cemetery tourism

Cemetery tourism: an ethical traveller's guide to graveyards

Feb 11, 2020 • 6 min read

On a hot summer’s day in Arlington, Texas, I’m walking through a small, little-known cemetery. Gold-embossed lettering glitters from black marble tombs. Colourful bunches of flowers, some with tear-stained notes, dot the narrow path. But – thankfully – I’m not here to grieve for a recently-passed family member; which begs the question, what exactly am I doing here?

A path leading through the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, with trees, mausoleums and graves flanking it.

Like many travellers, I’m drawn to cemeteries. They’re places that bridge the void between the present and the past, the living and the dead. They can be major attractions, too: Père Lachaise in Paris receives 3.5 million visitors per year, roughly the same as the Musée d’Orsay .

But how should we conduct ourselves in a place where the dead slumber? And are there situations when we should let them rest in peace? Here’s a guide to ethical cemetery tourism for curious travellers.

A path leading through Highgate Cemetery in London. There are large tombs running alongside the path.

How to tour iconic places of burial

When you’re surrounded by beauty – and by other tourists – it can be easy to forget you’re in a place of mourning. Visitors to London ’s Highgate Cemetery wander around in a reverie, gazing at angel statues and ivy crawling across tombs. At Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles , the atmosphere is almost upbeat, with zany mausoleums of silver-screen royalty and occasional movie screenings. But many necropolises on the tourist trail are still working cemeteries (that is, accepting new burials).

"When you are visiting a functioning cemetery there may be mourners there for whom their loss is very raw,’" says H E Sawyer, author of I Am The Dark Tourist , a book based on decades of experience visiting sites associated with death. "So I tend to tread very gently and carefully, especially overseas where I don't know local customs or [am] not fluent in the language."

It’s a good rule of thumb to behave as you would when visiting a place of worship. You wouldn’t wear hot pants to a mosque or let your dog roam unleashed inside a church, and cemeteries invite a similar level of respect. Be wary about taking cues from behaviour around you: people picnicking by a war monument might be clueless tourists poised to cause offence, while the person sitting on a tombstone might be visiting a loved one’s grave. It’s also important to be thoughtful before snapping pictures.

"I am always mindful not to have any other visitors in the frame," says Dr Peter Hohenhaus, the creator of dark-tourism.com , a compendium of almost 900 cemeteries, war memorials and other dark destinations. "If a photo captures names on tombstones, I make sure to edit these out in Photoshop (or similar) afterwards, if I decide to use the image in public."

Thiepval Memorial in France; a memorial and burial site to some of those who died during the Battle of the Somme in the First World War. The monument is a large arched structure, while the surrounding laws are filled with poppies and small crosses acting as tombstones.

How to behave at war cemeteries and mass graves

In burial sites associated with large-scale tragedies, from the Somme’s military cemeteries to Cambodia ’s Killing Fields , the question of ethical photography looms even larger. For Dagney McKinney, one of the creators of Cultura Obscura , a travel blog dedicated to macabre destinations, there’s one kind of photo in particular that is best avoided: the selfie.

"Taking a selfie in front of the ossuary at the Killing Fields, which explicitly requests that tourists do not take selfies, isn’t about showing your respect for the victims, it’s about trying to prove you were there," says McKinney. "It shouldn’t be a proud moment in your family album, or part of your curated Instagram feed. Ultimately, your motivations for taking the selfie matter."

The Khmer Rouge regime murdered 1.7 million people and tens of thousands are buried at the Killing Fields. With visitor numbers rising, the site is a prime example of ‘dark tourism’, the practice of touring places associated with death or tragedy.

Before visiting any dark tourism site, educate yourself about the conflict or tragedy. Make efforts to understand its meaning to local people. At locations such as the Killing Fields, many visitors find it surreal to encounter souvenir sellers and big groups of camera-toting tourists – the experience can feel morally ambiguous.

"There is a fine blurred line between ethical consumption and exploitative commercialisation within dark tourism," warns Dr Philip Stone, Executive Director at the University of Central Lancashire's Institute for Dark Tourism Research. "Death sells – and always has done!"

The graves of Darrell ‘Dimebag’ Abbott and his brother, Vinnie Paul, in Arlington, Texas. The two graves, which are large slabs laid into the grass side by side, are littered with beer cans and guitar picks.

How to visit graves off the tourist track

It isn’t only historic cemeteries that receive attention from travellers. Online resources like Find A Grave , cataloguing 180 million memorials, facilitate countless personal pilgrimages. With a small amount of research, travellers can seek out the graves of ancestors or individuals they admire. That’s how I ended up walking through Moore Memorial Gardens in Arlington, Texas , visiting the graves of two gone-too-soon musicians.

Like many heavy-metal-obsessed teens in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, I had an almost constant soundtrack of bands like Pantera and Damageplan. The brothers who formed these groups both died suddenly: guitarist Darrell ‘Dimebag’ Abbott was murdered on stage in 2004 and his drummer brother, Vinnie Paul, passed unexpectedly in 2018. So when I found myself driving through Texas, I took a detour to see their graves.

"The whole point of having a tombstone is that there’s something left of you to be seen after death," says Dr Hohenhaus of dark-tourism.com. "And that's not just for relatives; since cemeteries are public places, in theory it’s for everybody to see."

The grave site of the Abbott brothers is a cult pilgrimage place for fans, who come to leave gifts and knock back drinks. At first glance, the guitar picks and bottles left graveside seem like an apt tribute to metallers with legendary lust for life.

But, however powerfully felt, a person’s connection with a musician, artist and even ancestor that they never met, is hazy and abstract. Behaving as though you’re in the presence of mourning family members is a good guide. Is it appropriate to lay flowers? More than likely. How about downing a shot of booze while taking a selfie above the grave? I’d assume less so.

Attitudes towards death and mourning vary, but the key to ethically visiting cemeteries is behaviour that flows from respectful intent. We remember our dead in a multiplicity of ways, and that’s what makes cemeteries so fascinating to explore.

A close-up of the words 'Oscar Wilde' taken from the poet's tomb in Paris. The tomb is covered in lipstick kiss marks from visitors.

5 top tips for ethical cemetery trips:

1. Read about cultural norms: Historical context is useful, and if you’re planning to leave offerings or take photos then you need to know local attitudes.

2. Don’t touch: Yes, Oscar Wilde’s tomb is already covered in lipsticked kisses. But don’t contribute to eroding or staining someone’s grand gravestone.

3. Lower the volume: According to some western European superstitions, whistling in a graveyard summons the devil. Perhaps it’s a ruse to ensure visitors maintain a respectful volume.

4. Talk to your travel group: That friend or family member, known for their zany selfies? Reset their expectations (or pocket their phone).

5. Be safe: Shadowy activity isn’t unknown in cemeteries (drug taking, illicit encounters) so take appropriate safety precautions if you’re somewhere remote.

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The 7 best new orleans cemetery tours.

These tours will enlighten you and frighten you in the best possible way.

Best New Orleans Cemetery Tours

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Of all the city's attractions , New Orleans' cemeteries are a one-stop shop for learning about family traditions, history, Voodoo, jazz music and burial practices for above-ground tombs. However, some cemeteries, such as St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, require you to join a guided tour to visit. These tours differ from New Orleans' ghost tours , which tell spooky stories of NOLA's legendary spirits and visit haunted spots around the city.

To help you select which tour is right for you, U.S. News created this list of the best New Orleans cemetery tours, informed by both expert and traveler opinion. No matter which outing you choose, you're sure to have a ghoulishly good time.

Cemetery Tours NOLA – The Official Tour of St. Louis Cemetery No. 1

Price: Adults from $25; kids from $18 Duration: 45 minutes

If you want to see the inside of St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, this tour is the only way to walk through the premises (it's not open to the general public). Licensed guides delve into the unique burial customs and above-ground crypts found throughout the famous 18th-century cemetery. Among the tombs you'll spot are those belonging to Voodoo queen Marie Laveau, numerous New Orleans city mayors, as well as Homer Plessy (plaintiff in the United States Supreme Court decision Plessy v. Ferguson). Reviewers appreciate that the cemetery is restricted to guided tours and praise the experienced and humorous guides for their vast knowledge of the cemetery and the city in general.

Tours depart daily every 15 minutes from 9 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Advance reservations are recommended. Groups are limited to 20 guests per tour.

Check prices & availability on:

Save Our Cemeteries – Lake Lawn Metairie Cemetery Tour

Price: Adults from $35; kids from $17.50 Duration: 2 hours

By signing up for a tour with Save Our Cemeteries, you'll play a small part in helping the nonprofit preserve the city's cemeteries. Proceeds from the tours go directly to cemetery restoration efforts. Picturesque Metairie Cemetery is home to some of the most awe-inspiring funerary architecture and sculpture in the country, not to mention the graves of some of the most famous New Orleanians, including Louisiana governors, Confederate generals, writer Anne Rice and former New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans owner Tom Benson. You'll learn all about the elaborate tomb styles and the cemetery's history as a former racetrack on this tour. Reviewers say this experience is led by passionate guides, who provide an informative, respectful and fun experience. Tourgoers also praise the guides' fact-based storytelling.

This tour is accessible and conducted on paved pathways. Save Our Cemeteries also operates tours of St. Louis Cemetery No. 3 and St. Roch Cemetery, among others.

NOLA Ghost Riders – Cemetery Bus Tour

Price: Adults from $45; kids from $30 Duration: 2 hours

Explore the city's storied past under the cover of darkness with this nighttime cemetery and ghost tour from NOLA Ghost Riders. Unlike other tours that focus on a single cemetery, this bus tour takes you to several of the city's most famous cemeteries, and participants ages 21 and older can bring their own alcohol along for the ride. Reviewers describe the experience as fun, thanks to the insightful, entertaining guides. However, a few travelers warn that intoxicated tourgoers can hamper the fun.

