Dinner & A Cemetery

**I didnt actaully get to experience the tour** Found a good deal on Groupon and decided to give this business a shot for our upoming trip. Purshcased tickets for an after hours tour 3 weeks in advance. When I contacted Shannon to reserve our spot he inquired as to where we purchased our tickets and when I said «Groupon» he respons that they’re «subject to availability» (vouchers did not have that ondition and that I should contact him the week of to see what he’ll have available then. Basically he wanted to fill up the space with full price purchases and said all he’d likely have available is a 10am tour… my voucher was for an after 5pm tour. Moral is don’t advertise on a site if you’re not going to honor the deal you advertise.
I’ve since canceled my tour and went with another company.

Amazing, insightful, and wonderful stories about Savannah history from a person who truly does love to share the the details. Shannon is a natural story teller and knows his stuff about the mysterious and beautiful Bonaventure Cemetery.
To take the his tour in the evening is a special treat — even more quiet and personal. Unique photo opportunities as well — for late afternoon and early evening when you would otherwise not be allowed in the Cemetery (closes at 5:00PM).
After tour dinner and further stories at the soul food Sisters of the South is another treat — though not the time to go on a diet. He brings in for everyone to see some historic funerary artifacts that put the cemetery and rituals in even fuller perspective.
I’ve been on this tour twice (or is it three times?) and plan on going again. What better recommendation can I make?

An outstanding evening of history, food and entertainment.
I’ve traveled all over and taken more history and haunted tours than I can count. This was one of the best. Now, I really dig old cemeteries (pun intended) and I love stories about the history of a place, especially the unusual and the «supernatural».
Shannon Scott (tour leader and owner) covers a bit of everything. Savannah and Bonaventure Cemetery history, some of the more interesting characters who lived and died here. Sordid stories of crime, punishment, star-​crossed love and possible spirits. All among devastatingly beautiful monuments, statues and Spanish moss draped landscapes.
A major bonus is that the tour takes place after the gates are closed to the public and it’s the only tour allowed there at that time. No running into competing tours shouting to be heard over each other or traffic. It’s just you and the cemetery, undisturbed.
After the approx. 2hr tour you make your way to dinner at a local restaurant, in this case Sisters of the New South. They laid out a nice spread of Southern staples (fried chicken, pork chops, mac n cheese, banana pudding, peach cobbler, etc.) and Shannon continues with his stories and exhibits some artifacts from his own collection while you get to know some of your fellow tour-​ists around the dinner table.
Overall it’s a great evening and value for the price. Sadly I’ve taken way too many tours that were not even close to worth the price of admission and a waste of my valuable travel time. This one was worth every minute and penny.

Seeking that «one event» to spend your visitor dollar on that won’t be the usual doldrum? Something that will actually give you boasting rights? This is truly a one-​of-​a-​kind event & very much an original, true-​to-​Savannah outing! One finds «tourist» things to do in Savannah that are in a way, unauthentic, recreations for outsiders, but THIS, is very much about the place, the people, the heritage, the cemeteries, and yes, the food! Think great sculpture, think Victorian Age in a landscape, think soulful stories and then soulful soul food! The term «Bonaventure Cemetery» is almost as old and as synonymous with The South, as is the name, Savannah. This 1750’s era plantation, turned 1830’s cemetery, overlooking the water is about as divine of a setting for a tour as conceivably possible! Then add exclusive! The first time publicly available after the gates lock for roaming, and courtesy of the imagination and passion of event founder & long time resident, Shannon Scott! For 2 hours, he leads the group across the landscape made famous by Oscar Wilde, John Muir and of course the novel, «Midnght In The Garden of Good and Evil,» where the root woman, Lady Minerva conjured up spiritual work for Jim Williams. Bonaventure also has «DaVinci Code» connections but will leave that to your tour there to reveal. Shannon loads the tour with personal intrigue with offbeat tales of eccentrics he knew now buried there, along with people more famed to the world like songwriter great, Johnnny Mercer («Moon River, «Jeepers Creepers,» «Hooray For Hollywood,» «That Old Black Magic»), poet & Emily Dickinson publisher, Conrad Aiken, to the macabre tale of a murder victim and his killer buried within yards of each other. And that’s just the first half of the tour! Depending on the time of year, you’ll either end up at the river’s edge at sunset or moon down, but either are exquisite moments and standing there at the bluff together at the end, you pretty much feel you’ve been baptised in holy story water by Mr. Scott, who might be better called Reverend Scott! Now for the food part. As you may come to note, Sisters of The New South is fairly high ranked on this site and others for their special brand of soul food. Even better, Shannon has a private dining area reserved for the tour group, and everyone is served a healthy helping of a variety of the best soul food the area has to offer. My understanding is that they may change up the venue and the food from time to time, but as it is, Sisters of The New South is the regular situation. If you have special vegetarian or other dietary needs, they can accommodate so not to worry for those out there who do! During the dinner portion, which acts as a Question, Answer & Discussion event, Mr. Scott also has on display, a variety of exhibits from the Victorian Age that deal with Secret Societies and the funerary arts within those groups. Some of these objects clearly are museum or Smithsonian level but for now, you get to see them up close and this is a big part of the night out! All in all, this has become a local, run away hit with both the community of Savannah and tourists and cannot recommend it enough to those who are out for a true, off the beaten path adventure. Some will ride trolleys of course, but some live for the truly unconventional, and yeah, some just want to eat great food! Well, if that’s you, then this is for you!