First African Baptist Church in Savannah

This was a highlight of my Savannah visit. Derrek was an amazing teacher; knowledgeable and engaging. He shared thought-provoking, heart-stirring details of the churchs history. I left with a profound sense of gratitude. Highly recommended.

We were very much looking forward to experiencing this tour, unfortunately that couldn’t happen as we were only given half information and the tour guide was dismissive toward us.The church is not open through the afternoon, it’s open from 1pm-1:10pm. The door close at 1:10pm, that is the only tour for the day and you cannot enter on your own either. We spoke to someone at 12:35pm who said the doors open after 1pm, but she failed to mention the doors close at 110. we came back at 1:15pm and the doors were still locked. We called multiple times, and thankfully one of the workers outside attempted to get us in. But unfortunately to tour guide tell us we’re too late and we should’ve known — the sign outside does not indicate doors close 10 minutes after opening or that that’s your only chance of entering for the day. He was also incredibly dismissive to me, my grandmother and the other couple who just came in also having been misinformed about the time schedule.Hopefully others can have a better experience than we did.

Amazing tour, a must when visiting Savannah

Wonderful experience. Highly recommend taking the tour. Best tour in Savannah. The assistant pastor was informative and engaging in fun interactive, educational way. I learned so much and so grateful that we were able to fit it in on our last day. Make sure to look up when the tours are scheduled. They do not have them every day. I bought my ticket at the door and was credit card only. You can buy online.

Pastor Derrek Lead a very interesting tour.. informative, educational & interactive….i would highly recommend his tour … : )

Really great event. Not really a tour but a very well taught history of the church with views of memorabilia that was truly amazing. The pastor that did the event was really great, funny, engaging and really taught me something! You want to understand the pic? Then you have to go!

Very disappointed. Was excited to visit historic sight but guide rambled too much, focused on “interacting” with guests on the tour instead of telling the history. Also, just had a weird disposition that made many of us uncomfortable. Loved stain glass featuring black preachers from the congregation’s history, and it was fascinating to see the holes in the basement pine floor that runaway slaves breathed through. But wish there was more historical content.

Im really disappointed that I was not able to tour the church.On their website, it says that the tour will be at 3pm today. When I got to the door of the church, a piece of paper said the tour was at 1pm. I planned my whole day around this 3pm tour and bought a ticket which I hope to be reimbursed for. There were also about 10 other people trying to figure out how to enter the church but all the doors were locked.They need to ensure the information for their tour is correct, especially for people visiting this city that may only have once chance to stop by.

Excellent information regarding the church & its involvement in the Underground Railroad. This is a must do. Docent Joe did an excellent job, explaining & educating.

Charming old church in downtown Savannah- dynamic preacher and gospel singers. We didn’t do the tour just went to church on Sunday morning- park for free in their lot on Sunday…got a nice rose for the ladies on Mother’s Day

Joseph led us on a wonderful and informative tour. Some of the truths are hard to hear, but we need to appreciate the past to move forward.

Highly recommend the church tour. It was my favorite part of this trip. Thank you Derrek for your detailed historic account, humor and obvious love of GOD and people. Truly moving and unforgettable experience.

Went on a tour of the church with Pastor Derrek. This is not your standard historical "tour." Rather, Derrek leads an interactive discussion and lecture. I found it interesting and informative but it was not at all what I was expecting when I walked in. I would have liked to learn a bit more about the underground railroad and how it worked at the church. Overall, I think the tour was very worthwhile and I would do it again.

These people are nothing but thieves and crooks. Calling themselves a church is laughable. They offer a parking lot next to the church where the attendant who calls himself the “parking manager” is happy to offer a discounted parking rate for 2 nights. The next day the church tells you that you have to pay double or move your car. This is totally a scam to screw tourists so beware.The pastor came and got up in my face and said the guy the night before didn’t have the authority to offer any kind of deal so pay up or leave.When I returned to confront the same attendant the night before and told him what had transpired he smirked and said “you were parked in his spot” (the pastors)SCAM SCAM SCAM!!! DON’T PAY THESE CROOKS A CENT.Also before the pastor/church responds you deserved every choice word you got.

I love everything about this church from the history of the Pastors in the windows to the story of the underground railroad. The only thing that was confusing to me and the people that were with us in which we talked outside after the tour, was when booked our tickets it said Arabic writings on the pews of the website but the tour guide said it was hebrew on the pews on the tour. Maybe thats not a big deal, but Im sure we havent been the only ones to wonder about that hopefully someone from the church can give clarity. Other than that, this is the most beautiful place of history for African people and our history.

Amazing tour with a ton of historical facts! Great atmosphere with information and laughs!

