The "Why" Question
Why is Oglethorpe Tours $15.00 a person and the other tour companies charge $25.00 + a person?
Before I answer the question I would like to share my favorite story about one lady who asked the “Why” question -
One day I was selling tickets at the Visitors Center when two guests walked up to ask me the “Why” question. The lady was convinced that I was hiding something, so she peppered me with additional questions. “Does your tour cover the 2.2 square miles of the historic district?” “Yes, ma’am.” “Do your tour guides narrate the tour?” “Yes, ma’am.” “Do you have on / off?” “Yes, ma’am.” “How long is your tour?” “Our tour is 90 minutes.” She quickly interjected, “Aha – their tour (pointing to another trolley company) is an hour an half!” As soon as she said it she realized what she was saying and bought tickets.
The above story proves that people sometimes believe the old adage “if it sounds too good to be true it probably is”, we like to think that we are the exception. We work harder to provide a quality experience because people expect more from a $15.00 tour than a $25.00 + tour.
There are a few major differences between Oglethorpe Tours and other trolley tour companies, they are:
- We offer unlimited on / off until 5:30 p.m., later than any other tour company. We have trolley stops throughout the historic district that allow you to conveniently get out shop, sightsee and stroll the entire historic district. This service is included with your ticket and operates continuously from 9:00 a.m. We come to each stop about every 25 – 30 minutes depending on traffic. If you have your cell phone handy you can call us and we can give you an exact time when we will be by that particular trolley stop.
- Our Tour is a 90 minute uninterrupted tour, with unlimited on/off service following the tour. We reinvented the on/off tour! Instead of having your tour interrupted every 5 – 10 minutes to allow guests to get on / off, your journey with us is uninterrupted. We feel that giving you a comprehensive tour and showing you the area you will have a better idea of what you want to go back to. Upon completion of your tour you have unlimited on/off privileges with our on/off service. With this concept everyone benefits: Our guides get to “create” their own tour versus having to simply memorize a script, where everyone says the same thing at the same location. Our guests get to better familiarize themselves with the historic district before venturing out in unfamiliar territory and actually get more of a tour because stopping every 5 – 10 minutes to allow boarding takes away from your valuable tour time.
- Our trolley tour only costs $15.00 per person. It is true! When I started in the trolley tour business in 1995 tour tickets were $15.00 per person. It might not be 1950’s prices but with today’s fuel costs 1990’s prices are not bad.
Our goal is to offer a quality informative tour at an affordable price. We can afford to charge $15.00 per person because we chose to pass on savings to our guests and with today’s ever increasing fuel costs we know that you appreciate it. The truth of the matter is that other tour companies offer steep incentives to hotel employees to recommend their tour. We do not do this. We feel that should you ask a hotel employee for a tour company recommendation, it should be based on the quality of the tour not on who is paying the hotel staff more money per person.
We are the only tour company endorsed by the Historic Savannah Foundation and have been featured on countless travel shows, including CNN Travel and the Travel Channel. Guests parking at either one of our Welcome Centers located at, 215 West Boundary Street and 526 Turner Blvd., receive FREE parking.
If you need assistance during your stay in Savannah or have questions planning your Savannah getaway please feel free to contact me. You can send me an email by clicking here or feel free to call me on my cell phone, the number is 1-912-272-5761. We are glad that you chose Savannah for your vacation and have a safe trip here!
Best regards,
Adam L. Wilkins
Owner
Oglethorpe Tours of Savannah