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Just as a side note, Savannah does have other really great walking ghost tours - like the ones from Savannah Walks. We aren’t stuck with only the trolleys.

I’m going to sound like a dragon lady, but here goes.

I took my family on one of Shannon’s “ghost tours” a couple years back and we had the worst time. There was nothing spooky or remotely scary about it. We spent over two hours talking about his weird neighbors and people who were alive…no-one dead and nothing creepy. The only disturbing thing we witnessed were voodoo pictures from some ritual in Colonial Cemetery. We actually walked off the tour after two hours because it was going nowhere. We paid $20 per person for the midnight tour and it was not worth it.

On the other side of the coin, we actually took another walking ghost tour with the guy that dresses in costume and carries the lamp and had a wonderful experience. And it was cheaper.

P.S. I really am a nice person, but I felt completely ripped off by the Sixth Sense experience. That’s $100 we spent that we’ll never get back. I hope he spent it well.

You aren’t a dragon lady. You are witch, indeed! NO, not really. Great review of the tour. I have not been on a single haunted tour as I can’t imagine spending my money on

A) walking
B) talking about dead people
C) weird neighbor stories. I have my own.

Seriously though. Thank you for the comment. I think this time of year brings out the side of us that really wants to believe and to really be spooked and there nothing scary about some of the tours available in Savannah other than the price tag!

You know, my husband and I haunt a lot of cemeteries, taking pictures and such, and we’ve had our own personal experiences, one of which was caught on audiotape. I’ve always had an interest in the paranormal, which is one of the reason I love Savannah so much.

A couple years ago, my family who were here on vacation really wanted to go on a haunted tour, and I thought it would be interesting, so I agreed. The first one we went on was really nice. There was a lot of interaction between the group and the man who was leading up. Nothing hokey, just some interesting facts and ghost stories. The gentleman was nice, answering lots of questions and he really took the time to connect with the people on the tour.

The second one, as I mentioned before, did NOT go so well. I should’ve known something was up when I saw the group before us come out, some with very disgruntled looks on their faces.

I should mention that it’s extremely rare for me to walk away from anything. Ninety-nine percent of the time, I’ll stick something out to the very end. That second tour though, I had just had enough. We were told it was going to be an extremely scary experience and that it wasn’t for children. We expected one thing and got something completely different. I wish I could say something positive about it, but I can’t. And it’s nothing against Mr. Scott personally, but I just wasn’t very happy, nor was my family.

Dragon lady…witch…watch out now.

perhaps it wasn’t for your children because they would grow so bored that they would fall asleep and you would ultimately have to carry them the rest of the way? just a thought.

the disgruntled looks of those before you reminds me of my only “paula deen” experience. hahahahahaha!

Man, I am NOT waiting in line for an hour to get into that restaurant. I see all those people waiting in line in front and I just roll my eyes. I mean, good for them, if that’s what they want to see, but not me. I had a friend who actually came down and picked the Paula Deen tour instead of a day at Bonaventure and the Telfair. *makes crazy face*

That’s when you know you’re truly a Savannahian…when you mock the tourists and show open disdain to all things they delight in.

Shannon left town back in the early summer when his lease expired at the Jones Street address. I have been told he moved to Atlanta, but once in a while will do a tour in Savannah.

As far as his ghost tours go, I’ve never taken one so I can’t comment. One thing people need to understand about Shannon is that some or much of his “haunted” material is satirical in nature, though he may not admit it. One had to have aquired a taste for his stories. I’m only saying this based on my knowing him and enjoying his sense of humor.

Unfortunately, satire and business don’t always mix.

Wasn’t there a post on here from Shannon Scott just a few days ago? I may have seen another blog entry, but I thought this was the one.

Hi there Tonya. Shannon has offered some comments but he has not posted on this site. He should. In fact, here is the invite. Shannon Scott, come and be part of blogsavannah. We would love to hear more from you.

I am sorry Tonya if you were misled to this site. We do hope you enjoy it and return often!

Back in 2005, my family and I took Shannon Scott’s ghost tour. We took the midnight tour. We paid 25 bucks a person. I should have paid attention the group ahead of us that was leaving… they all had ticked-off faces.

I understood why after we finished the tour. We walked around and listened to Shannon talk about stuff that wasn’t really scary, then went back to his house.

