John LaVerne built one of Charleston’s premier tour companies on ghost stories, but Bulldog Tours has evolved to show visitors the vast universe of the Lowcountry experience.
LaVerne has spent a quarter century leading visitors through the streets, alleyways, restaurants, and churchyards of Charleston, South Carolina, recounting not just dates and famous names but how the region’s past continues to shape its present. In a place where beauty and brutality, triumph and tragedy exist side by side, every one of his Bulldog Tours is an opportunity to spark conversation and remind guests that history is never as settled as it seems.
“There are 5,000 different stories we could tell,” LaVerne says. “Our job is to pick the best 1,015 of those.”
You might learn about Francis Marion, the so called Swamp Fox brigadier general who helped lead patriots to victory during the American Revolution. Or, you could hear chilling tales of graveyard hauntings in one of the city’s oldest cemeteries. From the beginning, LaVerne bought into the idea that compelling, meticulously researched, and authentic storytelling would outlast gimmicks. That philosophy has helped Bulldog Tours thrive in one of the country’s most visited—and competitive—historic destinations.
The Citadel graduate got his start leading carriage tours while in college. After graduation he settled into a comfortable entry-level job, but the work never quite scratched the same itch. Then, one afternoon while walking past the Provost Dungeon on Broad Street, inspiration struck.
“I thought, wouldn’t it be neat to actually do a ghost tour inside the dungeon?”
No one had tried it before. LaVerne persuaded the historic site to let him test the idea, and before long, Bulldog Tours was born.
It didn’t take long for LaVerne to realize that visitors’ curiosity extended far beyond Charleston’s haunted reputation. Travelers wanted stories about the city’s architecture, food, Civil War history, pirates, and complex, layered past just as much as its ghosts. To meet the demand, LaVerne needed a team of guides who could do more than memorize a script. So he started recruiting. Today, Bulldog Tours employs sixty-five guides—including former teachers, architects, and even a retired dentist—to offer a wide range of walking experiences that explore Charleston from nearly every angle, be it deep-diving into historic gardens or tasting iconic dishes.
Every guide has passed Charleston’s Certified Tourism Exam, a voluntary credential that requires mastering an 800-page textbook covering native plants, Revolutionary War history, colonial architecture, and much more, then sitting for a 200-question exam.
Exclusive access has been another cornerstone of Bulldog Tours’ success. Staying true to the idea that launched the company inside the Provost Dungeon, LaVerne has continually opened doors that few others can. Bulldog Tours is the only company with nighttime access to the Circular Congregational Church graveyard—the oldest English burial ground on the Charleston peninsula—as well as the Old Charleston Jail. At Patriots Point, the company also leads behind-the-scenes tours of the USS Yorktown, taking visitors into spaces that had never before been open to the public. Bulldog Tours does more than lead visitors through Charleston’s historic streets—it helps ensure those places endure. Over the past twenty-five years, the company has contributed more than $7 million toward the preservation of the city’s historic landmarks and cultural treasures.
But what’s been most interesting in his career is how the role of guide has grown to encompass far more than just a walk through the historic district. “We help people choose the best restaurants, we tell them where they can find a great hotel stay, we advise them on how to map out their entire visit,” LaVerne says.
For this dyed-in-the-wool Charleston ambassador, that’s one of the best parts of the job: when clients trust his team to help shape their entire vacation. As he says, a great tour doesn’t end when the walk is over. If it’s done right, it influences the rest of a visitor’s stay and, ideally, the way they remember Charleston long after they’ve returned home.
Choose the Bulldog Tour Right for You
Charleston Ghost and Graveyard Tour
By day, Charleston’s historic graveyards are admired through wrought-iron gates. After dark, Bulldog Tours offers rare access inside one of the Holy City’s oldest burial grounds, where centuries of history, notable residents, and stories of love, loss, and local lore come alive.
Savor the Flavors of Charleston Tour
Charleston’s reputation as a culinary capital is known across the world. Get an inside look at the restaurant kitchens shaping its flavors today savoring everything from barbecue to fried green tomatoes along the way.
Charleston and the American Revolution
As the nation celebrates its semiquincentennial, there’s no better time or place to take Bulldog Tours’ Charleston and the American Revolution walk. Learn how the war was decided through its Southern campaigns, many shaped by resistance fomented right in the heart of the Holy City.