46 historic tours and trails in Georgia: 16 walking tours and ranger programs, 8 driving trails, National Historic Trails and heritage areas, and more. 15 are free. Prices and schedules come from each operator’s own page.
Header photo: Broughton Street lights in 1911, in the heart of Savannah’s historic district. Credit: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, LC-DIG-ppmsca-53312.
- 46tours and trails
- 16walking tours and ranger programs
- 15free
- 8trails and heritage areas
- Self-guided walking
- Guided walking
- Ranger-led
- House tour
- Boat/train/trolley
- Audio/app
- Ghost & history tour
- Driving trail
- National Historic Trail
- Heritage area
Download this data: CSV · JSON · Column definitions · JSON · 46 tours · free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link to It’s Georgia. All open data: catalog.json.
Self-guided walking tours (4)
| Tour or trail | Where | Run by | Price | When | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Savannah Historic District (self-guided) Oglethorpe’s 1733 ward-and-square plan, a National Historic Landmark district. | Savannah | City of Savannah (public squares) | Free | Any time | See official site |
| Historic Augusta self-guided downtown walking tour Building-by-building guide to Downtown Augusta, a National Register district whose significance runs from the 1736 town plan to 1967. | Augusta | Historic Augusta, Inc. | Free (online) | Any time | Self-paced, by street |
| Athens self-guided historic tours Downloadable self-guided routes through historic Athens. | Athens | Historic Athens Welcome Center | Free (download) | Any time | See official site |
| Madison free self-guided walking tour Walking tour of Madison’s historic district, with list and map pages on the CVB site. | Madison | Visit Madison (Madison CVB) | Free | Any time | See official site |
Guided walking tours (5)
| Tour or trail | Where | Run by | Price | When | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Historic Oakland Cemetery guided tours Atlanta history through the cemetery, including “We Shall Overcome: African American Stories from Civil War to Civil Rights”. | Atlanta | Historic Oakland Foundation | See official site | Overview tours regularly; special-topic tours most Saturdays and Sundays | 90 minutes (overview); 75 minutes (special topics) |
| North Georgia Tours: Madison walking tours Guided walking, bike or drive-yourself tours of Madison, plus a Haunted History Tour. | Madison | North Georgia Tours | See official site | By reservation | About 1.5 hours |
| Then and Now Tour (downtown Macon) Guided walk through downtown architecture including the Grand Opera House, City Auditorium and Terminal Station, and the efforts to preserve them. | Macon | Listed by Visit Macon | See official site | See official site | See official site |
| Walking Tour of Downtown and Historic North Campus Downtown Athens and the University of Georgia’s Historic North Campus, starting at the c. 1820 Church-Waddel-Brumby House. | Athens | Historic Athens Welcome Center (Classic City Tours) | See official site | Daily; reserve ahead | About 90 minutes |
| Springer Opera House building tours Tour of the historic working theater. | Columbus | Springer Opera House | $10 per person (5-person minimum) | By arrangement | See official site |
Ranger-led programs (7)
| Tour or trail | Where | Run by | Price | When | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chickamauga Battlefield ranger programs Ranger-led programs on the September 1863 battle. | Fort Oglethorpe | National Park Service | Free (Chickamauga Battlefield) | Widest choice Memorial Day-August; special programs per park calendar | See official site |
| MLK NHP Birth Home presentations and Ebenezer “Church Talks” Ranger presentations about Dr. King’s birth home (given next door while the house is closed for renovation) and walk-through talks in Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church. | Atlanta | National Park Service | Free | Multiple times daily; see park calendar | See official site |
| Sweetwater Creek guided hikes to the New Manchester mill ruins Only way to enter the interior of the Civil War-era textile mill ruins. | Lithia Springs | Georgia DNR State Parks & Historic Sites | Parking fee; see park | Throughout the year | See official site |
| Fort King George guided tours Guided tour of Georgia’s first fort with a ranger as a British redcoat. | Darien | Georgia DNR State Parks & Historic Sites | Standard admission ($4.75-$8.25) | Seasonal guided tours (e.g. autumn tours 9:30 and 3:30) | Close to an hour, 200 yards of easy walking |
| Kolomoki Mounds ranger-led tours Guided tours of the Woodland-period mounds, including climbs of 57-foot Mound A. | Blakely | Georgia DNR State Parks & Historic Sites | Parking fee; some programs extra | Frequently (call park); e.g. Sunset Hike: Mound A | See official site |
| Andersonville ranger walks and talks Programs on the history of Andersonville and prisoners of war; groups of 10+ may request tours two weeks ahead. | Andersonville | National Park Service | Free | As staffing allows; ask at the visitor center | See official site |
