A Savannah Walking Tour to Little Gracie and Johnny Mercer at Bonaventure
A guide leads you on foot in daylight, past the Jewish Section and under the oaks, for up to two hours. Tickets are for ages 13 and up, and every sale is final.
Bonaventure is a working city cemetery on a bluff above the Wilmington River, and this tour walks it in daylight. Its gates open at 8:00 AM and close at 5:00 PM every day of the year, and entry is free.
The card below books the Viator listing. Book the 10:00 AM start. As of October 24, 2026, the operator's own calendar runs it daily but shows the 1:00 PM slot the listing also sells on only October 31 and November 1, and every sale is final. Both start times are in daylight, even though the listing's inclusions mention a “haunted evening.”
Bonaventure Cemetery History TourGuided walking tour of Bonaventure Cemetery in daylight, meeting in the cemetery lot by the Historical Section. Ages 13 and up, all sales final.www.viator.comLittle Gracie, Johnny Mercer and a Statue That Left
The listing names the stops it passes on the way: the Jewish Section, Little Gracie and Johnny Mercer among them. Gracie Watson died in 1889 at the age of six, and local sculptor John Walz finished her life-size marble likeness in 1890, working from a photograph. Her grave has stood behind a gated fence since 1999, so you see her from the path.
Johnny Mercer's ledger stone gives his birth name, John Herndon Mercer, and the line "And the Angels Sing." Coming for the Bird Girl from Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil? She now stands at the Telfair Museums in Savannah. The Bonaventure Historical Society says she was moved shortly after the 1994 book came out, to protect her and the family plot from crowds.
The Jewish Section and the Rule About Stones
The Jewish Section is another stop the listing names, and you may see small stones resting on its markers. They are a Jewish tradition for marking a visit. The Bonaventure Historical Society asks visitors not to add their own, because rocks scratch old marble.
The same rules hold for the whole walk. Stay on the paths, since the plots are private family property. Photos for personal use are welcome from the path, and the society suggests your camera's zoom for a closer look at a monument.
Pace, Group Size and Ages
Keep two hours free. The listing schedules up to two hours in the cemetery, while the operator's own booking system sells the same walk as 90 minutes.
Stories set the pace, and reviewers say guides will linger or move on when the group asks. There is no cart; the whole tour is on foot. The listing asks for at least moderate fitness and does not recommend the tour for travelers with poor cardiovascular health. One booking takes up to five people, and the listing caps a group at 20 (the operator's own system sells 15 spots a session). Every ticket on this listing is for ages 13 and up.
Rain, Refunds, Tips and Restrooms
Tours run rain or shine, and the operator says it will contact you if it has to cancel one. Every sale on this listing is final, with no refund for cancellations. The guide's tip is not included, and getting to the cemetery is up to you.
The Bonaventure Historical Society says the only restrooms are at the front by the entry gates, with none inside the cemetery. It also says most paths are dirt and gravel and can be hard going in a wheelchair. Leave pets at home unless they are calm and leashed: the listing only lists service animals as allowed, the operator welcomes pets that are not disruptive, and the Bonaventure Historical Society's rules keep dogs on a leash and on the paths, with owners cleaning up after them.
Meet your guide in the back-right parking lot by the Historical Section of Bonaventure Cemetery, 330 Bonaventure Road in Thunderbolt. The operator says to look for a white Junket t-shirt and a yellow flag, and to arrive 15 minutes early. The lot is a drive inside the gates, so allow a few extra minutes after you enter. The map pin marks the cemetery itself, and the meeting lot is inside, toward the Historical Section.
Stop at the restrooms by the front gates on the way in. The gates stay open until 5:00 PM, which leaves the afternoon to wander back under the oaks on your own.