Martin Sinderman will only stop telling ghost stories when he becomes one.
As one of the dedicated walking tour guides in Savannah who shares all sorts of stories—ghost and otherwise—he’s not afraid.
“If I dropped dead on a tour, I hope that wouldn’t hurt my Yelp reviews,” he jokes.
Some people might slow down at 60. Not Sinderman. He was ready for another adventure. So, Sinderman founded Savannah Sidewalk Tours, which offers walking tours of the city to all sorts of energetic adventurers or curious vacationers.
“I had to keep moving, and although Savannah speaks for itself, I loved the idea of helping it do so where I could,” he says.
Before settling in Savannah, a quintessentially historic, vibrant city, Sinderman AB ’76, MPA ’77 embraced a similarly charming place: Athens.
The Spartanburg, South Carolina, native had felt drawn to Georgia growing up, so when it came to college, he looked no further than UGA. Through his bachelor’s in political science and master’s in public administration, Sinderman learned how essential writing and research skills are for a young professional. More importantly, he learned that it’s the people—not landmarks—that make a city special.
“You can go walking around UGA’s campus and see all of these beautiful buildings and beautiful people,” Sinderman says. “Everybody’s got a huge variety of personalities. There are so many different types of people, and I get to see even more of them now doing tours.”
After he graduated in 1977, Sinderman took a job as a city management analyst in Savannah. Though new to the city, it stayed with him long after he left for freelance writing in Atlanta. So when his wife convinced him to move back, he returned to this city full of stories to tell and years of experience to tell them.
“This was not something that really came naturally to me at the start,” he says. “I’ve always been shy, but then I realized what got me through that before was storytelling. Now that’s what sets me apart in my tours.”
Sinderman’s tours aren’t one-size-fits-all. For history buffs, Sinderman might spend time talking about how city founder James Oglethorpe is credited with adding the city’s ample green spaces and squares. If there’s a special love for architecture, perhaps he’ll note Savannah’s many nods to Parisian design. Bulldog fans might want to visit filming locations from Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, a Savannah cult classic that helped the city become a tourist hotspot—including references to Sonny Seiler BBA ’56, JD ’57, whose family has managed the Uga bulldog line for decades.
“Tours are always changing, and you have to adapt. You have to get creative and really focus on the stories.”
– MARTIN SINDERMAN, FOUNDER, SAVANNAH SIDEWALK TOURS
Sinderman leads multiple tours of up to 30 visitors every day, up to six days a week. Even after 10 years on the job, he always looks for new nuggets to share about the city he loves so dearly. Like, did you know why some buildings have downspouts in the style of fish or dolphins? “They’re scaring off evil spirits,” Sinderman says. “Evil spirits will not cross the body of water, so before they swoop into a home, they catch sight of our friend the dolphin spout and reassess,” he says.
Savannah has seen a lot of change over its nearly 300 years. While some areas, like the iconic River Street or Forsyth Park, have stood the test of time, there are plenty of additions. Sinderman says between mom-and-pop boutiques and restaurants, and large, industrial facilities, the city is ever-changing.
But the heart of the city isn’t going anywhere. And neither is he.
“Savannah has always been a forward-moving, evolving place,” Sinderman says. “It keeps my work interesting. Tours are always changing, and you have to adapt. You have to get creative and really focus on the stories.”