Tours depart nightly at 5, 8 and 11 p.m., though the 5 p.m. tour is usually available Friday to Sunday only. NOLA Ghost Riders also operates a ghost walking tour and a cemetery walking tour, among others.

New Orleans Ghost Adventures Tours – Haunted Cemetery City Bus Tour

Price: From $56 Duration: 2 hours

If you're missing the paranormal, consider signing up for this tour. In addition to visiting cemeteries (such as Odd Fellows Rest), you'll stop by a few places that are reportedly haunted to look for ghosts. Reviewers praise the company's guides for their knowledge and passion for New Orleans history. The add that despite the ghostly name, the tour provides tons of information about cemeteries

Tours depart daily at 4:15, 7 and 9:30 p.m. The company also runs Voodoo tours and several spooky bar crawls.

New Orleans, USA Old street historic Garden district in Louisiana famous town city with entrance to Lafayette Cemetery

TOURS by STEVEN – Garden District & Lafayette Cemetery Walking Tour

Price: Adults from $35; kids from $27 Duration: 2 hours

Multiple guides from this company win praise for their informative and enthusiastic retelling of New Orleans history. You'll start your tour outside the gates of Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, where you'll learn about the burial customs that make the city's cemeteries so unique. (Note that you won't actually go inside the cemetery as it's closed to the public). Then, you'll walk around the Garden District, an opulent neighborhood known for its celebrity homes and manicured landscapes.

This walking tour runs daily at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. TOURS by STEVEN also runs a tour of the French Quarter.

Haunted History Tours of New Orleans – New Orleans Daytime Cemetery Tour

Price: Adults from $30; kids from $20 Duration: 2 hours

Calling all history buffs! This tour is for you. Along this stroll down Canal Street, you'll hear about the folklore, customs and superstitions of the city's unique burial practices, and visit Charity Hospital Cemetery, as well as the Hurricane Katrina Memorial. According to the company, this tour is less about getting spooked, and more about providing a historical and cultural context to those interested in these "cities of the dead." Tourgoers praise guides for their educational and insightful storytelling, and appreciate the opportunity to visit the Hurricane Katrina Memorial.

Tours are available daily at 10:15 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. If you didn't get your fill of thrills, consider the company's nighttime bus tour or true crime tour.

Bloody Mary's Tours – Dead & Famous: Sinners Saints Secrets

Price: From $89 Duration: 3 hours

You'll visit 20 cemeteries and six neighborhoods on this tour, which covers everything from Voodoo queen Marie Laveau to the history of jazz. In addition, you'll go inside at least two cemeteries to get a better look at the intricate above-ground tombs. While you'll be chauffeured in a van, keep in mind walking is involved on this tour. Reviewers describe guides as knowledgeable and say this tour covers a lot of history in a short amount of time.

Trips depart at noon Monday and Friday. There are also private versions of this tour. For even more thrills, check out the company's ghost-hunting tour.

Frequently Asked Questions

Cemetery tours are popular in New Orleans because cemeteries here are unlike most cemeteries in the U.S. Many of the departed are buried above ground in tombs that range from simple to ornate. Plus, these sites are reportedly haunted, making cemeteries all the more popular with ghost hunters.

There are some cemeteries you can visit on your own. Others, such as St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, can only be viewed on an official tour. It's a good idea to find out whether your cemetery requires a tour guide before your visit; call the cemetery or speak with your hotel's concierge.

St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 is the most famous cemetery in the city. In part, this is because of the numerous important figures buried here. It's also the oldest existing cemetery in New Orleans; in fact, people are still laid to rest here each year.

Voodoo practitioner Marie Laveau, activist Homer Plessy, writer Anne Rice and Popeyes founder Al Copeland are just a few of the celebrities buried in the most famous cemeteries in New Orleans. There are other famous individuals (such as politician Huey Long and musician Fats Domino) who are buried in other sites around the city. Actor Nicolas Cage will also be buried here; he has already built a pyramid tomb for himself in St. Louis Cemetery No 1.

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The most beautiful cemeteries in the U.S.

The most beautiful cemeteries in the U.S. are filled with gorgeous architecture and reveal beautiful green spaces.

Some people consider cemeteries eerie places to visit, but in reality, they are often quite the opposite: serene and full of subtle beauty. Taking in a moment of zen on these sacred grounds is a welcome departure from the busyness of everyday life.

Across America, the most beautiful cemeteries are also cultural and historical landmarks, drawing in visitors who come to appreciate the natural surroundings and prominent individuals resting beneath. In the Northeast, you can encounter some of the nation's oldest modern cemeteries that are the final resting places for American historical figures. Down south, take in enchanting moss-covered landscapes, like Savannah's Bonaventure Cemetery. And in the Midwest, stroll expansive sites such as Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, an urban forest with over 130 tree species.

Each cemetery on our list has its own unique charm and beauty. Of course, these cemeteries can also be a bit spooky. Looking for more creepy fun? Whether it’s Halloween season or not, we recommend the best haunted Airbnbs and haunted hotels to fuel your nightmares—that is, if you can get to sleep—and for creepy ghost towns filled with the spirits of days gone by.

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Most beautiful cemeteries in the U.S.

1. Bonaventure Cemetery | Savannah, GA

A 160-acre former plantation, Savannah's largest cemetery was made extra famous by Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil . The massive, moss-covered oaks and weathered tombs create an equally chilling and comforting atmosphere. Seek out the final resting place of Gracie Watson, a six-year-old girl whose site is adorned with a realistic (and creepy) sculpture of her. You’ll also find the gravesites of American songwriter Johnny Mercer and poet Conrad Aiken. And although he wasn’t six feet under, John Muir famously spent six nights sleeping among the graves in 1867, calling it “the cheapest accommodation he could find.”

2. St Louis Cemetery No. 1 | New Orleans, LA

New Orleans isn’t lacking in cemeteries—the city that’s known for beignets, amazing jazz, and Mardi Gras has over 40 of them. Yet it’s St. Louis Cemetery No 1., the Big Easy’s oldest continuously operating graveyard, that (literally) captures its storied spirits. They include infamous Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau (who some say still walks the grounds) and Homer Plessy, the plaintiff in the landmark civil-rights case, Plessy v. Ferguson. Due to vandalism, you must join a guided tour to view the cemetery’s ornate above-ground graves and grand mausoleums. Look out for the nearly unmissable nine-foot pyramid that’s the future resting place of Nicolas Cage (and a real eyesore compared to the other tombs).

3. Hollywood Forever Cemetery | Los Angeles, CA

The owners of Hollywood Forever have been criticized for promoting it as a tourist attraction. Still, any cemetery that houses the remains of celluloid luminaries like Cecil B. DeMille and Jayne Mansfield is certainly worth a visit. Look for the headstone of Mel Blanc (the voice of Bugs Bunny and tons of other Loony Toons characters), which reads: “That's All, Folks! Or seek out the massive mausoleum of William Andrews Clark Jr., the founder of the LA Philharmonic, which sits in the middle of a lake. The cemetery is also the final resting place of Rudolph Valentino, an Italian silent film actor who stole plenty of hearts in his heyday. Legend has it that a mysterious "Woman in Black" still stalks the cemetery, mourning the demise of Hollywood's original loverboy. Aside from popular posthumous celebs, Hollywood Forever is also home to summer outdoor movie screenings and concerts.

4. Granary Burying Ground | Boston, MA

Established in 1660, the Granary Burying Ground is one of the oldest graveyards in the country, and yet it's only the third-oldest cemetery in Boston. Granary serves as the final resting spot for many of the Revolutionary War's most famous characters, including Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, John Hancock and victims of the Boston Massacre. While there are over 2,300 unique grave markers at Granary, there are estimated to be more than 5,000 interments. Other notable sights include a central obelisk that marks the grave of Benjamin Franklin’s parents and the Infant’s Tomb, the final resting place of hundreds of children.

5. Neptune Memorial Reef | Key Biscayne, FL

This Florida cemetery gives new meaning to the term “sleep with the fishes” as it’s an underwater columbarium about three miles off the coast of Key Biscayne. It’s also a work in progress: currently, the man-made reef is designed to hold the remains of about 850 people, but it will ultimately accommodate more than 250,000 permanent residents upon completion. It combines cremated remains with cement to form features like tombstones, statues, and even cemetery gates under the Atlantic Ocean. At 16 acres, it is one of the world’s largest man-made reefs and home to numerous species of fish and coral.

6. Mountain View Cemetery | Oakland, CA

Located on 226 scenic acres with views of the entire San Francisco Bay, Mountain View Cemetery was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted—you know, the same guy behind New York’s Central Park. Gold diggers will spot some of California’s wealthiest families in an area known as Millionaire’s Row. Among the ornate crypts and mausoleums, you'll find names like Domingo Ghirardelli (as in Ghirardelli Chocolate), Henry J. Kaiser (father of modern American shipbuilding), architecture icon Julia Morgan, and Glenn Burke, the first openly gay player in Major League Baseball . The cemetery is so beloved among locals that you'll often see families picnicking, jogging, or walking their dogs amongst the graves.

7. Trinity Church Cemeteries | New York City, NY

Trinity Church's cemeteries are actually made up of three separate burial grounds. Here, you'll find some of history's most famous New Yorkers, including Alexander Hamilton and his wife (Elizabeth), son (Philip) and sister-in-law (Angelica). The first site was established in the original churchyard at Wall Street and Broadway in 1698 (where you'll find Hamilton). Roughly 440 yards up Broadway, a second burial place was added in the small churchyard of St. Paul's Chapel of Trinity Church in 1766. Finally, in 1842, Trinity Church Cemetery and Mausoleum in Upper Manhattan was established. The graveyards are also the only remaining active cemeteries in Manhattan.

