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Gullah Tours

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Gullah Tours - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Our Gullah Influence Comes to Life

As we celebrate Black History Month, we take a look at the Lowcountry’s Gullah heritage. We’re hosting a Gullah Tour with local expert Alphonso Brown (pictured) on Saturday, Feb. 25.

Learn about black slave owners, slave uprisings, the Gullah language, hexes and local legend Phillip Simmons. Brown is the author of “A Gullah Guide to Charleston” and regularly lectures on the Gullah language and black history of Charleston. Over the years, his tours have been featured in Charleston magazine, Southern Living, Reader’s Digest and more, so you’re in for a real treat and true history lesson.

To get you started, here’s a bit about the Gullah language from Brown’s website: – Gullah is an English-based, creolized language spoken by the slaves in South Carolina and Georgia. It is not a written language. Along with many of the African and English words and expressions, it also contains some other foreign languages or whatever could be picked up, depending on the nationality of the slave owner. The word “Gullah” is believed to be a mispronunciation of the African word “Gora” or “Gola,” which were names of tribes living in Sierra Leone, West Africa. The Via people, or Gala, or Gallinas are believed to be the African connection for the Gullah people in the Sea Islands of the Lowcountry. – The tour begins at 10 a.m. at 43 John St. in downtown Charleston near the Visitor’s Center. Space is limited so register early!

In what ways are you marking Black History Month? How familiar are you with Gullah culture in the Charleston area?

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A Gullah Guide to Charleston: Walking Through Black History (History & Guide) Paperback – May 9, 2008

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Enjoy three accessible walking tours and a bonus driving tour through places relevant to the rich and varied contributions of black Charlestonians.

Author Alphonso Brown, owner and operator of Gullah Tours, Inc., guides you through the history and lore. Visit Denmark Vesey's home, Catfish Row, the Old Slave Mart and the Market; learn about the sweetgrass basket makers, the Aiken-Rhett House slave quarters, black slave owners and blacksmith Philip Simmons. Brown's distinctive narration, combined with detailed maps and vibrant descriptions in native Gullah, make this a unique and enjoyable way to experience the Holy City.

• Part of series American Heritage
• Print length 160 pages
• Language English
• Publisher The History Press
• Publication date May 9, 2008
• Dimensions 4.88 x 0.37 x 6.63 inches
• ISBN-10 1596293926
• ISBN-13 978-1596293922
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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ The History Press (May 9, 2008)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 160 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1596293926
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1596293922
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.88 x 0.37 x 6.63 inches
• #208 in South Atlantic United States Travel Books
• #781 in Tourist Destinations & Museums Guides
• #797 in African American Demographic Studies (Books)

About the author

Alphonso brown.

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Gullah Tours

Review Highlights

“ The tour is run by Alphonso Brown , who is not only knowledgeable but HILARIOUS. ” in 6 reviews

“ The true history and meaning of slavery is the Gullah culture , a relic that still exists in the city. ” in 8 reviews

“ We learned so much about Charleston, Gullah (language) and even Historical details about past ( slavery to civil war), how it influences the present and whats coming in the future. ” in 2 reviews

Location & Hours

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9 Trachelle Ln

Charleston, SC 29407

West Ashley

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About the Business

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Alphonso B.

Business Owner

Gullah Tours explores the language, history, culture and traditions of the Of Afro Americans from slavery up to present time. …

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If you take only one city tour of Charleston, this should be it. Alphonso is extremely engaging, funny and knowledgeable. The tour is comprehensive-- you'll see all of the "typical" sights, in addition to a great many overlooked by traditional tours. Historical trivia and stories comprised much of the two hour tour, and Alphonso did an excellent job of weaving in information about Charleston's gullah culture as it exists today. I was never bored, and felt like the $18 admission was a bargain. Make sure to make reservations well in advance using the form on the Gullah Tours website. I reserved our spots about two weeks prior, and had to take my third choice date and time because the first two were already booked.

Mr Alfonso Brown brings the history of Black Charleston alive and I'm grateful that we were able to get on his tour. I know that some people complain that this tour is entirely on a bus, but just bring a notepad and write down where you want to return to. Also, if you are looking for a nice gift for a lady-friend, Mr Brown stops at the Phillip Simmons house where there is great jewelry that can only be found in Charleston. It's also very reasonable priced.

This tour was great! Mr. Brown gave a fun and thorough tour of Charleston. He had lots of great stories to share, and it was interesting to hear from an African American perspective. He took us to Philip Simmons' home, a famous iron gate-maker. That was a bit strange and I felt like we were intruding. I don't know how his "workshop" still exists, as I'm sure it violates hundred of codes. One of the highlights of our Charleston trip! Throw a kiss to mama!

Hello Friends!! This is one of the tours i speak of highly. The tour guid is very informative, Happy, ready to shed some light on the haps of the city. When on tour he asked where I was from (as in what city), I told him Charlotte, NC. Welp, as i found out.. its a very small world. His brother moved from Charleston to Charlotte. Only to open up a Gullah resturant named "The Charleston House" (located on the Plaza). This tour is an On & Off tour, so you get a chance to do some walking site seeing. On the day that I went which is a few years ago, we went to a National Folk Treasurer (Philip Simmons). I got to take pictures with him, that made my day considering my love of photo's. Now years later i can say, "I was in the same air as one of the greatest). Thats cool! I plan to return and refill my passion bucket with all the new and old things to do.

