Spirits with Spirits Happy Hour Walking Bar Pub Crawl

Savannah’s ghost stories make more sense with a drink in hand, and this tour pairs both in one easy evening walk. You move from old pubs to the city’s famous squares, hearing tales of fires, soldiers, jail cells, tragic residents, and restless spirits.

I like the small-group size of up to 20 people, which should make it easier to hear the guide and ask questions. I also like the relaxed tone. Guide Craig is repeatedly praised for being funny, friendly, interactive, and patient, and the tour is designed more for spooky fun than serious fright.

The main drawback is that this is not a hard-charging bar crawl or a theatrical horror show. Drinks cost extra, some stops focus more on history than ghosts, and one unhappy customer left halfway through after finding the guide and format disappointing.

Key points to know before you book

• Craig sets a laid-back tone: His style is friendly, funny, and interactive rather than grim or theatrical.
• Ghost stories meet Savannah history: You hear about city planning, fires, slavery-era suffering, wartime hospitals, old jails, and local legends.
• Drinks are purchased separately: Alcohol is not included, though happy hour deals are available along the route.
• The walk covers several landmark squares: Johnson, Wright, and Reynolds squares provide the setting for many of the stories.
• The tour runs in almost any weather: Wear suitable clothes and shoes, since the experience continues in rain.
• The age limit is 21: You need to be at least 21 to take part or drink.

A gentle ghost walk with a pub-crawl backbone

This experience lasts about 90 minutes and begins at 4 p.m. at The Rail Pub on West Congress Street. It is a walking tour through Savannah’s Historic District, with stops at bars and public squares along the way.

The format is simple. You meet the guide, get a drink if you want one, and then walk outside for a story. The pattern repeats as the group moves through the city. You are not paying for alcohol, so your final cost depends on how much you choose to drink.

That makes the tour easier to control than a package that includes several drinks in the upfront price. You can order lightly, take advantage of available happy hour deals, or skip a drink at one of the stops. The tradeoff is that you need to budget separately for each purchase.

Craig is the guide most closely associated with the experience. His approach suits you if you enjoy a host who keeps the mood loose and talks with the group. The strongest praise centers on his humor, friendliness, interaction, and ability to keep people involved. This is a good fit for an evening when you want stories and conversation, not a tightly staged performance.

Starting with Charlie at Molly MacPherson’s

One early stop is Molly MacPherson’s Scottish Pub & Grill. After the first drink, the group goes outside to hear the sad story of Charlie, a former resident of an apartment on the second floor.

The story gives you a quick sense of the tour’s style. These tales are not all built around sudden scares. Many are melancholy stories about people who lived, suffered, or died in old buildings. The emotional angle matters because Savannah’s ghost lore often works best when connected to a person and a place.

Molly MacPherson’s also helps set the pub-crawl side of the evening. You have a chance to order a drink, but the admission itself is free and alcohol is extra. If you prefer to keep the night low-key, you do not need to treat every stop as a full round.

Johnson Square and Oglethorpe’s city plan

Johnson Square introduces one of the most useful pieces of Savannah background. You learn how General James Oglethorpe planned the city around 24 squares, a design that still shapes your walk today.

This is where the tour shifts from isolated ghost tale to city history. The squares are not just pretty pauses between bars. They help explain how Savannah developed and why fires caused such terrible damage during the city’s first century.

You also hear the sad story of Gracie. The exact value of a stop like this is the connection between the physical setting and the story. Instead of hearing about a ghost in an anonymous room, you are standing in one of Savannah’s central public spaces while the guide explains the people and events tied to it.

The square is also a practical break from the indoor bar stops. You get outside, look around, and see how the city’s plan works on foot. Wear shoes that can handle pavement and keep a light rain layer handy, since the tour operates in all weather.

Wright Square, Alice Riley, and Savannah’s hanging past

Wright Square is Savannah’s second square to be built, and it brings a darker chapter of the city’s past into view. The guide discusses early haunted incidents, the original city jail, and what occupies that site now.

The square is also called the hanging square, a detail that gives the ghost stories a grim historical setting. You hear the sad story of Alice Riley, another example of how this tour uses tragic lives rather than relying only on standard haunted-house effects.

There is a pop-culture note here too. The guide points out where Jenny from Forrest Gump worked. That detail gives the stop a lighter turn and helps connect Savannah’s older streets with a familiar film location.

This is one of the better stops for people who want more than ghost lore. You get a sense of how punishment, public space, local memory, and modern tourism overlap in Savannah. If you want only drinks and quick scares, the historical explanations may feel slower than expected.

Reynolds Square and the world of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

At Reynolds Square, the stories move toward some of Savannah’s best-known cultural legends. You see the original antique shop of Jim Mercer, a key figure associated with Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

The stop also includes stories about hauntings in an old movie theater during its renovation. Renovation tales can be especially effective because they involve workers encountering odd events in a building being brought back to use. Here, the story adds another layer to Savannah’s habit of blending old structures with newer businesses.

The biggest subject is the Olde Pink House, described as one of Savannah’s most haunted structures. You do not need to dine there to understand why it matters. The building itself represents the kind of old Savannah setting that fuels these stories: a prominent house with a long past, now part of the city’s modern social life.

Reynolds Square is a strong match for fans of Savannah books, films, and famous local personalities. It is less useful if you want every stop to be an active bar visit, since much of the time here is spent outdoors listening.