| Little White House ranger-guided tours Ranger-led tour of FDR’s Warm Springs site (museum and grounds are otherwise self-guided). | Warm Springs | Georgia DNR State Parks & Historic Sites | $20 | Saturdays and Sundays at 10 am; reservations 706-655-5870 | See official site |
Historic house tours (7)
| Tour or trail | Where | Run by | Price | When | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davenport House Museum guided tour The c. 1820 house whose 1955 rescue founded Historic Savannah Foundation, told through enslaved and free residents. | Savannah | Historic Savannah Foundation | $15 adults, $12 students 18-21, $10 ages 6-17 | Mon-Fri 11:00-3:30 (set times), Sat 10:00-2:30 | See official site |
| Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation hourly tours Rice-plantation home and the story of the enslaved and free people of African descent on the Altamaha. | Brunswick | Georgia DNR State Parks & Historic Sites | Included in site admission ($8.75 adults) | Hourly, Tue-Sun; last tour 4 pm | About 1 hour |
| Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters guided tour 1819 Regency house and slave quarters interpreting the most and least powerful people in early-1800s Savannah. | Savannah | Telfair Museums | $30 adults (7-day Telfair ticket); discounts for seniors, students, children | Tue-Sun every 15 minutes, 10-3:30; audio tours 3:30-4 | See official site |
| Boyhood Home of President Woodrow Wilson tours Guided tour of the home where Woodrow Wilson grew up. | Augusta | Historic Augusta, Inc. | $10 adults, $8 seniors and military, $5 students K-12 | Wed-Sat at 10, 11, 1, 2, 3 and 4 | See official site |
| Hay House daily guided tours First three levels of the 1859 Italian Renaissance Revival “Palace of the South”; Behind-the-Scenes tours cover all seven levels. | Macon | The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation | See official site | Wed-Sat 10-5, Sun 11-5 (last tour 4) | About 1 hour |
| Old Governor’s Mansion “Labor Behind the Veil” tour Antebellum life at the mansion told from the perspective of the enslaved and free people who worked there. | Milledgeville | Georgia College & State University | $15 adults, $8 seniors, $4 students | By arrangement (specialty tour) | See official site |
| Chief Vann House guided tours The 1804 brick home of Cherokee leader James Vann, viewable only by guided tour. | Chatsworth | Georgia DNR State Parks & Historic Sites | $7 adults, $5.25 seniors, $6 youth (plus tax) | Top of every hour; last tour 4 pm; Thu-Sat, Sun afternoons (not Sundays Dec-Mar) | About 1 hour (hourly) |
Historic boat, train and trolley rides (11)
| Tour or trail | Where | Run by | Price | When | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAM Shortline Excursion Train Historic railcars through southwest Georgia, with trips to Plains, home of Jimmy Carter. | Cordele and Americus to Plains | SAM Shortline | See official site (varies by excursion) | By excursion schedule | Varies (e.g. 1.5-hour and 2.5-hour trips) |
| Cumberland Island Ferry Ferry to the national seashore, its Dungeness ruins and Plum Orchard Mansion. | St. Marys to Cumberland Island | Cumberland Island Ferry (NPS concessioner) | $44 adults, $42 seniors 62+, $34 youth 6-15, 5 and under free, plus tax (park entrance $15 extra) | Daily Mar 1-Nov 30; no service Tue-Wed Dec 1-Feb 28; departures 9:00 and 11:45 | About 45 minutes each way |
| Cumberland Island Lands and Legacies Tour Guided van tour of the island’s history, reached by ferry. | Cumberland Island | Cumberland Island Ferry (NPS concessioner) | From $65 | See official site | 5-6 hours |
| Jekyll Island Landmark Trolley Tour Guided trolley tour of the 240-acre historic district of the Jekyll Island Club, with entry into a historic cottage and admission to Mosaic, Jekyll Island Museum. | Jekyll Island | Jekyll Island Authority | See official site | See official site | 60 minutes |
| Old Savannah Tours panoramic trolley tour Nonstop narrated tour of the squares, River Street, City Market, the Owens-Thomas House and Telfair Academy. | Savannah | Old Savannah Tours | See official site | See official site | 75 minutes |
| Old Town Trolley Tours of Savannah Narrated tour of the Savannah Historic District with stops across the squares. | Savannah | Old Town Trolley Tours | From $36.55 online (regular $52.45) | Daily hop-on, hop-off | 90-minute narrated loop |
| Sapelo Island public tours Gullah Geechee community of Hog Hammock, the Reynolds Mansion, Nanny Goat Beach, the UGA Marine Institute and a restored 1820 lighthouse. | Sapelo Island (from mainland visitor center, Meridian) | Georgia DNR | See official site | By schedule; call 912-437-3224 | 30-minute ferry plus guided island tour |
| Petersburg boat tours, Augusta Canal Boat tours on the historic Augusta Canal from the Discovery Center. | Augusta | Augusta Canal Authority | See official site | See official site | See official site |
| Historic Athens Heritage Shuttle Tour Driven tour of Downtown and the Reese-Hancock, Cobbham and Milledge historic areas. | Athens | Historic Athens Welcome Center (Classic City Tours) | See official site | Daily; reserve ahead | About 90 minutes |