8. Arlington National Cemetery | Arlington, VA

It’s hard not to be moved by the rows and rows of white headstones set amidst the rolling hills at this national cemetery, the final resting place of 400,000 people who served in the US military. Dating back to the Civil War and spread across 624 acres, it contains several notable sights, including the gravesite of President John F. Kennedy. Don’t miss the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, guarded 24 hours a day, 365 days a year by soldiers from the prestigious 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (also known as the “Old Guard”). The Changing of the Guard ritual, typically held every 30 minutes, is truly a sight to behold.

9. Green-Wood Cemetery | Brooklyn, NY

The moment you walk beneath its Gothic-revival gates and enter this National Historic Landmark, you know you’re visiting someplace special. One of the most endeared places in Brooklyn, Green-Wood was established in 1838 and is a true New York oasis with 478 spectacular acres of hills, valleys, glacial ponds, and walking paths, not to mention amazing views of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. Several famous people are buried here, including artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, Tony Award-winning composer Leonard Bernstein ( West Side Story , On the Town ), and Samuel F.B. Morse, who invented the Morse Code. Before becoming a cemetery, part of the Revolutionary War—the Battle of Long Island—was fought here in 1776

10. Crown Hill Cemetery | Indianapolis, IN

Founded in 1863, Crown Hill is the third-largest privately owned cemetery in the nation. It boasts 555 acres of pristine landscape, which includes 25 miles of roads, over 130 species of trees, and more than 200,000 burials and entombments (with enough space to keep burying people for another 200 years). The imposing gothic chapel and impressive gothic gate are worth a visit, while “The Crown” (Marion County’s highest hill) is 842 feet above sea level and offers sweeping 360-degree views of the Indianapolis skyline. If you're looking for notable tombstones, search for President Benjamin Harrison and infamous bank robber John Dillinger.

11. Lake View Cemetery | Cleveland, OH

Known locally as Cleveland’s Outdoor Museum, this cemetery is located on the shores of Lake Erie. Established in 1869, it was modeled after the beautiful garden cemeteries that were popular in Western Europe. Lake View is the final resting place for several notable figures like John D. Rockefeller, Salisbury steak inventor James Salisbury, and Prohibition-era detective Eliot Ness. But its most famous feature is the James A. Garfield Memorial, a circular tower that’s 50 feet in diameter and 180 feet high. Outside, bas-relief panels depict the former president’s life and death in life-size figures, while the interior has spectacular stained glass.

12. Sleepy Hollow Cemetery | Sleepy Hollow, NY

It's no surprise who you'll find among the residents of this New York cemetery: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow author Washington Irving, of course. Established in 1849, Sleepy Hollow Cemetery has several other notable interments, including businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie (you'll often see coins left on his tombstone), cosmetics queen Elizabeth Arden, The New York Times co-founder George Jones, and hotel billionaire Leona Helmsley, who was infamously called “The Queen of Mean.” Nighttime lantern tours are especially popular.

13. Mount Auburn Cemetery | Cambridge, MA

You can't appreciate beautiful cemeteries in the U.S. without tipping your hat to Mount Auburn, one of the first cemeteries in America designed with a park-like setting (rather than the Colonial-era tradition of arranging graves in neat rows with uniform tombstones). Spanning 174 acres, Mount Auburn has long been the final resting place for some of the wealthiest New Englanders like writer and publisher John Bartlett, cookbook author Fannie Farmer, and poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

14. Laurel Hill Cemetery | Philadelphia, PA

Philly's elaborate cemetery encompasses 74 acres and is dotted with 33,000 large monuments and mausoleums. Many of these sites date back to the 19th and early-20th centuries and have magnificent marble sculptures and grand obelisks that mark the tombs of famous residents. Chief among them are Wharton Business School founder Joseph Wharton and General George Meade, who led the Union troops at the Battle of Gettysburg.

15. Cave Hill Cemetery | Louisville, KY

This Victorian-era cemetery and arboretum is both stunning and star-studded. Established in 1848, Cave Hill's famous residents include boxing legend Muhammed Ali, Kentucky Fried Chicken founder Colonel Harland Sanders, and Patty and Mildred Hill, the two sisters credited with composing the “Happy Birthday” song (the irony isn’t lost on us). Cave Hill Cemetery also includes a National Cemetery for those who have fought and died in battle, including more than 200 Confederate soldiers killed during the Civil War.

16. Graceland Cemetery | Chicago, IL

Graceland Cemetery is an absolute must-visit for anyone interested in Chicago’s storied past. Established in 1860, it covers 121 acres and is the final resting place for many famous Chicagoans including urban designer Daniel H. Burnham, film critic Roger Ebert, and business magnate Marshall Field. Architecture buffs will love the Louis Sullivan-designed Getty Tomb, the Schoenhofen Pyramid Mausoleum, and The Crusader sculpture, which watches over Victor Lawson’s grave.

17. Mount Hope Cemetery | Rochester, NY

Rochester’s Mount Hope Cemetery was the first municipal cemetery in America. More than 350,000 people are buried here, and its notable interments include Susan B. Anthony, one of the most renowned leaders of the women’s suffrage movement; Frederick Douglass, a former enslaved person who became an abolitionist and author; and Nobel Prize-winning physician and researcher George Whipple. Mount Hope Cemetery is also home to Sally James Farnham’s stunning sculpture, Defenders of the Flag, a monument to the Civil War.

18. Oakland Cemetery | Atlanta, GA

Atlanta's oldest public park, the Oakland Cemetery, is one of the few landmarks that predate the fire that burned much of the city in 1864. The graveyard reflects Atlanta's changing social and political fortunes over the last 170 years; there’s a Confederate section with nearly 7,000 soldiers, two Jewish sections and a segregated African-American section. Several luminaries, including 27 former mayors and six former Georgia governors, are buried here, but perhaps its most famous resident is Gone With The Wind author Margaret Mitchell Marsh. You can even get married here, giving new meaning to the phrase “till death do us part.”

19. Tombstone, AZ | Boothill Graveyard

Boothill Graveyard, also known as Old City Cemetery, was established in 1883 as a place to bury outlaws. However, if you visit the site today, be forewarned that most tombstones are newer and rumored to be fake, a ploy to lure tourists. The cemetery's actual notorious residents include “Three Fingered Jack” Dunlop, the three men killed in the O.K. Corral Shootout, and China Mary, a female general store owner who sold American and Chinese goods.

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Since 2015, the Necro Tourist has visited over 1,320 cemeteries in 22 states and 2 countries.

We've been featured on TV, radio, magazines, articles, and podcasts. We are recognized cemetery experts, photographers , speakers , and tours guides . We have a podcast and a blog .

We also currently operate a cemetery in SW Ohio.

After operating the hugely successful website The Funeral Source starting in 2006, we made a small sidetrack to cemeteries and memorials. In 2015 we officially launched the Necro Tourist.

We've visited cemeteries dating back to the early 1700's. We paid our respects to some of the most famous people in the country, from Presidents to Osca

We've visited cemeteries dating back to the early 1700's. We paid our respects to some of the most famous people in the country, from Presidents to Oscar winners .

We've seen more than you can imagine, and we're willing to share.

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So far some of our favs have been Cave Hill in Louisville , Crown Hill in Indianapolis , Lake View in Cleveland , Mt. Auburn in Cambridge and Belle Fontaine in St. Louis .

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The Best Historic Cemeteries to Visit Around the World

By: Meghan Drueding

Loren Rhoads doesn’t find cemeteries depressing or spooky. Like many preservationists, she loves the contemplative feeling she gets amid the quiet beauty of a historic graveyard. In 2011, she began documenting her cemetery visits on her blog, Cemetery Travel .

Now she’s come out with a new book, 199 Cemeteries to See Before You Die , from Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers. It highlights big names such as Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York, and Arlington National Cemetery, as well as smaller gems like the Granary Burying Ground in Boston (shown at top) and the churchyard at San Esteban del Rey church at Acoma Sky City , a National Trust Historic Site in New Mexico.

The book also goes international, incorporating sites in Central and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. “I wanted to make it global,” Rhoads says. “I wanted to get a sense of how similar we all are around the world.”

Below are some excerpts from our recent conversation with Rhoads, as well as a few photos from the book.

How did you become interested in cemeteries?

I grew up in Michigan down the road from a little farm cemetery where [some of my family members] are buried. When we were kids, my mom took my brother and me down to this little cemetery and we made gravestone rubbings.

I saw names I recognized. Some of the streets around there are named after people who are now buried in the graveyard. It was my first inkling that history informs where we are now. I think I was 10.

But traveling to visit cemeteries [happened] completely by accident. My husband and I were going to Europe for the first time and the First Gulf War started as we were in transit, so we kept missing connections. We ended up in London, where we hadn’t intended to go.

We bought a book of cemeteries in a gift shop, and we [decided to go to] Highgate Cemetery. It was just exquisite. It’s one of those places that was all but abandoned in the 1970s. A “friends of the cemetery” group formed to take it over, and all these years later they still run it. They have done amazing amounts of work.

photo by: Aline Oleynik/Shutterstock

The upper section of the Gothic Revival archway at the entrance to Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.

Do you have any favorites?

Swan Point Cemetery in Rhode Island is maybe the most beautiful cemetery I’ve ever seen. I was there in the spring years and years ago, and there was this enormous weeping cherry tree. But the rest of them shift around in ranking for me.

Highgate has a special place in my heart because that’s where I started. Last summer we went to Poblenou in Barcelona, and it was really pretty in an overly Gothic, Mediterranean way. I think my favorite is whatever one I’m standing in at the time.