Abe’s on Lincoln and an old home with a bar inside

Abe’s on Lincoln is one of the more unusual stops because the bar occupies a home dating to the 1700s. The name is not a reference to President Lincoln, which gives the guide an easy opening for another local story.

This is also the endpoint listed for the experience, at 17 Lincoln Street. The route includes the bar as a stop and finishes there, so you can treat it as the place to continue your evening after the formal tour ends.

The building’s age is the main attraction. You are not simply walking into a modern pub with a haunted theme attached. You are drinking in one of Savannah’s oldest existing homes, at least according to the tour’s historical account, while hearing the stories linked to it.

Abe’s is described as a popular local dive bar, so expect character rather than polish. That may be exactly what you want after an hour of walking. If you prefer quiet cocktails or formal service, this part of the experience may not suit you.

City Market and the darker side of old commerce

City Market was once Savannah’s warehouse district and open market. The tour uses that working past for stories about gruesome practices hidden in building basements and the early days of Poor Larry’s, a well-known watering hole.

This section gives the pub crawl a stronger historical setting. Markets and warehouse districts were places where people worked, traded, drank, and sometimes concealed unpleasant business. The ghost stories gain weight because they are tied to the rougher side of city life rather than only to grand homes.

The Poor Larry’s story adds a barroom thread to the stop. You learn what happened when the watering hole first opened for business, giving you another example of how the tour connects old buildings with their later use as bars.

City Market can be a lively area, so you may find more activity around you while the guide speaks. Stay close enough to hear, especially if the group spreads out while walking. The maximum group size is 20, which is manageable, but you still need to pay attention at public stops.

The Marshall House and the hospital ghosts

The Marshall House is the most historically serious stop on the route. Built by Ms. Marshall in 1850, the grand hotel later became a hospital after the Union Army commandeered it during its 1864 occupation of Savannah.

The guide discusses what happened there during the Civil War and the ghosts said to remain in the building. The stories include cats, children, and soldiers, giving this stop a broader range of local lore than a single-person haunting.

This is where the tour’s mix of history and ghost stories works best. The building’s reported supernatural activity is tied to its use as a wartime hospital, so the setting carries real historical weight even if you treat the ghost stories as folklore.

You should also expect the mood to vary. One moment may focus on a sad personal story, the next on a grim wartime episode, and another on a lighter bar tale. That variety keeps a short tour moving, but it also means the experience does not build toward one single dramatic finale.

What the drinks and timing really mean

The tour includes a professional local guide and local taxes. Alcoholic drinks are not included, and you buy them as you go. Happy hour deals are available, which can improve the value if you choose your orders carefully.

Because the tour is only about 90 minutes, you should not expect a full evening of drinking. Think of it as a guided walk with opportunities for a few drinks, not a pub marathon. You can also control the pace and spending more easily than on a package with fixed drinks.

The free cancellation policy allows a full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before the start time. Changes or cancellations inside that window are not accepted for a refund. Confirmation arrives at booking, and show availability is confirmed before a card is charged.

The tour runs in all weather. Savannah rain can change the mood in a good way, and Craig has kept groups going through wet conditions, but you should dress for the forecast. Comfortable walking shoes matter more than a costume or special gear.

Who will enjoy this Savannah evening?

I would choose this tour if you want a social, low-key introduction to Savannah’s haunted side. It suits couples, friends, and small groups of adults who like local stories but do not want a frightening attraction.

It is also a practical first-night activity. The route gives you an early look at several squares, City Market, old bars, and historic buildings. You can use those landmarks to orient yourself for the rest of your stay.

The experience may not suit you if you want a serious paranormal investigation, a polished theatrical show, or a long list of included drinks. The one poor experience in the supplied feedback suggests that expectations matter. The guide may explain that not every bar stop has a haunted story, so do not book this expecting nonstop ghost claims at every venue.

The 21-and-over rule is firm. You need to be at least 21 both for the tour’s drinking format and for the minimum drinking age requirement. The group can include up to 20 people, and a moderate fitness level is recommended because you walk between stops and spend time standing outdoors.

Should you book Spirits with Spirits?

Book it if you want friendly storytelling, historic squares, and a few locally themed bar stops in one compact outing. Craig’s relaxed approach is a major reason this works, especially if you enjoy an interactive guide who can handle a playful group.

Skip it if you want every stop to be intensely haunted or if you dislike paying separately for drinks. The best value comes from seeing the tour as a guided introduction to Savannah, with alcohol as an optional extra rather than the main product.

For most adults who want a gentle ghost tour with a social pub-crawl feel, it is a sensible choice. Keep your expectations grounded, wear weather-ready shoes, and order only what you actually want. That is the easiest way to enjoy the stories without turning a short walk into an expensive night.

FAQ

How long does the tour last?

The experience lasts approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Where does the tour begin?

It begins at The Rail Pub, located at 405 W Congress St, Savannah, Georgia 31401.

Where does the tour end?

The listed end point is Abe’s On Lincoln at 17 Lincoln St, Savannah, Georgia 31401.

What time does the tour start?

The start time is 4 p.m.

Are drinks included in the tour?

No. Alcoholic drinks are available to purchase separately, and happy hour deals are available along the route.

What is the minimum age?

The minimum age is 21, which is also the minimum drinking age for the experience.

Does the tour operate in bad weather?

Yes. The tour operates in all weather conditions, so you should dress appropriately.

How far in advance can I cancel for a full refund?

You can cancel at least 24 hours before the experience starts for a full refund. Cancellations or changes made less than 24 hours before the start time are not accepted for a refund.