Start your tour with a hotel pickup (surcharge payable locally) in your air-conditioned bus; alternatively, hop aboard your transport at the Savannah Visitor Center. Switch between gazing out of the window and watching an accompanying DVD slideshow about Savannah’s complex history. Throughout the tour, you learn important historical facts about the origins of the term ‘African-American,’ the disastrous slave auction commonly called ‘the weeping time,’ and how the Civil War affected the lives of Americans in Georgia and beyond.

Stop at the First African Baptist Church to admire stained glass windows, an 1832 pipe organ and original pews that were built by slaves. Established around 1773, the church became a safe house to slaves in the 18th and 19th centuries, and later a gathering place for black and white Americans against segregation. Walk around at leisure to see memorabilia in the church museum.

Continue to Beach Institute Museum to browse an array of important African-American cultural artifacts. The museum is housed inside a building that was once the city’s first school for African-American children. A selection of historical displays such as incredible wood carvings by the renowned folk artist Ulysses Davis are on display.

Finally, head to Ye Olde Herb Shoppe, a specialty food shop where you can experience the Caribbean influence of modern-day Savannah. Sit down for an appetizer of ceviche-style conch salad alongside a mug of mango tea, and then shop for herbs and spices to take home, if you wish.

Head back to your bus, and then finish your 3-hour tour with a drop-off at the Savannah Visitor Center, where your tour began.