GUY IN the KILT

08/13/2026

For years, Savannah’s tour industry has been dragged back into the same argument:

The accusation: walking tours are the overwhelming source of nighttime noise violations.

Complaints are made, restrictions are floated, and walking tours are treated as though we are the obvious source of nighttime noise. Much of that pressure comes from a small group of downtown residents.

Yet when the tour industry asks for the data supporting these claims, the city does not provide it.

They want additional restrictions on tour operators without demonstrating that additional legislation is necessary — or that it would actually solve the problem.

Enough.

If the City of Savannah wants to impose new restrictions on an entire industry, then release the data and prove the case.

SHOW US:
Show us where the complaints are occurring.
Show us when they are occurring.
Show us how many actually involve licensed walking tours.
Show us whether Code Enforcement was contacted or responded.
Show us how many citations were issued — and to whom.

Thus far, the city has repeatedly failed to provide the tour industry with the data being requested.

Savannah already has noise ordinances. If those ordinances are being violated, enforce them against the people actually causing the disruption.

What the city must not do is substitute anecdotes, assumptions, or pressure from a small group of downtown residents for evidence-based policy.

Downtown Savannah at night includes bars, restaurants, wedding parties, bachelor and bachelorette groups, vehicles, tourists, residents, street activity — and yes, walking tours.

If there is a documented noise problem, identify the source of it.

And if the city intends to impose a blanket 9 P.M. cutoff anyway, it must be prepared to explain why that restriction is necessary, what evidence supports it, why existing enforcement is inadequate, and why less restrictive alternatives were rejected.

Because this does not affect tour guides alone. It affects restaurants, bars, hospitality workers, drivers, hotels, and small businesses that depend on Savannah’s evening economy.

The solution is simple:
Release the data.
Target the actual bad actors.
Enforce the laws already on the books.

And if the city chooses to restrict an entire industry without evidence, it must be prepared to defend that decision in court.

06/16/2026

"Hey Patrick! What have you been up to?"

I'm glad you asked! 👻

For more than half a year, I’ve quietly been developing a new haunted dining experience here in Savannah called Breaking Bread with the Dead.

It’s an immersive, candlelit supper inside the historic River Street Inn, blending haunted storytelling, Savannah ghost lore, paranormal history, and the kind of atmosphere you can only get in a building that already has stories of its own.

This is not a walking tour.

This is not a lecture.

This is something a little stranger, a little more intimate, and honestly, something I’m really excited to finally share.

Breaking Bread with the Dead was created and is hosted by me, and it will take place every Friday evening at River Street Inn.

The table is set.
The candles are lit.
And yes… the dead have been invited.

Booking is now open:
breakingbreadwiththedead.com

06/15/2026

Looking for something unforgettable to do in Savannah?

Join Guy In The Kilt for a private walking ghost or history tour through the haunted heart of Savannah. Real history, paranormal research, dark stories, and one very kilted guide.

No giant tour groups. No canned script. Just your group, Savannah’s haunted history, and a night you’ll actually remember.

Book your private tour:
https://guyinthekilt.com

05/25/2026

October in Savannah is spectacular. It's also the month when the tourist traps go into full swing and the lines for mediocre experiences stretch around the block.

I've been guiding tours here through every October for over a decade. I know exactly what's genuinely worth your time and what you can skip without regret.

The atmosphere is real. The ghost stories are real. The Spanish moss in October light is something else entirely. But you don't need to wait two hours for a branded haunted pub crawl to experience any of it.

https://guyinthekilt.com/savannah-in-october-whats-worth-your-time-and-whats-a-tourist-trap/

Want to do October in Savannah right? Book a tour with me before the calendar fills up 👉 guyinthekilt.com/tours

October is Savannah's best and most crowded month. A local ghost tour guide tells you what is worth your time and what to skip.

05/22/2026

The most common question I get on tours that has nothing to do with ghosts: 'Does the Spanish moss hurt the trees?'

The answer is no — and the reason why is actually fascinating if you've never thought about how this stuff works.

Spanish moss isn't a parasite. It doesn't have roots. It doesn't take anything from the tree it's growing on. It's pulling everything it needs straight out of the air. Which means Savannah's moss is, in a weird way, one of the more self-sufficient organisms in the city.

Full explanation (and a few things about it that will gross you out) on the blog.

Spanish moss isn't Spanish, isn't moss, and isn't killing the trees. A Savannah local guide explains what it actually is and does.

05/20/2026

Savannah is the best-preserved antebellum city in the American South. There's a reason for that — and it's not the story you've been told.

'Sherman spared it because it was too beautiful to burn.' That's the version that gets repeated. It's a great story. It's also not really what happened.

The real reason Savannah survived is more complicated, more strategic, and honestly more interesting. And the famous Christmas telegram Sherman sent Lincoln? It says something very specific — and most people misquote it.

A local guide explains why Sherman didn't burn Savannah and what the famous Christmas telegram actually says — the real strategic answer.

05/18/2026

The Forsyth Park fountain is Savannah's most photographed landmark. It's also one of its most misunderstood — and I say that as someone who has walked past it approximately ten thousand times.

Most people don't know where it came from, what the figures on it actually represent, or why every single photo of it looks identical (hint: there's an architectural reason, and it's kind of fascinating).

I wrote the full history — the origin, the symbolism, and the one thing most visitors completely miss when they're standing right in front of it.

The Forsyth Park fountain is Savannah's most photographed landmark. A local guide explains where it came from and what you are missing.

05/15/2026

Everyone photographs Chippewa Square and Forsyth Park. They're gorgeous. They're also where every tour bus stops, every group photo gets taken, and every visitor checks off the list before moving on.

The squares most people walk through without stopping are often the more interesting ones — and I've spent a decade trying to convince tourists of that.

I finally wrote the case for the underrated ones. The history is better, the crowds are smaller, and they're much better for actually sitting in.

https://guyinthekilt.com/savannahs-most-underrated-squares-the-ones-worth-actually-stopping-at/

Want a tour built around the Savannah most visitors never see? That's kind of my whole thing. guyinthekilt.com/tours

Savannah has 22 squares and most visitors see five. A local guide makes the case for the ones everyone walks past — and why they matter.

05/13/2026

River Street is Savannah's most-visited stretch. It's also the most historically sanitized.

Those cobblestones? Not actually cobblestones. They're ballast stones — heavy rocks brought over from Europe in the bottoms of empty ships coming to pick up cotton. Ships that, on the return voyage, were carrying enslaved people.

The history of what happened on those docks is dark, complicated, and almost completely absent from the souvenir shops lining the street today.

I wrote it down — the real story of River Street.

River Street is beautiful and historically sanitized. A guide explains what those ballast stones actually are and what happened on those docks.

05/11/2026

One day in Savannah. I hear this constantly — and I cringe every time someone hands me their itinerary.

Wax museum. Trolley tour. River Street souvenir shops. Three hours gone, nothing real seen.

Here's the thing: one day is enough to see the real Savannah, if you're not spending it in the wrong places. I've walked every block of this city for over a decade. I know exactly what's worth your time and what isn't.

I wrote the actual itinerary. Not the tourist board version — mine.

https://guyinthekilt.com/how-to-do-savannah-in-one-day-without-wasting-it/

And if you want a local guide along for part of it — you know where to find me 👇 guyinthekilt.com/tours

One day in Savannah is enough if you don't waste half of it. A local guide who has walked every block gives you the real itinerary.