Myself and. some friends of mine just returned from our girls trip in Savannah. I was really excited about the trip, as I had been there before and was not able to visit this historical church. I have to say, visiting the church and seeing history with my on eyes was in itself, a great experience. However, our tour guide ruined the experience for me. I felt he was extremely opinionated toward the group. I feel that he spent far too much time calling out people in the group who were there to learn. Especially a young kid. I do understand the importance of the point he was trying to make,… about it is our responsibility to teach the children our history…. However, the way in which it was done, by this particular tour guide, was embarrassing and quite frankly made the whole tour very uncomfortable with his extra comments, and subtle, passive aggressive comments with people he would call on with in the group. For me it took something out of the experience. I also understand that maybe the tour is suppose to be interactive, and that’s okay, but my suggestion would be, in particular with the tour guide we had, is to focus on teaching more about the church, slave history, instead of trying to be a comedian, calling people out, putting people on the spot, and taking away from people having an informative experience… the whole reason why people come, it too learn what they may not already know.

A must if youre in Savannah visiting and living a like. Really happy theyve been able to preserve this building and keep it.

The historian did a wonderful job with the presentation. I really enjoyed how she questioned the youth and got them involved. Yes this is about the church, but it was really a good historical lesson about the whole South. I will come back and do this again.

The tour we had was only from the outside m due to CoVID restrictions still in effect as of May 2021 we couldnt tour the inside. We just viewed the outside. They are currently doing virtual church service.

As the Director of Operations at Son Tours, Inc. we have many school groups that are doing Georgia Area Studies tours in Savannah, and one of the places I always suggest to our teachers, [if they havent already requested it] is the First African Baptist Church in Savannah. Being able to sit in the church, see, feel, and touch the history, as well as hear the stories that Ms. Karen Wortham delivers are amazing. The kids and teachers love this place and we feel that you will too. Don’t miss this on your tour to Savannah!!!

I absolutely loved the tour. The tour guide, De’Air/De’Eric (didn’t quite catch his namedid an amazing job. He was extremely knowledgeable. I consider myself well informed on Black History. He gave me new things to consider. I left in even more awe of the accomplishments of Blacks. They’ve made such contributions to our society. I also had the pleasure of attending service there. Although it was a bit dated I enjoyed being transported to the late 70s for s traditional service.

This was my favorite place to visit in Savannah. Traci did s great job with the history of the church. The church is beautiful. I will come back next time we are there. God bless!

Yall, real talk. Gabe and I have done a lot of historic tours in our time together. This was maybe the best one ever. Real talk. The brother that did the tour today was possibly the best tour/ history guide that weve ever had. Seriously. Weve been to a few cities. Were nerds like that. This young man was engaging. His facts were on point. He didnt talk down to us. He engaged us. He was woke in a way that didnt make the white peeps in our group feel uncomfortable. Sometimes, thats a real concern when youre addressing things like slavery. I wish I remembered his name. I heard him say he was a senior in Africana Studies at University of Georgia. But I missed his name.We thoroughly enjoyed it. And our 11 year old paid attention the whole entire time. If youre ever in Savannah, catch this tour!!

This was one of the most amazing tours/learning experiences I have ever had the pleasure of doing. I highly recommend this tour. The guides are amazing, the history is unbelievable. If you do nothing else with your time in Savannah, do this!

Members welcome all race and religion. Even though we were the minority, we felt like we belonged. One member said it best “ You could choose to go to any church and you chose US!” Glad we did. Come praise God.

Informative, uplifting, and inspiring. Tour guide was Mrs. Tillman who did a great job. Very engaging and friendly with tourists. Amazing history in this church.

Wonderful tour of this historical church in Savannah Georgia. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and gave our group a comprehensive oral history of this church. I was in awe sitting in such a magnificent piece of architecture constructed by slaves at nightime after a grueling day of work. The church houses many priceless artifacts downstairs. The idea that it was a stop on the underground railroad is amazing. Do not miss the chance to see First African Baptist Church.

Was in the Sanvanna area, had a chance to visit this church during a black history tour. Very nice trip. Had a great time.

Derrek was wonderful as our tour guide! He was funny, thorough, and just made the entire tour fun!! Such a great educational experience. We left with a deeper appreciation and understanding of African American history and culture. Definitely recommend!

My sisters and I toured the church this past Friday while on a Sisters weekend. The associate pastor, Derrek Curry led our group of about 17 on one of the most informative tours I have been on. Derrek made us all feel so comfortable by his sincere kindness and humor. I was amazed at the profound history of this church and its role in the Underground Railroad. If you go, I hope you are blessed by Derrek as your guide.

Derek was our tour guide and was AMAZING! You can tell he has a passion for God, the church and for the history of his beloved church. He made the history of the church come alive! Also, Derek made everyone in our group feel so at ease that we felt comfortable asking questions. My husband and I both agreed it was in our top three experiences in Savannah. We HIGHLY recommend the tour! Well worth the $10.00. I typically refrain from disparaging other reviewers. I will say this, I am always shocked when people expect people like Derek to do stuff like that for free...church or not. I mean really...do you do your job for free? Isnt his time with something, just like yours? Also, before you judge, perhaps you should find out where the money they collect goes. I have been informed that a large portion goes back to the community. God bless all of you and keep on doing the amazing job you do, of telling the amazing history of this church!

Nice tour of the oldest black church in the nation. Founded by black freemen and services attended by slaves way back in the 1700s. Part of the Underground Railroad with a 4 foot crawl space (with holds in the floors for ventilationfor slaves looking to be moved to freedom. Fascinating history with a 1 hour tour. Worth the time and price of admission ($10 for adults). Check website for tour times. They even had a really old Apple Macintosh computer as part of their display. So cool!

