It’s a perfect night for chasing ghosts. Magnolia blossoms and streams of Spanish moss are silhouetted against a moonlit sky. A sudden gust sends leaves clattering between the cracked and crumbling headstones of Colonial Park Cemetery, the oldest graveyard in Savannah—a fitting place to start a hauntings tour of Georgia’s “First City.”

“It’s said that the ghost of a Revolutionary War hero wanders these grounds, searching for lost comrades,” says our guide.

Unlike the others in our group, I’m not a tourist. As a longtime resident of Savannah, known as “America’s Most Haunted City,” I’ve heard every tale about its lively ghost population, but I keep coming back for an extra helping of goose bumps. Call me a glutton for goblins. Just when I think my appetite for paranormal lore has been sated, I get the urge to revisit spirit-filled landmarks and savor once again the peculiarly delicious sensation of being a little bit afraid while in safe company.

In fact, scaring people is big business in Savannah. Books on the city’s apparitions abound, and ghost tours are booming, with more than 30 operators offering a wide range of unique bone-chilling experiences, from cruises through notoriously spooky neighborhoods via a pop-top hearse to haunted-pub crawls that afford patrons the option of steeling their nerves with to-go cups of grog. Enhancing the city’s commercial appeal as a hotbed for hauntings is its frequent starring role in numerous TV shows devoted to the supernatural, including Syfy’s “Ghost Hunters” and the Travel Channel’s “Ghost Adventures.”

Savannah’s otherworldly action is concentrated in its 2.5-square-mile historic district, where ancient, neoclassical architecture, cobbled alleys and massive, gnarled oaks dripping moss lend a gothic mood, hinting at a deep, dark past. Many claim that the city’s heavy history makes it fertile ghost turf. “All the calamities and devastating events that Savannah lived through resulted in a lot of unfinished business,” observes Al Cobb, a local antiques dealer and the author of three books on close encounters with paranormal phenomena.

Moon River staff and customers tell of bottles being thrown by unseen forces; many swear the’ve been touched, pushed or slapped by disembodied beings.

Indeed, few cities have endured as much violence and tragedy as this tough old belle. Her strife-riddled saga began in 1779 with the Siege of Savannah, one of the bloodiest battles in the American Revolution; more than 800 soldiers were wounded or killed. In 1820, yellow fever claimed hundreds of residents and a fire roared through town, destroying more than 400 buildings. The 1850s and 1870s brought more yellow fever outbreaks, and in 1893 a horrific hurricane took a deadly toll. Add to all of this the kidnapping of sailors by pirates and several scandal-laced murders and suicides, and you’ve got a potent recipe for things that go bump in the night.

So you’re planning a visit to haunted Savannah? Dare you? (Cue diabolical laughter.) To ensure a truly chilling sojourn, allow me to recommend my favorite ghostly habitats. First, check in at 17Hundred90, a snug, atmospheric inn/restaurant tucked in the leafy heart of the historic district.

This famously sprited lodging was, in the 1820s, the home of a young woman named Anna Powers, who, according to legend, threw herself from a third-floor balcony when her seafaring lover jilted her and set sail. Her ghost is said to roam the upstairs chambers. Guests staying in Room 204 report all manner of weird occurrences, including wallets and clothing often mysteriously being moved around the room, strange sounds, and sensing a barrier in the doorway. Be sure to ask the front-desk manager to show you a photograph taken at the inn of an apparition in a mirror. Could it be Anna?

For an irresistible combination of gastronomy and ghosts, enjoy a meal at the Olde Pink House Restaurant, one of Savannah’s few surviving 18th-century buildings and possibly the eternal dwelling of a restless spirit named James Habersham Jr., the prosperous original owner. After dining on entrees such as blue crab–stuffed grouper, head down to the intimate basement bar, Planters Tavern, where you just might bump into a distinguished gent in Colonial attire. If you attempt to initiate a conversation with him, he’ll likely turn—and vanish. The elusive denizen is said to bear a striking resemblance to the portrait of Habersham that hangs in the foyer.

By all means, ask the Olde Pink House staff about the resident wraiths, with whom they’re well-acquainted. “I’ve never seen a ghost here,” says Chad Lyon, the former manager, “but the servers are absolutely adamant about the eerie things they’ve witnessed. Once a group of them were standing in one of the parlors when they saw a tiny pinprick of light grow to the size of a tennis ball and then disappear. One of them was so freaked out that she quit.”

For another tasty sampling of Savannah’s ghost realm, try The Shrimp Factory, a popular waterfront eatery whose liquor storeroom on the second floor is positively swarming with non-liquid spirits . . . or so the story goes. The restaurant was converted from a pre-Civil War cotton warehouse, where, in the attic, slaves reportedly died from exhaustion. Suffice to say that some employees are wary of fetching supplies upstairs, where the stash of beverages stays curiously cool during the sweltering summer—there’s no air conditioning—and lights flicker at night.

Frightened yet? Prepare to do some serious shivering when you hear about the ghosts at Moon River Brewing Company, Savannah’s only microbrewery, which serves one-of-a-kind homemade beers with a side of unexplained happenings. Built in 1821 as the city’s first hotel, the stark structure that houses the brewery was the site of violent clashes between unyielding Southerners and visiting Yankees. Murder was on the menu in 1832, when a doctor walked into the hotel bar and shot a local scoundrel. Today, Moon River staff and customers tell of bottles being thrown by unseen forces; many swear they’ve been touched, pushed or slapped by disembodied beings.

If a classic haunted mansion is your idea of creepy, take the Paranormal Tour at the Sorrel-Weed House, built 170 years ago for a socially prominent Georgian named Francis Sorrel; it’s up to its rafters in eerie stirrings. Outside, it’s all grace and elegance, a superb example of Greek Revival/Regency architecture. Inside, fasten your seat belts for a teeth-rattling 60 minutes. As tour manager Orlin Reynolds says, “A variety of characters flow through the house all the time.” And he doesn’t mean tourists. The property’s basement is a hot spot for entities Reynolds
calls “the shadow people.”

“They run across the basement,” he explains. “You just see a shadow—the shape of a body but nothingsolid. They’ve often been caught on film.” Cameras and tape recorders are welcome; the house offers electromagnetic-field detectors for dedicated ghost busters.

So perhaps you’re wondering: Have I ever seen any of Savannah’s legion of ghosts? Well . . . no. But I will. Someday.