What in particular appeals to you about cemeteries?

The thing that I like best in cemeteries is the statuary. I will hike for miles across a field to look at it. There’s some breathtaking statuary in cemeteries—one-of-a-kind, museum-quality stuff that’s out there in the elements for anyone who wants to take a look at it. The [other] thing that keeps drawing me back is the sense of peace.

photo by: Kevin Cho Photography/Shutterstock

The Royal Grave Mounds in Gamla Uppsala, Sweden, are thought to have been built more than a thousand years ago.

Which cemetery has the most interesting history?

Mount Auburn in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Mount Auburn was the first in this country where the forefathers of the cemetery bought a beautiful piece of land to preserve its beauty and set it up as a cemetery. [They envisioned it] as a teaching landscape, so that people could come and think about nature and the cycles of nature, and how beautiful it was there, and kind of reconceive heaven. Instead of death being a place you were afraid of, it would be this beautiful place where anyone would want to go.

Any individual graves you were excited about visiting?

In my other life, I write science fiction. A couple of years ago we were in Los Angeles and I found Ray Bradbury’s grave. I met him once in life and he was very kind. It meant a lot to be able to stand over his grave and thank him.

I’m about to go off on my book tour, and one of the places I want to stop along the way is Carrie Fisher’s grave, because she was another inspiration to me.

photo by: Hang Dinh

Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, is open 365 days a year.

Why did you decide to write the book?

I wanted to underline how fragile cemeteries are. Two [that I covered] in the book, Tolomato Cemetery and the Huguenot Cemetery, both in St. Augustine, Florida, suffered damage in Hurricane Irma. Both have friends group that are overseeing them and helping to do the restoration, but they are in rough shape.

Cemeteries need people to step up and take care of them. That’s kind of my whole point with the book, is that people take care of the things they love and unless they visit cemeteries, they won’t know what they’re missing.

Preservation Tips & Tools : How to Preserve Historic Cemeteries and Burial Grounds

Present in nearly every community, cemeteries and burial grounds offer a fascinating glimpse into America's cultural history. Learn how best to protect them.

Stories : This D.C. Cemetery May Be The Liveliest Place In Town

The main road in the Congressional Cemetery with cherry blossoms on either side

At historic Congressional Cemetery, you can ponder the mysteries of death, but you'll quickly be awed by something else: the presence of the living.

Meghan Drueding is the executive editor of Preservation magazine. She has a weakness for Midcentury Modernism, walkable cities, and coffee-table books about architecture and design.

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Cemetery Tours

Your memories of new orleans' cities of the dead will linger long after your visit.

Marie Laveau Tomb - St. Louis Cemetery No. 1

New Orleans is a city surrounded by water and built below sea level. This is why our departed spend eternity entombed above ground. Here, graves are family affairs, with remains settling over time to make room for the next generation to move in to what we call the Cities of the Dead. Ornate and historic, funky and other worldly, New Orleans cemeteries are home to everyone from music hit makers to voodoo queens. Tour companies will show you who’s who and explain the history and traditions. Pay homage to fallen yellow fever victims at St. Louis No.1 on Basin Street, the city’s oldest boneyard or visit some of the newer, just as elaborate places.

Here is a list of companies that offer cemetery tours:

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5 Best Guided Cemetery Tours in America

These guided journeys to the other side are sure to send shivers down your spine.

Photo Credit: Tim Evanson / Flickr (CC)

Let us be your guide to the other side in these spooky cemetery tours across the country. Whether you go in the dead of night to maximize your fear or can only stomach a daytime excursion, tours in some of the country's most iconic cemeteries ensure the spooks. From headless legends and Southern Gothic splendor to the ghosts of Old Hollywood, each journey is sure to send shivers down your spine.

1. Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Sleepy Hollow, NY

With Sleepy Hollow Cemetery Tours

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The legend of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman gallops on as you stroll through Sleepy Hollow Cemetery to author Washington Irving’s grave. Fall is the best time to visit as this sleepy town in upstate New York springs to life with Halloween activities and its woodsy surroundings take on an spooky autumnal glow.

2. Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia

With Bonaventure Historical Society or Bonaventure Cemetery Tours

Covering 160 acres, Bonaventure Cemetery in spooky Savannah is as beautiful as it is vast. Take in the breathtaking Southern Gothic resting place with tours offered by Bonaventure Historical Society or Bonaventure Cemetery Tours. Both groups provide informative guided tours of the burial ground that are not to be missed. Highlights include Little Gracie’s statue, a haunted gravestone sculpture rumored to cry bloody tears.

Related: Haunted Grounds: Bonaventure Cemetery and the Ghost of Gracie Watson

3. St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 in New Orleans, Louisiana

With Save Our Cemeteries Tour

The Archdiocese of New Orleans now requires all visitors to sign up with a licensed tour guide before entering St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, the city's most famous aboveground burial site. Save Our Cemeteries Tour is a nonprofit organization that uses your $20 toward the preservation and restoration of this grand city of the dead. Learn about Big Easy history and burial practices—the city employs aboveground graves to house its departed Civil War soldiers, Yellow Fever victims, and its Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau.

Related: 11 Creepiest and Best New Orleans Cemetery Tours

Want more creepy cemeteries? Sign up for The Lineup’s newsletter, and get the most haunted places delivered straight to your inbox.

4. Old Burying Ground in Salem, Massachusetts

With Salem Historical Tours

Photo Credit: Robert Linsdell / Flickr (CC)

Get properly acquainted with the oldest cemetery in Salem and the second oldest in the country, circa 1637 with daytime tour “Cemetery 101: Grave Matters.” Visit the gravesites of a Mayflower pilgrim and two judges in the Salem Witch Trials, Jonathan Corwin and John Hawthorne. Delve into the symbolism behind Puritan stone engravings (Death’s Head, Urn and Willow). Then prepare to get spooked by Salem’s plentiful paranormal activities.

5. Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, CA

With Hollywood Forever Cemetery Tours

You’ll see stars—even in death—in the City of Angels. Wander the Hollywood Forever Cemetery where deceased actors and directors from Old Hollywood rub tombstones with rock stars. The deceased include Mickey Rooney, designer L’Wren Scott, Charlie Chaplin Jr., Ernest Hemingway’s wife, and even Terry the Pup, who played Toto in The Wizard of Oz. Punk rocker Johnny Ramone’s life-size statue offers an air guitar photo-op, while the tombstone of Mel Blanc (who voiced none other than Bugs Bunny) delivers levity in the face of death with its cheeky inscription: “That’s all folks.” When your journey with Hollywood Forever Cemetery tour comes to an end, stick around for movies or music under the stars at the cemetery’s Masonic Lodge. Only in Hollywood.

Related: Tombs of Tinseltown: 6 Haunting Los Angeles Cemeteries

Featured photo of Sleepy Hollow Cemetery: Tim Evanson / Flickr ( CC )

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3 Ways Tourism is reshaping cemeteries and the death care industry

The last decade has seen a boom in cemetery tourism, sometimes called Tombstone Tourism. With the rising interest in genealogy, more people are hunting out cemeteries to find their ancestors and trace their story. To feed this demand people who are interested, or even obsessed with cemeteries, or taphophiles are visiting and photographing cemeteries, headstones, and memorials and posting this information online.

For some people, their interest in cemeteries is more about the architecture, art, culture, and historical examples found within cemeteries. Each grave site and headstone is an example set in stone (or bronze) of the cultural norms of the day, religious preferences and personality and beliefs of the deceased. For older cemeteries particularly there is a wealth of history hidden within graveyards that are not always obvious to visitors. This unprecedented level of interest is reshaping the business of cemeteries in three significant ways:

ONE: Digital Tourism

The number of in-person tourists to a graveyard is minimal compared to the exposure of online interest – are you online yet?

Many cemeteries have or are in the process of digitally recording the details of all burials and memorials so that this information can be published, and Deceased Records can be searched. This information can be provided online through various registers and often links to the major genealogy sites, and through your own website if you have one. This information is for the most part freely available to anyone with access to the internet though with so many registers it can be confusing for the public so if they could go directly to the graveyard as the source they would, helping give your business new exposure.

How much time do you currently spend on Deceased Searches? For many cemeteries, these queries are their most common and take the most time to resource as records may still be on paper, damaged or even lost. Transcribing all your records to be online gives you the ability to quickly and accurately search records based on set criteria. This may not be tourism in the traditional sense, but anyone coming to your business for information is a potential customer.

Social channels like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter allow your business to directly connect with the family of those buried in your grounds, your community, and those interested taphophiles we discussed earlier. You have direct access to your audience, and probably an audience you have not even identified in person, meaning you can promote activities and events, and your community can share these.

TWO: Cemetery / Tombstone Tourism

Many of the larger cemeteries now offer tours; some at night ghost tours and other curiosity or historical tours. Cemeteries provide an authentic insight into the beliefs and culture at the time of death. Indeed, in the cases of Catholic cemeteries and graveyards, there are centuries of history behind the symbolism that can be seen at these sites. Statues, shrines, and stained glass reiterate the promise of eternal life. Traditionally more affluent burials included beautifully artistic and ornate tombstones or crypts which must be seen to be believed.

Even small cemeteries and local government bodies are also experiencing a renewed interest in their cemeteries; allowing them to promote these sites as part of their local attractions and events. These events could include celebrations for mother’s and father’s day. For Catholic cemeteries, regular activities like mass to remember those who are buried within the grounds also provide an opportunity to invite a new audience into your cemetery.

Many retired and private cemeteries, with no new funds coming in from burials, benefit from this tourism as it brings in new revenue. For the “friends of” groups, Trusts and volunteers who otherwise manage these sites and interest and increase in income brings in much-needed funding while promoting your site.