Visited on a great tour by Day Clean Journeys. The red doors means that the property has been paid off.

This was a long sought after experience after taking the Old Savannah Historic Overview Tour. We were first greeted by Derek who also provided the tour. The moment I entered the building, the first I noticed was the scent of history. I felt like I was greeted by an old spirit. The information he provided was profound and the tour of the church building was incredible. Derek gave an excellent overview of the FABC history and impact on our community. Im grateful to have had the opportunity to visit the church and I hope others do as well. I pray that Elohim pours out his favor on the churchs leadership and may the spirit of the Yahweh be lifted up and fill the people of God through this ministry.

We loved the tour with the history and feeling so welcomed by our guide, the assistant pastor. Definitely everyone in our group loved it! A must do!

The assistant pastor who hosted the tour presented the history of the church in a very engaging manner and left me wanting to learn more. It was one of my favorite experiences visiting Savannah.

I am giving the tour for the FABC 3 stars. The tour was great, the Tour Guide was great and largely informed. Although i must deduct 2 stars due too the Tour Guide began to interject politics and his feeling regarding the President of the United States and disparaging the President. I could tell by the feeling in the group, it was a bit uncomfortable. Many come to your tour to hear, learn and become more informed about the history of blacks in the south. No one comes there to be influenced regarding politics. Please in the future refrain from current politics it really detracts and leaves a bad taste. The Tour Guide was Derek. With these exceptions --tour was good Thank You

Love the History! I recommend if your in Savannah to take the tour.

Very Disappointing the fact they charge to share the story and history in the church. They should want to spread the knowledge and share the experience not put a price on it so only few will know or hear the struggle and history from the church. Makes me sad to think of the amount of people who pass on going and experiencing such a historic place to my people because its $10 a person.

They changed the hours so no longer a tour at 2pm. We missed the tour because of that, but there’s always another time! So happy there’s historic plagues up with detailing some of the history of both free and enslaved blacks during the 1700s-1800s. Rich black history! It’s worth the stop!

This historic church is a must-see in Savannah. I visited during the same time as a high school school group tour and the churches guide was actually better at keeping control of the children than the teachers were. The history and background of his church is awe inspiring. Being able to physically see where the Underground Railroad was located was amazing.

Its wonderful that the church is open to folks to visit and discover its rich history. Wish they could get funding to maintain the building better.

The history here is amazing. The story behind this church should be made into a movie. It impacted me greatly. The sanctuary is well-kept and the staff are friendly and informative.

This was a great stop. Very informative and the guide was very knowledgeable. Definitely a must see tour. If youre sensitive to "in your face" type commentary, the guide may be too abrupt for you. Otherwise, you wont regret it. Makes me want to delve more into my history and find out what other treasures await.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit. My husband and I actually met some people on the tour who are related to his dad! What a small world! This place is a jewel.

This was our favorite tour of our trip to Savannah. While all of the tours we took were wonderful, this tour was very powerful and meaningful. Thank you Reverend George for a very educational and inspirational history lesson at your treasured historical landmark.

If theres a such thing as false prophecy and spiritual manipulation, this church is it. If nothing else, it certainly has a twisted ideology.We had plans to worship with this church for Easter and simply wanted to know the activites for children. Our 5 year old is gifted in music and was previously invited to share his talent with the church. We live 4 hours away so we had to plan accordingly. We thought Easter would be appropriate considering that children are most often a big part of the program. What happened next with this church is anything but typical and I promise it happened.Spoke with one of the ministers and he said the Pastor is tired of people only coming to church for Easter, Mothers Day and New Years and as such, my son would need to audition if I want him to be a part of Easter. He gave me a phony email to upload a video. It was his way to say NO to my child because the Pastor doesnt like people coming to chuch during certain times of the year.Church bureaucracy isnt unusual, but what this church did was disdainful. Governing body should get a new Pastor!!

I have always wanted to visit Savannah. Its rich history has always intrigued me so why not make it a road trip. So, I drove from Chicago to Atlanta to visit friends and family, and the next day I made my way to Savannah. What I wasnt prepared for though was the emotional journey that would forever change my life.Visiting First African Baptist Church was not planned. My fiancé and I toured the many landmarks such as The Pink House etc... that is until our wonderful guide suggested we visit First African Baptist Church while we were there.This visit changed my life! The market square where the Africans were auctioned off....You could still feel their spirit hovering. The red door of the church symbolizing that the church was owned free and clear. The amazing stories of engineers from all over never able to find out the entrance of the Underground Railroad beneath the church, much less understanding how structurally sound the handmade bricks made by the slaves makes the building an architectural marvel....wow!I believe every African American should at least pilgrimage to Savannah to visit this sacred place. Im sure it would change their perspective much like it has mine. I plan on visiting again soon, only this time with my children.

What a great experience! Johnny was our tour guide and was excellent in explaining the history of the church and its history. The holes in the floor were fascinating. Wonderful learning experience for kids too.