Davenport House Museum to Celebrate the Holidays with Festive Yuletide Tours and “Holiday Traditions and Experiences of the Enslaved Community"

Nov. 12, 2025 – The Davenport House Museum, an award-winning house museum in Savannah, Ga. that is owned and operated by Historic Savannah Foundation, is pleased to offer festive, holiday-themed Yuletide Tours from Tues., Nov. 18 through Sat., Jan. 3, 2026, exploring 19^th-century holiday traditions at one of Georgia’s most historic sites. Guided Yuletide Tours at the Davenport House will be available Monday through Friday between 11 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Attendees are warmly invited to enjoy this seasonal opportunity to step into the ornate world of the Davenports during the holidays, complete with historically accurate décor and an illuminating examination of Savannah’s holiday traditions in the 1800s. All guided tours during this period will include a special holiday interpretation of the Davenport House.

Tickets for the Davenport House Museum’s Yuletide Tours are $15 for adults, $12 for students ages 18-21, $10 for children ages 6-17 and free for children under 6. Tickets are currently available online at davenporthousemuseum.org.

On Friday, Dec. 26 and Saturday, Dec. 27, the Davenport House Museum in Savannah, Ga. will offer immersive “Holiday Traditions and Experiences of the Enslaved Community” tours featuring Gullah-Geechee Master Storyteller Patt Gunn and the Saltwata Players sharing holiday traditions of Savannah’s enslaved community through live performances featuring song, dance and spirituality.
***Photo credit: Ann Sosbe***

In addition, the Davenport House will present “Holiday Traditions and Experiences of the Enslaved Community” featuring Gullah-Geechee Master Storyteller Patt Gunn Friday on Fri., Dec. 26 and Sat., Dec. 27 at 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 4 p.m., and 5:30 p.m. These powerful, immersive programs will be presented by Gullah-Geechee Master Storyteller Patt Gunn and the Saltwata Players. Through engaging and immersive interpretation, guests will explore holiday traditions of the enslaved through song, dance and spirituality.

These thought-provoking tours are designed to help local residents and visitors understand the historic experiences of enslaved workers who resided in the Federal-style home during the holiday season during the 1820s. Between 1812 and 1828, there were as many as 13 enslaved persons who occupied and held a range of responsibilities at the Davenport House on Columbia Square.

Gunn is a Gullah-Geechee “daughter of the soil of Savannah” who founded the Geechee Institute in 1992. Over the years, she has developed festivals, hosted lectures and spearheaded oral history projects for the Savannah community. She founded Underground Tours of Savannah in 2017 to share the history of her ancestors and to lead tours focused on Savannah’s African-American and Gullah-Geechee history. Most recently, she led a three-year campaign that resulted in renaming Calhoun Square in honor of African-American nurse and educator Susie King Taylor.

The Davenport House Museum’s “Holiday Traditions and Experiences of the Enslaved Community” tours are $50 for adults and $20 for children 12 and under. Tickets are available online at davenporthousemuseum.org.

ABOUT HISTORIC SAVANNAH FOUNDATION:

Historic Savannah Foundation (HSF) is the leading nonprofit cultural institution dedicated to saving the buildings, places and stories that define Savannah’s past, present and future. Founded in 1955 when seven brave women banded together to save the Isaiah Davenport House, Historic Savannah Foundation spearheaded the preservation movement in Savannah. The organization continues to preserve and operate The Davenport House Museum, sharing its important story with the community, and operates a Revolving Fund to save endangered historic properties, now totaling over 400 buildings throughout several of Savannah’s historic districts. HSF continues to lead preservation efforts throughout the Savannah community. More info: myhsf.org.

ABOUT DAVENPORT HOUSE MUSEUM:

The Davenport House Museum is the historic 1820 Federal-style home and iconic Historic Savannah Foundation property that began the modern-day preservation movement in Savannah, Ga. In 1955, seven local women joined forces to save the Davenport House from demolition. Today, this award-winning house museum is dedicated to sharing the stories of master carpenter Isaiah Davenport, his family and the enslaved residents who lived in this home overlooking Columbia Square, showcasing period artifacts of life in Savannah from 1820 to 1827. Highlights include the new Urban Enslaved Exhibit, which opened to the public in November 2023. Owned and operated by Historic Savannah Foundation, the Davenport House is the winner of the Preserve America Presidential Award — the highest national award honoring historic preservation achievement — and welcomes more than 40,000 visitors annually. More info: davenporthousemuseum.org.

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