THREE: Digital Mapping

GPS, or digital, mapping identifies the plots and memorials within your site. Your cemetery may currently have hand drawn plans, but how accurate are these, do they even resemble your grounds? Digital mapping pins each plot (or other) location to a set GPS coordinate to confirm the position within your grounds.

Meaning visitors to your cemetery can negotiate the grounds to find the location they are seeking. Imagine visiting a graveyard for the first time and being able to use Google Maps to direct you to a specific location or grave. This same technology allows visitors who are geographically remote to view these locations and even see photos of headstones and memorials if they are published online. Once again bringing a new audience to your business.

Mapping also allows cemeteries to identify Points of Interest, be they famous celebrities, unique architecture, historically significant sites, and much more. It is also a vital tool to manage inventory within the cemetery grounds by identifying those plots that are occupied, pre-sold, and those that are free – providing an instant view of availability.

Historically cemeteries were designed as parks to encourage visitors and mourners to explore – as attitudes towards death and the industry change, and the interest in genealogy continues to grow it makes perfect sense that cemeteries and memorial gardens are the next hot tourist destination. Educating your community about the unique history and even curiosities within your graveyard also helps promote your business and services.

Moreover, it is not just the larger cemeteries contributing to this growth; many websites are collecting and maintaining information on cemeteries gathered by volunteers. These sites allow visitors to cemeteries to post photos, transcribed headstone inscriptions and provide general cemetery information for the wider public to view. Meaning many of the smaller historical, private, or retired cemeteries are now visible to an international audience in a way that has never been possible before.

What are your thoughts on capitalizing on tourism and what insights do you have if you already offer these services?

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Cemetery tourism (thanatourism) is a specific sub-section of dark tourism that is becoming increasingly popular. Tourists wander through burial grounds with the aim of discovering the artistic, architectural, historical, and scenic heritage that often abounds in cemeteries. The changing perception of cemeteries from a place for burial towards a cultural heritage space provides several opportunities for tourism. It enables the community to explore the development of products and services that help the destination to gain new income while preserving its heritage.

1. Introduction

2. Cemeteries and Recreation

3. cemeteries and tourism, 4. touristic activities in cemeteries.

Classical music and rock concerts have been organized
Sports facilities were developed, e.g., a running track was arranged in the cemetery,
and electric bicycles for hire and carriage rides are offered as new services
Regular night-time opening during the month of October to give visitors a night-time view of the cemetery
Music walks offered, with live music accompanying the walkers
Painting course offered, where visitors can create their own artwork souvenir of the cemetery
A cemetery museum has been opened where visitors can learn about the history of the cemetery and the famous people buried there
Nature-focused guided walks and camps for children
A café and gift shop have been opened at the cemetery gate
Eötvös, K. A Balatoni Utazás Vége ; Vitis Aureus Bt.: Budapest, Hungary, 2007; 175p.
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Balatonudvari—Szívalakú Sírkövek . Available online: https://www.balatonudvari.hu/balatonudvari-telepules/telepulesunk-kepekben/szivalaku-sirkovek/ (accessed on 12 January 2022).
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Hajdúböszörmény, Kopjafás Temető - Csónakos Fejfás Temető . Available online: https://www.turautak.com/cikkek/latnivalok/szakralis--vallasi-helyek/hajduboszormeny--kopjafas-temeto-csonakos-fejfas-temeto.html (accessed on 12 January 2022).
Katonai Temető, Budaörs . Available online: https://airbase.blog.hu/2020/10/29/katonai_temeto_budaors (accessed on 12 January 2022).
Gül Baba Türbéje. . Available online: https://gulbabaalapitvany.hu/ (accessed on 12 January 2022).
Világörökség Pécs. . Available online: https://www.pecsorokseg.hu/ (accessed on 12 January 2022).
Prater, T. Cemetery Tourism—A New Trend? Available online: https://travelinspiredliving.com/cemetery-tourism-new-trend/ (accessed on 5 January 2022).
Quinton, J.M.; Duinker, P.N. Beyond burial: Researching and managing cemeteries as urban green spaces, with examples from Canada. Environ. Rev. 2019, 27, 252–262.
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Skår, M.; Nordh, H.; Swensen, G. Green urban cemeteries: More than just parks. J. Urban. Int. Res. Placemaking Urban Sustain. 2018, 11, 362–382.
Deering, B. In the Dead of Night. In The Power of Death: Contemporary Reflections on Death in Western Society; Blanco, M.J., Vidal, R., Eds.; Berghan Books: New York, NY, USA, 2014; pp. 183–197.
Evensen, K.H.; Nordh, H.; Skaar, M. Everyday use of urban cemeteries: A Norwegian case study. Landsc. Urban Plan. 2017, 159, 76–84.
McClymont, K.; Sinnett, D. Planning Cemeteries: Their Potential Contribution to Green Infrastructure and Ecosystem Services. Front. Sustain. Cities 2021, 3, 789925.
Marinkovic, L. Issues of Croatian Touristic Identity in Modern Touristic Trends. J. Tour. Res. Hosp. 2016, 5. Available online: http://www.scitechnol.com/peer-review/issues-of-croatian-touristic-identity-in-modern-touristic-trends-VJGq.php?article_id=4907 (accessed on 12 January 2022).
Millán, M.G.D.; Naranjo, L.M.P.; Rojas, R.D.H.; De La Torre, M.G.M.V. Cemetery tourism in southern Spain: An analysis of demand. Tour. Hosp. Manag. 2019, 25, 37–52.
Pliberšek, L.; Vrban, D. Cemetery as Village Tourism Development Site. In 4th International Rural Tourism Congress, Congress Proceedings; 2018; pp. 194–209. Available online: https://www.fthm.uniri.hr/images/kongres/ruralni_turizam/4/znanstveni/Plibersek_Vrban.pdf (accessed on 12 January 2022).
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St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 is now open for guided tours - See the tour schedule below!

Walk Among New Orleans' Most Historic Tombs

Honoring New Orleans’ rich history, the Official Tour of St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 guides you through the tombs of the city’s most famous and infamous historical figures. Step beyond the iron gates and experience the hauntingly beautiful past of New Orleans.

A Journey through City of the Dead

Cemetery tours nola takes visitors on an intriguing journey through st. louis cemetery no. 1. dedicated tour guides escort small groups along meandering paths within the cemetery, as they share the storied pasts of those residing in this magnificent city of the dead., tour groups depart every 15-30 minutes from 9 am - 3:45 pm each group is limited to 20 guests, so it's recommended that you reserve in advance., cancellation & refund policy, all orders may be cancelled or modified (date/time) up to 24 hours in advance of the scheduled tour., call or email us for assistance, within 24 hours, no cancellations and no refunds. within 24 hours, modifications are subject to availability., the voodoo queen's resting place.

Immerse yourself in the mysterious life and death of the renowned Voodoo Queen, Marie Laveau. As one of New Orleans' most well-known historical figures, her legacy significantly intertwines with the beloved culture of the Cresent City.

Elegant Society Tombs & Historic Architecture

Established in 1789, St. Louis No. 1 is New Orleans oldest extant cemetery, embodying 300 years of New Orleans history and culture, visitors transcend time as they navigate through the intriguing wonders inhabiting St. Louis Cemetery No. 1.

Nicolas Cage's Pyramid Tomb

From deceased New Orleans natives to Hollywood celebrities still among the living, the graveyard also features Nicolas Cage's eccentric pyramid tomb. Learn more about the myths surrounding Cage's nine-foot-tall future resting place.

Beauty Beyond the Gates

Ready to experience the St. Louis Cemetery No. 1? Reserve your tickets today!

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Cemetery tourism: A self-conscious tourism

Why do we really visit a cemetery as a tourist.

There are dozens of tourist guides on famous cemeteries in the world. Many articles have been written on how important cemeteries are as cultural sites, while their interpretation is claimed by a plethora of discourses on tourism, from cultural tourism to dark tourism.

However, none of the above tells us

why cemeteries are important to the visitor?

What can they offer that is so special? You can find sculptures and works of art in the museums, read biographies of famous people on the Internet, while if you desire an alternative experience, you can always try skydiving. What is so different then about a walk through a cemetery?

In the most famous historic cemeteries, like Père Lachaise, Highgate and the majority of cemeteries founded in metropolises during the 19th century, the visitor experiences the

trilogy of grandeur: great landscape, great deaths, great monuments.

You will admire the beauty of the landscape; you will be charmed by the inscriptions on the graves of famous personalities; you will be moved by the artistic expression of the sculpted monuments.

When musing on some elevated ground, you will realise that the cemetery is the only place where you can truly enjoy every aspect of the

joining of nature, man, and art.

Leaving behind you the threshold of its magnificent gates, something peculiar will happen to you: you will look back and wonder:

‘Has Balzac ever said anything about death?’
‘What would Marx think of his oversized monument?’
‘Why did the parents of this boy choose to put on his grave the dark Angel of Death and not the bust of their son?’ .

That is when you will have experienced, visitor, one of the greatest mysteries of the space for the dead:

the silence that inspires discourse.

It is you yourself who will be the protagonist of the lively dialogue of past and present. You, not the curator of an exhibition, not the interpreter of the inscriptions you read in museums, but you and only you.

So think, where else have you felt like that :

as the only cause of your questions and answers?

In lesser known old cemeteries, in those that are hidden behind their overgrown walls, the visitor has the privilege to discover a secret garden.

That is where you will find abandoned and partially torn down graves, half-erased inscriptions and, if you are lucky enough, you will encounter a strange plant or beast.

You will forget the sprawling cement jungle outside the cemetery walls and, while in this wild garden, you will ask yourself:

‘Is the end of our artificial civilisation the end of life?’.