He talked for over and hour about things, and in the middle of his stories, his dog decided to use the bathroom in the middle of the floor… IN FRONT of everyone. He continued telling the stories.. all the while cleaning up the poop.

At the end of the tour he showed a picture of something that wasn’t worth looking at, and his dog decided to urinate by one of the other patrons.

We left.

We took the tour because of the story on CNN about him. OMG… it was a rip-off.

We also researched some of the stories he had told, and we couldn’t verify any of them.

We spent close to 200 bucks… on money we won’t get back. Ugh.

I’ve taken Shannon’s tours more than once, and as someone who travels around to different cities for these kinds of things, I stick by my verdict that he delivers the best tours ever. He is a more insightful and entertaining storyteller than almost any other person I’ve ever met, on top of being very knowledgeable about Savannah in general. I suppose his tour doesn’t have the most “professional” demeanor ever, but…it’s a ghost tour. It would seem that matters of the spirit nature would be more important than being fancy-schmancy on a tour like that. If you want really interesting, well-told stories, take the tour. If you want historical fact, go take a history tour (the Andrew Low House is cool).

http://midnightsociety.blogspot.com/2005_01_01_archive.html

Okay, I don’t wanna slander anyone here. But I have lived in this area (SE GA) since 1994 and have been working service industry downtown since 2000, and I am telling you, if you ever use the words “the historian Shannon Scott” in front of the Georgia Historical Society, they will look at you like just sincerely, emphatically told them “the Earth is flat and if you go too far, you’ll fall of the edge.”

The CNN interview from 2003 still has historians reeling with laughter here over his inaccuracies. Even his closest friends here will tell you that. Granted, most visitors would not know, and maybe not even care because they are not here long enough to learn. And sadly, some tour guides don’t care either.

In their defense, you don’t need to be accurate to be entertaining. And I have heard good and bad about LOTS of tour guides, not just him. That makes sense because it’s a performance art and art/beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

But one thing I have noticed fairly consistently about Shannon’s “fans” though. His biggest fans always seem to be love struck females or the significant others of those ladies whose egos will not permit them to say “My lady has the hots for the tour guide.” I have never heard anyone say “He was really homely and not much to look at, but OMFG what a story teller!”

Eye candy he his. Entertaining he might be.

Historian, he is DEFINITELY not.

TRUST ME. You don’t wanna call this guy “a historian” in front of anyone who lives here.

I also went on this “terrifying” ghost tour in October 2005 along with the above listed Torey Simmons… needless to say the most scary part of this tour was entering Shannon Scott’s and uttering the words too my friend “Which one of us are they gonna sacrifice first?” I must also note that the trip to the bathroom down the dark deserted hallway was a close second to the scariest moments of this riveting tour. After a 1 hour intro, about an hour of fast paced walking around Savannah and a 2 hour conclusion (i.e. nap) our tour concluded just shy of 4am. The most enjoyable part of this tour resides in the collection of odd happenings from that fateful night in the haunted streets of Savannah that cause a burst of uproarious laughter amongst the participants of the tour. It is indeed another tale to tell the grandkids in years to come as well as another notch on our friend Lori’s weird travel picks belt!
P.S. Since the SS Tour Lori has lost all planning priviledges for future trips.

Wow, you weren’t fooled? I’m impressed. Because I hear from his sycophants all the time, and they are convinced … or lovestruck … or something.

I keep getting these people with these messed up versions of Savannah history and they’re even bitchy and arrogant with you dare to set them straight.

Here’s what I have been getting lately.

He’s actually telling people (according to a bartender who took his tour recently) that the vandalized headstones in Colonial Cemetery were “humorously” defaced by British troops during the revolution, “not the Union troops, as all those other less informed tour guides are telling you.” True, this vandalism occurred. It’s very well known here. You can see it on some of the stones. And burials were conducted there from 1750 to 1853,so it’s possible, right?

This bartender was pretty f–king arrogant with me on this point until I pointed out that those vandalized headstones were for people who died in the 1820s — and the revolution ended in 1782!

It was like I hit this person in the gonads with a sledge-hammer. I said “Does the surrender at Yorktown ring a bell?”

I wouldn’t even mention it here, but I’m running into this a lot.

You gotta give Shannon credit: the people who actually believe him buy into the act like cult followers. They don’t even think to question him.