| Milledgeville Historic Trolley Tour (“Milly the Trolley”) Narrated tour of the historic district of Georgia’s capital (1807-1867), its antebellum architecture and public squares. | Milledgeville | Milledgeville-Baldwin County CVB | $15 per person; veterans free in 2026 | See official schedule | About 1 hour (20-30 minutes on foot at Statehouse Square) |
| Blue Ridge Scenic Railway Departs the historic depot in downtown Blue Ridge and follows the Toccoa River to McCaysville, GA, and Copperhill, TN. | Blue Ridge to McCaysville | Blue Ridge Scenic Railway | See official site | Seasonal schedule | Two-hour or four-hour, 26-mile round trip |
Audio and app tours (1)
| Tour or trail | Where | Run by | Price | When | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andersonville audio driving tour Narrated driving tour of the National Cemetery and the prison site on CD, flash drive or QR code. | Andersonville | National Park Service | Free (loaned at museum desk) | Daily until 3:15 pm | About 1 hour |
Ghost and history tours (3)
Ghost tours mix documented history with legend. We list long-running operators with their own pages; the stories are theirs, not facts we have checked.
| Tour or trail | Where | Run by | Price | When | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| “Capturing the Spirit of Oakland” Halloween tours Theatrical history tours of Oakland Cemetery, in their 20th year in 2026. | Atlanta | Historic Oakland Foundation | See official site | Annually in October (2026: Oct 15-18 and 22-25) | See official site |
| Jekyll Island “Gilded Age Ghosts & Ghouls” tour Ghost-story tour of the Jekyll Island Club historic district. | Jekyll Island | Jekyll Island Authority | See official site | See official site | See official site |
| Springer Opera House ghost tours Behind-the-scenes tour of the National Historic Landmark theater’s backstage and its legends; ages 12+. | Columbus | Springer Opera House | $25 | See official schedule | 45 minutes, multiple staircases (ADA options) |
Driving trails (4)
| Tour or trail | Where | Run by | Price | When | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Explore Georgia GA250 itineraries (Revolutionary War Sites; Colonial History; Presidents) State tourism itineraries: Revolutionary War Sites, Explore Georgia’s Colonial History, and Follow the Steps of Our Presidents. | Statewide | Explore Georgia (Georgia Department of Economic Development) | Free | Year-round | See official site |
| Georgia Civil Rights Trail (historical markers) Roadside markers on the economic, social, political and cultural history of the Civil Rights Movement, from nearly fifty existing GHS markers plus four new launch markers. | Statewide (launched in Albany, Atlanta, Columbus, Savannah) | Georgia Historical Society | Free | Year-round | About 50 markers statewide |
| U.S. Civil Rights Trail: Georgia sites Featured Georgia sites: Ebenezer Baptist Church, The King Center, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, the Madame C.J. Walker Museum and WERD studio, Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church and the Albany Civil Rights Institute at Old Mt. Zion Baptist Church; downloadable state itinerary. | Atlanta and Albany | U.S. Civil Rights Trail | Free to follow; site admissions vary | Year-round | Multi-city |
| US250: The American Revolution in Georgia Historical Marker Trail Marker trail on Revolutionary-era Georgia created for the U.S. semiquincentennial. | Statewide | Georgia Historical Society | Free | Year-round | See official site |
National Historic Trails (1)
| Tour or trail | Where | Run by | Price | When | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trail of Tears National Historic Trail (Georgia sites) Commemorates the forced removal of the Cherokee from Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee in 1838-1839; Georgia partner sites include New Echota, the Chief Vann House and Chieftains Museum / Major Ridge Home. | North Georgia (Cherokee homeland) | National Park Service | Free to follow; partner sites charge their own admission | Year-round | See official site |
National Heritage Areas and corridors (3)
| Tour or trail | Where | Run by | Price | When | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area Granite monadnocks east of Atlanta and the cultural history around them: Native American trade routes, farming, quarrying and religious communities. | East of Atlanta (Georgia Piedmont) | Arabia Mountain Heritage Area Alliance | Free | Year-round | See official site |
| Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor (Georgia coast) National Heritage Area designated by Congress on October 12, 2006 to recognize the Gullah Geechee people, descendants of enslaved West and Central Africans on coastal rice, Sea Island cotton and indigo plantations. | Coastal Georgia and the sea islands | Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission (NPS partner) | Free | Year-round | Corridor runs from Pender County, NC, to St. Johns County, FL |
| Augusta Canal National Heritage Area Historic power canal and mill district (the Historic Augusta Canal and Industrial District is a National Historic Landmark) with the Discovery Center and Petersburg boat tours. | Augusta | Augusta Canal Authority | See official site | Year-round | See official site |
Frequently asked questions
What are the best historic walking tours in Savannah?