You will carefully push the cemetery’s wooden door and, while walking towards the main avenue, you will wonder:

‘How on earth did I find myself in this cemetery? I was walking along this avenue and instead of turning right to visit the local museum, as the city guide suggested, I took a wrong turn and found myself on this quiet street, when the rustle from the trees in something that looked like a park to my right drew my attention and led me to its entrance’ .

That is the moment when you will realise that cemeteries are not the end of civilisation as we know it, but our departure from it and a portal to another, different civilisation.

Is there another space that belongs to the city and can at the same time be so different from it? And now think, what other kind of exploration has led you to the

discovery of a whole other world?

In modern, massively used cemeteries, where death is a far cry from becoming the memory of bygone ancestors, self-invited visitors experience a fundamental question: what meaning does death have here?

Your attention will be drawn to a small flat plaque with the inscription:

‘John Smith 1960-2017’,

who was born on the same year as you , and you will realise how close you are to death at its passing moment. Afterwards, you will wonder how this person lived his life,

‘What did he do for a living?’,
‘Was he also divorced?’,

and at the same time you will enumerate your common elements,

you will suddenly understand.

You will notice the difference between you two : he is dead and you are looking at his grave. You are unique just because you breathe.

Leaving behind the iron gate of the cemetery, you will remember the imposing marble angels, the worn wooden crosses, the granite tiles in the grass.

‘So that’s what it is all about,’ you will say. It does not matter if the grave is magnificent, in ruins or simplistic, since it serves one and only purpose: to proclaim the uniqueness of the person it commemorates.

From that moment onward, you will never wonder again why you enjoy visits to the cemeteries of the world. You will know that every time you are there, it is you who realises the uniqueness of your existence by embracing the uniqueness of the other .

That is indeed what cemeteries are about:

spaces to celebrate the uniqueness of human existence.

And that is, therefore, the reason why cemetery tourism is above all a self-conscious tourism.

The Association of Significant Cemeteries of Europe invites you to discover your own course in the European Cemeteries Route .

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Cemeteries breathe life into tourists.

(CNN) -- He's chipped his way through more than a foot of snow and ice to get to Ernest Hemingway. He's walked right up to Al Capone and Karl Marx. He's dragged his mom to visit the infamous cannibal Alferd Packer and just came back from seeing Farrah Fawcett.

He is Jim Tipton, founder of Find a Grave, a free online database of burial sites for the famous and otherwise around the globe.

"It does sound morbid and dark. But when you're actually visiting someone's grave, it's like visiting a relative; there's a closeness there," said Tipton, 37, of Salt Lake City, Utah. "And I've always liked the aesthetics of cemeteries. I've always called them parks for introverts because you don't have to worry about someone asking you to play a pick-up game."

At first glance, the idea of graveyard tourism may seem ghoulish. But for visitors who seek out headstones, this sort of destination travel is about more than death and grief-seeking. It can be a form of entertainment and inspiration, a history and architecture lesson, a cultural appreciation course, a genealogical journey and a source of relaxation.

Providing solace and beauty for the living, in fact, is as important as honoring the dead at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge and Watertown, Massachusetts. This 175-acre institution, founded in 1831, made history as America's first garden-like, landscaped cemetery, inspiring similar sites across the country and even public parks like Central Park in New York.

After long days staring at a computer in Portland, Oregon, Scott Stanton caught this tourism bug when he'd unwind by strolling through neighborhoods, often cutting through graveyards.

See cemetery tourists' favorite photos

The self-described "frustrated rock 'n' roll star" soon started seeking out the burial sites of musicians, which took him to more than 550 plots throughout the world. From punk rocker Joey Ramone in New Jersey and composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in Russia to the Doors legend Jim Morrison in France and blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan in Texas, he spent more than 15 years compiling information and taking photographs for his book "The Tombstone Tourist: Musicians."

"I'm not a Carnival Cruise sort of guy," said Stanton, 50, who owns a software company. Doing the book "took a long, long time, because they kept dying. I could never figure out when to stop."

Many cities have cemeteries that have long attracted throngs of visitors. Père Lachaise in Paris, France, where Morrison is buried -- along with Maria Callas, Frédéric Chopin and Oscar Wilde, to name a few -- is one of them.

After-death stargazers can stay busy in Los Angeles, California, where outfits bearing names like Dearly Departed Tours are dedicated to showing visitors the way. At Hollywood Forever Cemetery , about 2,000 people come out every Saturday night to spend the evening with Rudolph Valentino and Fay Wray, picnic and watch classic films.

And no visit to New Orleans, Louisiana, would be complete without a visit to St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 and the tomb of Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau. There are plenty of ghost, vampire and haunted tours, ones that play up the kitsch.

But Robert Florence of Historic New Orleans Walking Tours Inc. believes that the facts surrounding the city's burial sites -- which include family tombs that hold generations of remains and sit above ground, preventing caskets from floating away during floods -- are as good as fiction.

"Cemeteries reflect so much about the place you're in," Florence said, describing the ones in New Orleans as "repositories of thousands of years of traditions and legacies."

At Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta, Georgia, visitors can get close to Civil War soldiers and civil rights pioneers before dining nearby at a restaurant called Six Feet Under. This historic cemetery sponsors special events, such as Sunday in the Park, during which Victorian costumes are invited, and numerous tours for Halloween, lessons in African-American history and more.

Also at Oakland is golfing great Bobby Jones. Modern-day pros often stop by his headstone en route to the Masters in Augusta for good luck, said Rick Sebak , a documentary producer for WQED, the PBS station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the force behind "A Cemetery Special." Visitors leave golf balls and sometimes clubs, Sebak said.

Campbell's soup cans are strewn across Andy Warhol's grave in Pittsburgh. Guitar picks litter Jimi Hendrix's final resting place outside Seattle, Washington. Baseballs pile up at Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio, where visitors find Ray Chapman, a shortstop for the Cleveland Indians who was killed by a baseball in 1920.

But Sebak said tourists shouldn't overlook the not-famous. He's been struck by the little wooden houses that dot a Russian Orthodox cemetery in Fairbanks, Alaska, the photographs on tombstones in Key West, Florida, and the inscriptions he's come across during his travels. He still laughs when he remembers seeing this on a mausoleum marker for one woman: "I told you I was sick."

Learning about strangers is part of what drives Cristina Lugo of New York, who with a club she calls the "Cemetery Girls" takes self-guided day trips to graveyards in the area.

The headstones tell stories, such as the one in the Bronx that honors a family killed by a lightning strike, said Lugo, 37. She also sees visiting graves as a service to others -- the departed and the descendants who can't get there on their own.

For the Web site Find a Grave , she often volunteers to track down and photograph the burial sites of people's ancestors. She recently ventured into one New York graveyard for a family in England, giving them a piece of their genealogical history.

And perhaps more than anything, the cemetery tourism hobby brings Lugo a sense of peace she can't find in the urban, living jungle.

"It's almost like church for me," she said. "It's a reminder that life is precious."

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Green-Wood Cemetery: A Popular Tourist Destination Since the Victorian Era

Green-Wood Cemetery was founded in 1838 as one of America’s first rural cemeteries. Almost two centuries later, Green-Wood remains a cultural institution and an outdoor museum that documents the history and evokes the cultures of New York and the nation. Green-Wood’s 478 acres serve as the final resting place for over 570,000 permanent residents, and many visit the Cemetery daily to take in this rich history. Jean-Michel Basquiat , Boss Tweed , Leonard Bernstein and Horace Greeley are among those interred on the grounds. But back when the Cemetery first opened, it was one of the most prominent tourist destinations for families.

Triumph of Civic Virtue statue in Green-Wood Cemetery

At first, 14-by-27-foot lots were sold for $100 each, and by the early 1860s, the cemetery had 7,000 annual burials and 100,000 graves. A ferry service to the Cemetery was established in 1846, to accommodate visitors. Just a decade or two after opening, Green-Wood housed the graves of many famous and wealthy New Yorkers, which drew in crowds. Green-Wood became more popular after former governor DeWitt Clinton was disinterred from a cemetery in Albany and moved to Green-Wood, where a monument to him was erected in 1853.

While there is no record of exactly how many visitors Green-Wood Cemetery had in the 19th century, it has been said that it rivaled only Niagara Falls as a tourist attraction in the U.S. Early literature of the Cemetery mentions “The Tour,” a route designed by the Cemetery that visitors could follow to catch all the points of interest at the Cemetery. Naturally, the most desired property for potential lot owners was along that route. The Cemetery also offered unobstructed views to Manhattan and New York Harbor, including a view of the Statue of Liberty , once it was constructed.

“The viable associations of the Green-Wood Cemetery are intended to be exactly what its name implies — verdure, shade, ruralness, natural beauty; every thing, in short, in contrast with the glare, set form, fixed rule, and fashion of the city,” wrote David Bates Douglass, Green-Wood designer in Exposition of the Plan and Objects of the Green-Wood Cemetery .

The Cemetery also provided a carriage service during the 19th century, available for the accommodation of “lot owners and visitors” that ran as frequently as every 15 minutes from May through October. This advance was particularly significant for families of those killed in the Civil War , since starting in 1862, free interments were offered to the families of New York soldiers who died in conflict. This was accompanied by a booklet describing all the notable memorials along the route. There were also souvenir booklets produced with images of the Cemetery, bound pocket visitor’s maps, and stereoview images that pointed to its popularity as a tourist attraction. Today, a trolley service is part of various tours offered by the Cemetery.

“The whole character of the landscape accords perfectly with the spirit of the place. Here are rural beauty and repose. No human dwelling is within view, if we except the still mansions of the dead. Neither sight nor sound is here to remind us of the noisy, living world,” wrote Nehemiah Cleaveland, Green-Wood historian in Green-Wood Illustrated .

