Take a Tour

Ghost Tour

Whether on foot or by bike, taking a ghost tour is its own kind of fun. I particularly recommend opting for one of these when the weather is cooler and the shadows of the evening lend themselves to giving you all the chills. We’ve taken ghost tours from Savannah to Macon to St. Augustine and can testify that the south holds plenty of scandals, murders, and more to fill the old houses and streets with spooky lore. On our most recent ghost tour with Bike Walk Macon’s annual haunted bike party (a fun date any time of year), we were so drawn in by the infamous tale of Anjette Lyles we bought the book Whisper to the Black Candle. Soon we may know enough to tell her story ourselves!

Ghost tours usually cover a lot of ground, so be sure to wear good walking shoes. For an extra layer of spook, check for midnight tours too. Spooky, cold, and dramatic, ghost tours lend themselves to hand-holding, hot chocolate, and supernatural-themed discussions. In other words, they are a great date night at any stage in a relationship.

Self-Guided Tour

If you find yourself visiting or passing through an unknown town, pausing for an hour for a self-guided tour can be the perfect way to familiarize yourself with the area. Honestly, we are probably more motivated by discovering the best place to eat than anything else, which this also helps with. Even in your hometown, a self-guided tour can be fun! It enriches the places you already know with an extra layer of history. Though it varies from place to place, look for self-guided tours on the websites of the local visitor centers and the historic foundations. For where we live, Historic Macon Foundation has self-guided brochures for Music History tours, Industrial District tours, and Cotton Avenue District tours available through their website. The thing we love about this type of tour is the freedom. We can pop into the antique store near that historically significant spot or grab ice cream between destinations. A self-guided tour lets you take it at your own pace, visit the spots most interesting to you and your date, and allows you to add a few detours as desired.

Historic House Tour

Though perhaps the most traditional of my suggestions, this is no less fun for a date. Historic houses are most often significant for the architectural design or who lived there. If you have strong feelings for or against either of those, it is important to know which one the house is most recognized for before you go. On our recent tour of Flannery O’Conner’s home, the architecture was nearly identical the house Trent grew up in. The element that made it interesting to us was not so much the house (though it was beautiful) as the former resident.

If you register for a tour taking place in a neighborhood or district, the day will likely include a mix of houses that are not typically open to the public. Most of the time, tours like this are annual, offered for one weekend, and happen around the same time every year. This is another great way to explore an unfamiliar town in addition to bringing a deeper layer of knowledge to your hometown. Most of the time, these kinds of tours have events tied to them and they offer various ways to take them. A notable one like this was a tour in Springfield, Florida we did by bike. Amazing houses and a beautiful bike ride, even if the guide mistakenly thought it safer to bike on the sidewalk than the road. In Macon, we are particularly fond of the Christmas Tour of Homes. I always feel inspired after seeing how charming the houses look decorated for the season.