Start with a free self-guided walk of the Savannah Historic District, Oglethorpe’s 1733 plan of wards and squares and a National Historic Landmark. Add a house tour such as the Owens-Thomas House ($30 Telfair ticket) or the Davenport House ($15), or a 90-minute trolley loop (source: Savannah, Georgia: The Lasting Legacy of Colonial City Planning – National Park Service).
Are there historic walking tours in Atlanta?
Yes. Historic Oakland Cemetery offers 90-minute guided overview tours and 75-minute special-topic tours most weekends, including African American stories from the Civil War to civil rights. At the Martin Luther King, Jr. park, rangers give free Birth Home presentations and Ebenezer church talks daily (source: Historic Oakland Cemetery Tours & Events).
What National Heritage Areas are in Georgia?
Georgia has 3: the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor on the coast (designated by Congress on October 12, 2006), the Augusta Canal National Heritage Area and the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area east of Atlanta (source: Discover NHAs – National Heritage Areas (NPS)).
Last checked by the It’s Georgia editors against each operator’s, agency’s or organizer’s own page.
How we checked this guide: Dates, hours, admission and parking prices, and access details were verified against the official sources listed below on . Operators change schedules and raise prices without notice, so confirm anything time-sensitive before you drive. The figures in this guide also feed our Georgia Attraction Transparency Index and Family Day-Out Cost Index.
Sources
- Trail of Tears National Historic Trail (Georgia sites)
- Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor (Georgia coast)
- Augusta Canal National Heritage Area
- Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area
- U.S. Civil Rights Trail: Georgia sites
- Georgia Civil Rights Trail (historical markers)
- US250: The American Revolution in Georgia Historical Marker Trail
- Explore Georgia GA250 itineraries (Revolutionary War Sites; Colonial History; Presidents)
- Andersonville audio driving tour
- Andersonville ranger walks and talks
- MLK NHP Birth Home presentations and Ebenezer “Church Talks”
- Chickamauga Battlefield ranger programs
- Cumberland Island Ferry
- Cumberland Island Lands and Legacies Tour
- Sapelo Island public tours
- Jekyll Island Landmark Trolley Tour
- Jekyll Island “Gilded Age Ghosts & Ghouls” tour
- Old Town Trolley Tours of Savannah
- Old Savannah Tours panoramic trolley tour
- Savannah Historic District (self-guided)
- Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters guided tour
- Davenport House Museum guided tour
- Historic Oakland Cemetery guided tours
- “Capturing the Spirit of Oakland” Halloween tours
- Then and Now Tour (downtown Macon)
- Hay House daily guided tours
- Historic Augusta self-guided downtown walking tour
- Petersburg boat tours, Augusta Canal
- Boyhood Home of President Woodrow Wilson tours
- Walking Tour of Downtown and Historic North Campus
- Springer Opera House ghost tours
- Springer Opera House building tours
- Madison free self-guided walking tour
- North Georgia Tours: Madison walking tours
- Milledgeville Historic Trolley Tour (“Milly the Trolley”)
- Old Governor’s Mansion “Labor Behind the Veil” tour
- SAM Shortline Excursion Train
- Blue Ridge Scenic Railway
- Chief Vann House guided tours
- Little White House ranger-guided tours
- Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation hourly tours
- Kolomoki Mounds ranger-led tours
- Sweetwater Creek guided hikes to the New Manchester mill ruins
- Fort King George guided tours
Hank Whitlock is the pen name of the It's Georgia editor. Every guide is built around the questions a busy family actually asks before a trip: how long is the drive, what does parking cost, can the stroller make it, are dogs allowed. Details are checked against official park, city, and venue sources, and each guide shows the date it was last updated.
More from Things to Do
Cite this page: It's Georgia, “Historic Tours in Georgia: Walking Tours, Trails and Ranger Programs”, itsgeorgia.com/things-to-do/georgia-historic-tours/ (updated ). Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page.