And tourism further grew as public streetcar and elevated lines were established across Brooklyn, around the same time that construction was underway at Prospect Park . Green-Wood built the Fort Hamilton gate in 1876 to accommodate anticipated crowds, and soon after flower shops and monument sellers sprouted up by the gate. This gate was re-opened for public access in 2020 to accommodate an increase in visitors during the coronavirus pandemic. A Victorian greenhouse across from the main entrance, the McGovern-Weir Greenhouse, still exists and has been under restoration for several years.

One of the Cemetery’s oldest features, the Catacombs, remains hidden away to the public, except for rare tours. The Catacombs consist of 30 vaults set beneath a hill and secured by locked iron gates. Dating back to the early 1850s, the Catacombs provided an alternative to burials in the ground when families couldn’t afford a mausoleum for a loved one. One of the most famous people entombed in the Catacombs is Ward McAllister, a Gilded Age high society tastemaker. It was McAllister who first referred to the guests of Mrs. Astor’s ballroom as “The 400,” an exclusive group of New York City’s highest-ranking members of society. The catacombs were not intentionally constructed for the cemetery but were there previously due to active mining for gravel.

On October 1st, explore the historic Green-Wood Cemetery after dark and enter the catacombs, an area usually off-limits to the public! On this Untapped New York Insider tour led by a Green-Wood Cemetery tour guide, discover the connection between the tobacco shop owner John Anderson, the mysterious murder of Mary Rogers, “The Beautiful Cigar Girl,” and Edgar Allen Poe. Visit the Pilot’s Monument, dedicated by New York Harbor pilots after the tragic sinking of the John Minturn. Meet Elias Howe, the man behind the sewing machine and his beloved dog Fannie, buried behind Howe’s monument. Stop by the grave of Elizabeth Gloucester, the Black woman entrepreneur whose fortune helped fund John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry. And take a sneak peek into one of the Cemetery’s rarely opened structures! The event is free for Untapped New York Insiders (and get your first month free with code JOINUS).

Green-Wood Cemetery and Catacombs Tour

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Discover the Past: Best New Orleans Cemetery Tours- 2024

O n my latest getaway to New Orleans, I had the chance to dive into something a tad different from a typical attraction – a cemetery tour. I know the idea of traipsing through graveyards might not scream ‘family weekend getaway’, but New Orleans isn’t your typical city, and its cemeteries are anything but ordinary, so participating in one of the New Orleans cemetery tours really should be a part of your trip!

New Orleans is a city brimming with tales, where every corner tells a story, and in this city, the dead have some of the best stories to share. The city’s cemeteries, with their above-ground vaults, are more than just final resting places. They’re historical goldmines, giving us a peek into the past and showcasing the unique blend of cultures that make up this incredible city.

Planning your New Orleans adventure? Click here to book your combined city and cemetery tour !

Why are New Orleans Cemeteries Above Ground?

And why are they aboveground? Well, it all boils down to New Orleans’ below-sea-level quandary. Early settlers learned the hard way that traditional burials just didn’t cut it here (the bodies float to the top when it floods!) . So they adopted these unique burial practices, creating not just a practical solution but a visually stunning landscape that’s as much a part of New Orleans as beignets and jazz.

Thanks to my many years of planning the ins and outs of our family getaways, I get how hard it is to find fun things to do for everyone in the group. You want experiences that are engaging, enlightening, and worth every minute of your precious vacation time. That’s why I did the work to help you find the best cemetery tours in New Orleans. And yes, even though they are a bit creepy, there are several that are totally kid-friendly.

Best Combined New Orleans City & Cemetery Tours

1. new orleans city and cemetery tour.

When you are tight on time, a combined city and cemetery tour is perfect for families. This is what we did on our recent New Orleans getaway. We hopped on a small bus with a few other visitors and got to experience the hidden gems scattered throughout the city.

On this particular tour, you’ll see the elegant Garden District, feel the rhythm of Treme, and catch a glimpse of the resilience in the 9th Ward. It’s a chance to dive deep into the heart of New Orleans, cruising along Frenchmen Street, Esplanade Avenue, and beyond, all while soaking up tales that breathe life into the city’s history and culture.

Top 3 Benefits of This City and Cemetery Tour:

Maximize Your Time: This tour is all about getting the most out of your New Orleans visit. Cover more ground in less time and leave no stone unturned—from vibrant neighborhoods to sacred resting places.
Diverse Discoveries: Beyond the jazz and jambalaya, you’ll see the real New Orleans. Each neighborhood tells a part of the city’s story, from its triumphs to its tragedies, making for an eye-opening experience.
Educational and Entertaining: Perfect for curious minds of all ages. This tour blends fun facts, historical insights, and engaging stories to keep everyone entertained and informed.

For first-time visitors or those on a short weekend trip (maybe a combination New Orleans and beach vacation?) , this combined tour is a game-changer. Instead of having to choose between soaking up the city’s lively streets and delving into its hauntingly beautiful cemeteries, you get the best of both worlds.

Plus, after experiencing a tour like this you’ll have a good feel for where you’d like to go back to and explore in-depth (this is how I figured out I want to do just a cemetery tour on our next visit) . With prices ranging from $55 to $65, it’s an affordable way to explore New Orleans’ rich tapestry of cultures and histories.

I love this city & cemetery tour for a great overview of New Orleans AND the cemeteries.

2. New Orleans Architectural & Cemetery Tour

If you are at all into architecture as well as history, this would be the ideal combined city & cemetery tour for you. It’s a journey through the architectural marvels of New Orleans, coupled with an intimate look at St. Louis Cemetery #3, and some delightful pit stops that are sure to make your heart (and stomach) full.

The tour guides you into the sacred grounds of St. Louis Cemetery #3, where you’ll get out and explore a bit offering a rare glimpse into the city’s past, encapsulated within the silent stories of its tombs and mausoleums.

Why This Tour Stands Out:

Architectural Focus: Showcases the best of New Orleans’ architectural diversity. You’ll leave with a newfound appreciation for the city’s design heritage.
Cultural Immersion: The visit to St. Louis Cemetery #3 isn’t just about the graves; it’s a lesson in the traditions, beliefs, and histories that define New Orleans (which are super interesting!.
Indulgent Intermissions: What’s a tour without a little treat? Enjoy a serene break in City Park, check out the sculpture garden at NOMA, and cap it off with the world-famous beignets at Cafe du Monde . It’s the perfect blend of culture and indulgence.

Priced between $95 to $100, this tour offers a more comprehensive exploration of New Orleans, making it perfect if you want a little more than a basic overview.

I love this City Architecture & Cemetery Tour for its extra stops!

3. Dead of the Night Ghosts & New Orleans Cemetery Tour

If you’re drawn to the mysteries that linger in the moonlit streets of New Orleans, and the tales of the past that whisper in the shadows, then the Dead of the Night Ghosts & Cemetery Tour is perfect for you. This evening tour invites you into the darker side of New Orleans, blending the eerie beauty of its cemeteries with the spine-tingling thrill of ghost stories, all under the cloak of night.

As dusk falls over the city, this tour takes you beyond the ordinary into the realms of the extraordinary, including the enigmatic St. Louis Cemetery No. 3 , where the night adds a layer of mystique to the historical and architectural wonder. You’ll also hear the stories of the Charity Hospital Cemetery and a poignant stop at the Hurricane Katrina Memorial – a sobering reminder of the devastation that occurred during that hurricane not too long ago.

Highlights of the Dead of the Night Tour:

A Night to Remember: Experience New Orleans when it’s most magical—at night. There is nothing spookier than a cemetery at night!
Eerie Exploration: Delve into the haunted history of New Orleans, from its legendary cemeteries to the ghost stories that have been passed down through generations. It’s a thrilling peek into the city’s spectral side, and if you have teens with you they will probably love this creepy aspect.
Culinary Comforts: After a night of exploration and chills, wind down with a stop for coffee and beignets at the iconic Cafe du Monde in Central Park. It’s the perfect sweet note to end on, and you’ll have fun talking about all the spooky stories you heard.

Priced between $110 to $120, this tour is pricier but super cool if your family wants to experience the haunted tales of New Orleans – and I’ve found this aspect to be a good way to get teens interested in a cemetery tour!

I love this New Orleans bus & cemetery tour for its creepy angle!

Best Standalone Cemetery Tours in New Orleans

4. new orleans st. louis #3 cemetery walking tour.

This is the tour I’ll be taking on my next trip to New Orleans – since we’ve done the city tour, I want to dive into the heart of one of New Orleans’ most storied resting places with the New Orleans St. Louis #3 Cemetery Walking Tour .

This particular tour is a deep dive into history, culture, and the intriguing world of the dead, guided by Sally Asher, a renowned author and historian. Her book, “Stories from the St. Louis Cemeteries of New Orleans,” brings the stories behind the headstones to life and you’ll be walking through these stories, guided by her expert knowledge.

It’s a cool way to get up close and personal with the past. You’ll meander through the winding paths of St. Louis Cemetery No. 3, absorbing the solemn beauty and chill vibes. Sally will also unravel the mysteries behind the different types of tombs you’ll encounter, from grand mausoleums to humble resting places.

Ever wonder about the stories of the folks buried in cemeteries? I know I do, and Sally’s got the scoop on some of the cemetery’s most notable residents, sharing tales that might just make these stone markers feel a bit more… alive.