Loved it. Alphonso brown gave gullah lesson and is hilarious. Not enough about the gullah culture but a great charleston tour very knowledgeable and entertaining. Should stop more for pictures and questions . Raise price to $25 and add an hour. I bought his book for my daughter. Plan to do it again!

This was the best tour I experienced in the city (by far). For reference, I also checked out the Jailhouse Ghost Tour (yawn, NOT worth the $), Schooner Tour on the Pride (lovely, but too crowded!), Red Barn Carriage Tour (ok, a bit too much architecture), & Exchange Dungeon Tour (I happen to like dungeons, so I enjoyed this $8 tour.) If you're looking to take one that includes both local flavor and information about many aspects of the city, do the Gullah Tour. It's half the price and twice as long as the others. The tour guide was engaging, animated, and quite funny. He delivers the tour of Charleston with a storyteller's flair, using the wrought iron works all over the city as a frame. It's aesthetically effective, and personally engaging, as our tour guide Alphonso was personally acquainted with the artist & national treasure (Philip Simmons--if you don't already know). Ferried along on an air-conditioned bus, you experience the city through the eyes of a native, and learn a bit of the Gullah dialect along the way. The rhythms of Alphonso Brown's speech are easy to listen to, and coax you right on into whatever story he's telling. He pulls over a few times to engaged in slightly longer tales, and stopped once for us to get off and check out Simmons' workshop. As an artist, I was intrigued by this particular moment in the tour, and found it to be both a mess and also decked out in the style of true artisans the world over (show me a tidy studio, and I'll show you an artist who's just put away their cleaning supplies...). Metalwork is a messy business (not sure what was up with the previous yelp reviewer griping about the studio) and it was a treat to step inside the creative space of a man who was dedicated to his craft. My favorite bit, after the humor and rhythm of our guide's tales, was the lesson in Gullah dialect we were so lucky to share in. Alphonso was kind enough to lead us through a few examples of the creole language, which I appreciated historically and linguistically (I'm an English grad student... what can I say). The peppering of Gullah words and phrases, delivered with verve, infused the experience with both humor and confusion, though he was patient in explaining more obscure phrases. The entire bus fell into genuine laughter many times--such is the skill of the guide. You'll learn quite a few things about the city and people, such as where the bodies are buried (literally), and engage in open discussion of the history of the Gullah people within the city of Charleston, enslavement through freedom and relationships up through the modern era. The only aspect of the tour that wasn't so awesome was after we'd disembarked at the visitor center--the guide was disinterested in further engagement/questions, and went a bit standoffish. Maybe he didn't like me taking notes through the tour--not sure. All the same, it was a lovely close to my time in Charleston. Reservations are required, so don't mess around if you're just visiting the city. These tours fill up fast on the weekends.

This was a really great tour but the name is deceptive. I thought there would be more about the Gullah culture in and around Charleston. It was essentially a Charleston history tour hosted by a man who spoke Gullah. Definitely recommended. The tour was overbooked so my friend had to sit in a seat in the aisle but was not charged full ticket price. The Cut Rate Drug Store (Hexis, Fixes, and Roots) mentioned in the description has, apparently, closed. Perhaps when that store was still open he talked more about rootwork.

This is not a knock on the tour guide, Mr. Brown. He was extremely engaging and funny and sweet! This tour is just not what we expected it to be based on the website. You sit in a van for 2+ hours (I'm guessing, we were actually so bored/unhappy with the tour that we hopped off after 45 min - which we felt SOOO terrible about but had too much we wanted to do) and basically pull over every few minutes while he tells you a story about the gate you're looking at or a wall...I thought this would be more about the Gullah culture, history, etc. but instead it was just a regular tour of Charleston as told from a Gullah man's eyes. We had already done a carriage tour and so this felt redundant. We had a very limited time in Charleston and were happy with our decision to leave after 45 minutes.

Loved the Gullah Tour!!! The tour is run by Alphonso Brown, who is not only knowledgeable but HILARIOUS. I was a bit confused because I had initially thought the tour was about Gullah culture and history, and it is, but I would say it's more of a tour of Charleston through a Gullah perspective, like if some guy you knew who was Gullah was showing you around Charleston and cracking jokes and telling stories and talking about what people used to say about this and that. Which was pretty cool. I don't usually go on guided tours because I find them too watered down and touristy, but this one I'm definitely glad I made the exception for.

Yes! Yes! Yes! Thoroughly enjoyed this tour. Alphonso does a magnificent job teaching and keeping you laughing throughout your 2 hour tour. Gullah Tours is the way to go, you will not be disappointed, no you won't!!

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• 843-763-7551
• Schedule A Tour
• Gullah Language
• Gullah Words
• Hear and Read Gullah
• Did you know that…
• Catfish Row
• Black Slave Owners
• Denmark Vesey’s
• Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church
• Hexes, Fixes, Roots
• Jones Hotel
• Old Slave Mart
• Philip Simmons Blacksmith
• Slave Quarters
• Sweetgrass Market
• The Patty Wagan
• The Underground Railroad
• The Whipping House
• Reservations
• About Alphonso Brown
• Gullah Bookstore

Tours leave at the Bus Shed at the Charleston Visitor’s Center 375 Meeting Street (See map). Charleston, SC 29407

Tours begin Monday through Friday- 11:00 am and 1:00 pm Saturday- 11:00am, 1:00pm, and 3:00pm

Mailing address only: Gullah Tours 9 Trachelle Lane Charleston, SC 29407

Phone: 843-763-7551

Click on Image above to review Alphonso Brown's Book

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