Just to set the record straight. I don’t think any tour in this town is accurate. Like so many orations, the tale grows as the audience listening does and it is as animated as the storyteller wants it to be. It is about entertainment more than pure knowledge. No one wants a purely historical and educational tour. They want fear and surprise. Shannon happens to give that. In his defense he not once claims to be a historian but rather a ghost explorer and haunted tour guide pointing out some of Savannah’s more haunted sights. Unless I have seen it myself I think it is all bunk. I remember when I lived in Virginia my aunt was told her house was haunted. A clergyman told her this at an invite-dinner. She listened to his fear of old walls and souls caught in the brownstone. It was only after he left that he reminded her guests that she had been the only owner of the four-year-old brownstone. That priest weaved a hell of a tale at supper though!

Greetings and no disrespect intended to any of the aforementioned points of view, but come now, this is not rocket science. We are talking about a ghost tour. So some of you thought it was sucky and wish you had not spent your money in this manner. That is not fun, but it happens and for heavens sake, anything about the paranormal is not based on fact, but opinion. Historical accuracy and the extremely subjective recounting of supernatural experiences seem to me to be at opposite poles, particularly when combined with an entertainment factor. The issue seems to be Historical Fact VS Storytelling for Entertainment. The obvious historical errors are only stories, not meant to be taken as fact.
The gentleman in question is an entertainer. If one takes his tour, or any other “Ghost Tour”, it would be a good idea to do so with a light heart and a sense of humor. You will have more fun that way since it is not meant to be serious. My friends and I went on a tour with Shannon and 2 hours later, frozen and exhausted, we finished and compared notes. Most of us enjoyed our loquatious ghost host very much, but there were a few who wanted to know why he talked so much, why we walked around so much and were quite disgruntled about it. Dudes, we were paying for him to talk to us and entertain us. We are all from Savannah and didn’t learn any earthshattering historical facts, but we did have fun giggling about the obviously satirical, subtle, tongue in cheek humor of our host. Anyway, what the heck do people see in taking a tour at 12am anyway(our tour was at 7pm). No wonder you were disappointed. Jeez, I would be falling asleep, too, if I did any activity that late(never said I wasn’t a lighweight), and I definitely would not find anything, at that hour, even remotely amusing. That said, Savannah is a quirky and wierd city…that’s why we love it! Enjoying a visit to Savannah is entirely contingent on one having an appreciation of the odd, and the ability to slow down, relax, and laugh at the oddities here and oneself. Don’t take this place or anyone in it seriously if you want to have fun here and please don’t judge our sweet and eccentric city on one experience you were disappointed by. Come back, relax and don’t try to experience it all in one trip. There’s just too much here to be able to enjoy it all at once. Please come back to visit us in Savannah and have a happy, fun and relaxing time. Best Wishes! Julia

Wow, you mean this tour guide stuff ISN’T rocket science after all?

REALLY???

Not astrophysics?

How about quantum physics?

Okay then, what about parapsycho-psychics? (I just made that one up. he he)

OH DEAR GOD IN HEAVEN I CAN SEE!!!

Seems to me that what happened here is that a person’s (or persons’) favorite tour guide/performance artist was held up for public praise and (SUPRISE!) not everyone in the public arena agreed with the glowing assessments.

In a public forum, that’s gonna happen.

And if you look closely, you might find that the rationales of the people who disagree with you are just as well-thought and well-reasoned as yours.

Again, in a public forum, it’s gonna happen.

OK, OK, sooooo…looking back on my reply, perhaps it was a bit condescending, but I was expressing my opinion, just as the previous folks did, and just as you expressed yours. Everyone is just expressing opinions here.

Since you don’t know me, perhaps your assessments about ME are not as accurate as you think, and are actually incorrect.

I didn’t attack any individual as you did me. I stuck to the blog topic.

Hmmm, upon looking closely, it seems the condescending doesn’t stop with me, but just keeps comming, accompanied by a big dose of sarcasm…I guess I have been told.

Again, in a public forum, it’s gonna happen.

Just for the record, Shannon Scott did NOT “help to organize the American Institute of Parapsychology”. He did help to organize the AIP conference in Savannah in 2002. He was also the Georgia State Section Director for AIP at that time, but has not been involved with the organization since then, and should no longer be considered a representitive of the AIP.

Andrew Nichols, Ph.D.
Executive Director
American Institute of Parapsychology