Bonaventure Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Wise Guys Historical Tours

Bartholomew Zouberbuhler

The Saint of Georgia Bartholomew Zouberbuhler, my favorite name at Bonaventure Cemetery, was a committed Pastor born to German parents in Switzerland in 1719. He came to South Carolina with his father after the death of his mother in 1739. His father was pastoring a church of Swiss immigrants in the South Carolina low country. […]

Edward Padleford

Edward Padelford was a prominent and respected businessman that lived in Savannah from the early 1820’s until his death in 1870. Padelford was born in Massachusetts but made his way south in 1820. He is one of the most diverse and talented businessmen and leaders in Savannah’s history. He was involved in the cotton industry, […]

John Walz

If you know the story about little Gracie Watson then you know that John Walz beautifully sculpted the life-sized and extremely lifelike monument that marks her grave from a photograph Gracie’s father gave to John. This statue from 1890 is probably his best known work, but he has over 70 sculptures in Bonaventure Cemetery alone. […]

Gracie Watson

Gracie Watson is a bit of a little legend… and ghost story. It all started in 1883 when Gracie, the only child, was born to W.J. and Frances Watson. Her father managed the Pulaski Hotel. Gracie would play in the hotel lobby, sing and dance, and play the piano for the guests. She became very […]

Chapter 1: Youth Football

“Football is an incredible game. Sometimes it’s so incredible, it’s unbelievable.” -Tom Landry When I read that Tom Landry quote it almost brings me to tears. Some of the hardest times and worst times of my life have been on a football field, and some of the best times and greatest accomplishments of my […]

Bonaventure Cemetery: A History

Bonaventure is an Italian word meaning “good luck” or “good fortune.” The original land that would become Bonaventure Cemetery began as a plantation in the mid-1700s. English colonel John Mullryne and his son-in-law, Josiah Tatnall, would acquire around 9,000 acres on the Georgia coast to grow cotton, rice, and timber. Thousands of slaves would work […]

Customer Reviews

I’ve been part of many walking tours: Boston, Charleston, Savannah, etc. Wayne is easily the best tour guide I’ve ever had. You can really tell he has a passion for history and storytelling. 11/10 would recommend. We will be back.

Wesley did an amazing job! His passion for the history of the city definitely shows through during his tour. So much knowledge!

Absolutely amazing. Wayne, a retired history teacher of 30 years, knew everything there was about the cemetery. I highly recommend him and his company to everyone looking for a meaningful and informative time in Savannah.

Our tour guide Wesley was very knowledgeable about Savannah’s history. He kept us engaged the entire tour. He also gave great recommendations for other things to do and see while we are here. I would give more than 5 stars if I could!

On a recent visit, my family and I had the pleasure of going on a tour with Wayne. He is the very best storyteller and will have children and adults of all ages captivated! His knowledge of American history is vast and his way of telling the story will have you wanting to stay just a little longer and you’ll be thinking of booking another tour before you even get home.

We had a such a great experience with our walking history tour with Wayne, that we immediately booked the Bonaventure cemetery tour with Wise Guys! We learned a lot and it enhanced our visit to Savannah!

We did the history buff tour with Wesley as our tour guide. What a fun morning! Wesley was very knowledgeable about the history of Savannah and how it came to be. He gave us lots of extra little tidbits that I don’t think we would have learned from another tour guide. Highly recommend Wise Guys Tours!

Just finished a historical tour with Wes Worthington from Wise Guys Historical Tours. Wes had an extensive knowledge in all areas of Savannah’s history and was easy to talk to and ask questions. We learned so much and did not realize the influence that Savannah had on the founding of the US. Definitely worth your time.

Wayne was fabulous!! You must take a guided tour. There is sooo much info to learn!!! Wayne is your answer!

Wow!! What a fun tour through Savannah! Wayne is a walking book of historical knowledge and brings bits of history that I can remember back to life with details and stories!! He was so kind to take it slow for some of our older people and we had some sitting breaks in the beautiful squares! Call Wayne for a walk to remember in Savannah!

Wayne and his team are incredible and really bring history to life! You can tell he really loves what he is doing and creates a very fun atmosphere!

What a wonderful walking tour & an even more wonderful guide, Wayne. He was kind, humorous, and made history interesting and come alive!

Wayne did an excellent job and tailored our tour to cover areas of Savannah history that we had not already covered. We found him to be very knowledgeable and a pleasure on the tour.

Great walking tour with guide Joe. Informative and fascinating walk around the old historic district. We enjoyed it tremendously.

We did the cemetery tour and came back for more the second day. Wayne was a great tour guide. He’s a former HS history teacher and his knowledge and storytelling skill reflect this. Very high quality operator of tours.

Excellent walking tour of downtown Savannah. Scott, the guide, was very knowledgeable and friendly and made the tour very interesting. I learned lots of things about Savannah and its history. Highly recommended!

I’ve taken several tours in Savannah and this was one of my favorite because the tour guide was so flexible and cognizant of the group’s needs. I took this tour with a group of co-workers. Wes, the guide, tailored the tour based on the group’s interests and even let us stop to get a drink. The owner even stopped by to introduce himself and tell us about how he started the company!

BEST TOUR EVER! Wayne is super knowledgeable and is a great guide! 10/10. If you want to get to know Savannah, this is the tour for you!

This was the best part of our Savannah trip. Our guide was awesome and knew a ton of great history. Highly recommend this. We will be back for sure.

Found Wise Guys almost by accident but their golf cart tour of Bonaventure Cemetery was by far the best thing my wife and I have done in the area. Great explanations for tourists, perfect amount of time on site, and lots of extra care to stop, dismount, and examine specific highlights. Cannot recommend enough and will be back to take the tour again the next time we are in Savannah or Tybee Island.

We had a great tour with Marcia today at Bonaventure Cemetery. We covered a lot of ground and learned so many facts and stories about Savannah. I love that we got the real story, not some embellishment or possible ghost tale. We will definitely be booking more tours with this company and hope to have Marcia again!

Joanna provided a golf cart tour of Bonaventure Cemetery to our small group. She was awesome! Knowledgeable, friendly, conversational, and just seemed genuinely enthusiastic to share what she knows. She offered a good balance of education and storytelling and we left quite impressed. It was also a kind gesture for the tour to have provided us blankets for the ride as it was a chilly morning! Thanks for a great tour.

Our tour through the cemetery was fantastic! I am so glad we chose a tour to learn more about the history of the cemetery as well as the people that have been laid to rest in it. It is such a huge cemetery and there is no way we would have covered as much territory or had the background information necessary to really appreciate the beauty and history of the cemetery.