets

Genteel & Bard runs its own walking tours in Savannah, Georgia, and nowhere else. The tours page calls it "a family owned Savannah Company," and the main offices are listed at 24 East Liberty Street, Savannah, GA 31401. It sells a ghost tour, a history tour, a ladies-only ghost tour and private tours, all on foot; the private tours page says "all of our tours are outside and are 100% walking." Prices are in US dollars.

The company's signature is sound. "We're Savannah's audio-enhanced walking ghost tour company," the tours page says. "Your guide wears a mic so you can hear him loud and clear through your complimentary earbuds and our wireless receivers," which "work up to 100 feet from your guide." The site adds that, "unlike the awkward silence walking between locations with other companies, our audio devices allow for a continuously immersive storytelling experience," and says you "won't get stuck in a giant group unable to hear your guide."

The tours

Dark History & Ghost Encounter Tour. This is the flagship, at $35 per person and for ages 13 and up only. The site calls it "Savannah's creepiest, professionally curated, highest-quality, interactive ghost-walking experience," and compares it to "that fun feeling of watching a scary movie with your friends." You hear "tales of Savannah's dark history and the ghost lore that resulted," along with "accounts of modern day paranormal encounters." The page is frank about ghosts: "we can't guarantee you'll see a ghost while on our tour - we've tried, but they just won't perform on demand." It also warns: "Reservations Required. Tours SELL OUT."

Savannah History Tour. Adults (15 and up) pay $30 and kids $20. The homepage calls it a "critically-acclaimed walking tour covering the fascinating history and cultural heritage of Savannah," and suggests it as "a great way to get a lay of the land right from the start of your Savannah vacation." It argues that the best parts of the city "you can only get to them on foot." The same page sets out the company's aim: to honor "the academic study and preservation of accurate history, as well as the poetic and fantastical art of storytelling."

Boujie Boo's Ghost Tour. A ghost walk "for Bachelorettes & Ladies' Groups," described as "too dark (and too fun) for daylight." The rules are specific: "This tour is curated for WOMEN only. We kindly ask no men on this tour," and "all guests must be 21+ years of age." It is "a general group tour designated for multiple parties, and is available Fridays & Saturdays." Guests bring their own cocktails, but city law requires "an open plastic container, no larger than a 16 oz cup," and "cans, bottles, Stanley cups, and Big Gulps, are not allowed." Anyone who arrives "overtly intoxicated" is turned away without a refund, as is anyone who becomes intoxicated enough to disturb the peace. The page also asks guests to "wear cute flats," since historic streets "are difficult to navigate in heels." A price for this tour is not shown on its page.

The hosts

The tours page promises "the best public historian hosts in Savannah," which it calls "career storytellers with years of five-star experience." The hosts page introduces them. T.C. Michaels is co-founder and "chief experiential curator," an author and public historian with a BFA from the North Carolina School of the Arts, who has worked as a radio host in Savannah, Atlanta, Nashville's WSM AM Grand Ole Opry and Los Angeles, and who hosts both the history and ghost tours "when he gets the opportunity." The page also mentions he is "a huge Savannah Ghost Pirates hockey fan." Jovianny Berrios is a public historian, historical interpreter and storyteller with a BFA in Film & Television from SCAD, whose family has lived in Puerto Rico "for over 250 years"; the page says "he will talk your ear off in Spanish if you give him the chance."

Private tours

Private tours run Monday to Saturday for "4-30 guests." The site explains: "The City of Savannah restricts walking groups to 30 guests per group. If you have more than 30 guests we'll be happy to split the group into two." To book, you text or email with your date and party size, and a representative calls back. Dogs are welcome, and alcohol is allowed for guests 21 and up under the same plastic-cup rule. Transport to and from the tour is up to you.

Weather, lateness and refunds

The terms differ by tour, so read the right page. For private tours: tours "continue in a light rain," a weather cancellation means you can rebook or request a refund, and "tours are not refunded within 24 hours of your tour's starting time." For Boujie Boo's the window is longer: "not refunded within 48 hours of your tour's starting time for ANY reason" unless the company cancels, and flight delays within 24 hours do not qualify. Both pages ask you to arrive 10 minutes early. Late guests get a 15-minute window on private tours and a 5-minute window on Boujie Boo's before the host leaves. The phone number is (912) 373-6651.

The homepage says the company is "proud to be ranked in the top 1% of TripAdvisor's U.S. Cultural and Historic Experiences," and the tours page says it was "named by Afar Magazine among the world's spookiest ghost tours."

What the site leaves open, and who it suits

The site does not state how long the ghost or history tours last, where they meet, or what the refund window is for the public ghost and history tours. It gives no accessibility information beyond the fact that every tour is fully walking.

In its favor: clear prices and age rules, headsets that solve the common problem of not hearing the guide, detailed and honest terms, and named hosts with real backgrounds. Genteel & Bard suits visitors to Savannah who want ghost stories with history behind them, bachelorette groups looking for a night out with a theme, and families with teenagers who want a history walk early in the trip.