Savannah's Bonaventure Cemetery Walking Tour

Walk among moss-draped oaks and timeless tombs on this all-ages cemetery tour. From famous poets to folklore legends, Bonaventure is Savannah’s most storied resting place.

• Learn about the History of Bonaventure Cemetery
• Enjoy a peaceful walk through the cemetery
• Get to know some of the most famous 'residents'

Step beyond the gates of Bonaventure Cemetery and into a world where history, symbolism, and Southern Gothic legend intertwine. This 90-minute walking tour explores the most famous cemetery in Savannah—where ornate statuary and weathered headstones speak of love, loss, and the city’s relationship with death.

 Originally a plantation, Bonaventure became a cemetery in the 1800s and soon evolved into a Victorian “garden of the dead.” On this tour, you'll learn about the rituals of mourning, angelic guardians carved in stone, and cryptic grave symbols from sarcophagi to Masonic emblems.

 You'll meet some of Bonaventure’s most iconic residents, including “Little Gracie” Watson, whose lifelike statue remains one of the cemetery’s most visited sites; Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Conrad Aiken, whose tombstone invites visitors to sit and sip in his memory; and Johnny Mercer, the legendary lyricist behind “Moon River” and over 1,500 classic songs.

 You’ll also hear the tragic legend of Corinne Lawton, explore ghostly folklore, and discover the mysterious rituals said to have taken place in the “Garden of Good and Evil.” From voodoo priestesses to haunting sculptures like the famed Bird Girl, this tour is a journey into the art, myth, and humanity that shaped Savannah—and the spirits that still whisper through its Spanish moss.

• Wheelchair accessible

• Telfair Museums, 207 W York St, Savannah, GA 31401, USA