Here’s why this tour is a must-do:

Walk and Learn: This tour is strictly on foot, offering you the chance to truly immerse yourself in the surroundings. It’s a chance to stretch those legs and your mind at the same time.
Expert Insight: With Sally Asher leading the way, you’re not just getting a tour; you’re getting a narrative journey crafted by someone who has dug deep into the cemetery’s history. It’s like walking through a live documentary.
Cultural Deep Dive: Understanding the burial practices and tomb architecture gives you a unique glimpse into the cultural fabric of New Orleans. This tour goes beyond the surface, exploring the why and how behind each stone.

This walking tour is super affordable at just $25 – $30 per person!

I love this walking cemetery tour for its insider information!

5. New Orleans Cemetery Bus Tour After Dark

If you’re intrigued by the tales that dance on the edge of darkness, the New Orleans Cemetery Bus Tour After Dark is your gateway to a world shrouded in mystery and legend. On this tour, you’ll get to explore the haunted heart of the city under the veil of night, where history and the paranormal intertwine.

You’ll board your bus and embark on a journey through New Orleans’ most infamous “haunted” locales. Whether you’re a skeptic or a full-fledged believer in the paranormal, there’s something undeniably eerie about venturing into cemeteries after dark.

Here’s what makes this tour a must-experience adventure:

Nighttime Narratives: With a knowledgeable guide at the helm, you’ll be treated to interesting stories that paint a vivid picture of New Orleans’ haunted history and culture. From the eerie to the downright chilling, these tales are enhanced by historical insights that bring the shadows to life.
Paranormal Pursuits: Ever fancied yourself a ghost hunter? Here’s your chance. Armed with EMF readers, you’ll delve into the spectral side of the city, seeking out the paranormal signatures that linger in these age-old resting places.
Sip and Sightsee: The tour offers a unique twist—guests are welcome to bring their own drinks aboard the bus. Sip your favorite beverage as you cruise from one hauntingly beautiful site to the next, making for a relaxed yet riveting journey through the night.
Exclusive Access: Your adventure begins at Odd Fellows Rest, entering the gates of a cemetery that opens its doors to your group alone after dark. It’s an exclusive opportunity to tread where few dare to go once the sun sets.
Iconic Stops: Beyond the cemeteries, the tour doesn’t shy away from New Orleans’ other dark gems. You’ll visit the Hurricane Katrina Memorial under the moonlight and even stop for a snapshot outside the infamous Coven House from “American Horror Story,” adding layers of cultural context and eerie excitement to your night.

At $55 to $65 this tour packs a punch since it includes the night aspect as well as a bus tour.

I love this after-dark cemetery tour for its spooky vibes!

Tips for Taking Cemetary Tours in New Orleans

Taking a cemetary tour in New Orleans is a truly unique experience. To ensure your adventure is as smooth as it is enlightening, here are a few pro tips:

1. Know the meeting spot & arrival time

Some tours kick off with a bit of local lore right from the start, and you wouldn’t want to miss the opening act. Plus, often they want you at the designated meeting spot fifteen to thirty minutes early, so check your tour details so you aren’t late.

When we did tours in New Orleans , we scouted out the locations ahead of time (just while exploring the city on foot) so we knew how much time we’d need to get to the meeting spots – it made it much less stressful.

2. Understand how much walking you’ll be doing

Given that these tours can cover quite a bit of ground, read the fine print so you’ll know how much walking you’ll be doing. If it’s a lot, make sure you are capable of it, and wear your most comfortable shoes .

3. Check age suggestions if you have kids along

It’s also smart to check if the tour is kid-friendly or if it leans more toward an adult audience, ensuring it matches your group’s vibe. There are plenty of kid-friendly tours in New Orleans – just read the fine print and understand what the kids in your group can handle.

4. Book your cemetery tour in advance

Booking in advance is key—these tours fill up really quickly.

5. Don’t overbook yourself

Here’s a little piece of advice from someone who’s done quite a few tours in New Orleans – limit yourself to one organized tour per day. New Orleans is a city of unexpected wonders, and leaving room for those spontaneous moments can turn a great trip into an unforgettable one.

Beyond the Grave: Other Ways to Experience New Orlean’s Haunting History

If you’re itching to peel back more layers of the city’s haunting history in addition to one of the cemetary tours of New Orleans, don’t worry—the city has plenty more goosebump-inducing experiences up its sleeve.

My first suggestion is to join a ghost tour. New Orleans’ streets are practically a maze of ghost stories, and there are dozens of options to choose from. With a local guide leading the way, you’ll explore the French Quarter’s dimly lit alleys and learn about the spirits that lurk in the shadows of the city’s oldest buildings. A ghost tour was one of the highlights of our last trip to New Orleans.

Book this ghost tour to experience the spooky side of the French Quarter.

If you are on an adults-only New Orleans getaway, the city’s haunted pub crawls are a must. During this type of tour, you can sip on a cocktail while soaking up stories of the bars and spirits ( the paranormal kind, that is ) that call them home. It’s a social, slightly spooky way to see a different side of New Orleans’ nightlife and maybe make a few friends along the way.

Get your drink on with this Ghost Tour and Haunted Pub Crawl

FAQs About Cemetery Tours in New Orleans

Which new orleans cemetery is the best to visit.

All of them are interesting and well worth a visit, but you can’t go into some of them without a guide.

Can you visit the New Orleans cemeteries without a guide?

Yes to some of them, but no to others.

Are New Orleans cemetery tours worth it?

Yes, the cemeteries are so unique and interesting that the tours are well worth it.

How long is a New Orleans Cemetery Tour?

Anywhere from 45 minutes to several hours depending upon the tour.

What is the most visited grave in New Orleans?

Marie Laveau, legendary voodoo queen of New Orleans is in St. Louis Cemetery N. 1

We love the Kimpton Fontenot when we stay in New Orleans

Conclusion: Including New Orleans Cemetery Tours to Your Itinerary

Wrapping up our ghostly gallivant through the crescent city, it’s clear that whether you’re stepping softly through centuries-old cemeteries, listening to tales of the past at dusk, or sipping spirits among spirits on a haunted pub crawl, New Orleans serves up history with a side of the supernatural like nowhere else. My own journey into the heart of the city’s cemeteries was a departure from my typical tourist activities but it revealed a side of the Crescent City that was as enriching as it was unexpected.

In New Orleans, diving into its cemetery tours offers a glimpse into the soul of New Orleans. From the architectural artistry of its above-ground tombs to the vibrant lives of those it commemorates, these cemeteries are chapters in the ongoing story of the Big Easy.

But don’t just take my word for it. With tours aplenty, from the informative and insightful to the downright eerie, there’s a perfect choice for everyone. Remember, booking ahead ensures you won’t miss out on these popular excursions.

So, whether you’re a first-timer looking to soak up as much as possible or a returning visitor eager to explore deeper, the cemetary tours of New Orleans await to unveil the layers of history, mystery, and culture that lie beneath the surface of this unforgettable city. Here’s to discovering the stories that linger long after you’ve left the graveyards behind and to the serendipitous moments that await around every corner in the enchanting city of New Orleans.

New Orleans Weekend Itinerary

Visit my Etsy store to get a “done-for-you” weekend itinerary for New Orleans with your teens. All the planning is done for you – just print it out and follow along!

PIN FOR LATER:

The best cemetery tours in New Orleans. You'll find something for every visitor in this article.

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Alexandria cemetery tour this weekend explores tales of local duels, cavalry battles and more

The historic cemetery tour : it’s the one locals are dying to get into.

A tour coming up this Saturday (April 27) will reacquaint Alexandrians with some of their post-mortem neighbors and hear buried histories of duels, cavalry battles and more in the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex (1475-1501 Wilkes Street).

According to the Office of Historic Alexandria:

Embark on an extraordinary walking tour through the historic Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex. Immerse yourself in the captivating lives of remarkable individuals laid to rest here who share a profound connection to the landmark Lee-Fendall House. This exclusive tour offers a rare opportunity to visit gravesites not typically covered elsewhere, unveiling tales of duels, cavalry battles, encounters with the Marquis de Lafayette, and many other intriguing narratives.

Tickets for the tour are $20 per person and all proceeds go directly to the preservation and maintenance of the Lee-Fendall House. The tour is limited to 25 participants, starts at 1 p.m. and lasts approximately one hour.

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Monarch Montessori School is now enrolling infants, toddlers and three year-olds for its full-time Montessori program. We offer a seamless enrollment process which involves submitting an application for review, paying the enrollment fee and submitting the remaining enrollment materials before your proposed start date.

At Monarch Montessori School, we aim to provide an authentic Montessori learning experience. At our Alexandria location, we currently have 8 openings in our Primary classroom (ages 3-6), and 6 openings in our Toddler classroom. Additionally, there are 3 infant openings at this time.

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R.I. Cemetery Weeks Schedule!

On April 23, 2024

In News and Events

Rhode Island Historical Cemetery Awareness and Preservation Weeks is underway! The weeks kick off in April and continues into May with tours, clean-ups, gravestone conservation demonstrations, and other programs in and about historic cemeteries throughout the state. All programs are free, and most are outdoors. Rhode Island Cemetery Weeks is organized by the Rhode Island Advisory Commission on Historical Cemeteries and Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission in collaboration with many individual and organizational partners.

Here is the schedule for April – check out all the amazing events occuring this month!

4/1 Clean-up | Three burial lots, Cumberland
4/2 Clean-up | Two burial lots, Cumberland
4/3 Clean-up | Two burial lots, Cumberland
4/3 Birds & Burials Tour | Norman Bird Sanctuary, Middletown
4/4 Clean-up | Three burial lots, Cumberland
4/4 Colonial Newport Burial Sites & Stones Presentation | Edward King House, Newport
4/5 Clean-up | Four burial lots, Cumberland
4/5 Clean-up | Three burial lots, Cumberland
4/6 Clean-up | Riverside Cemetery, Burrillville
4/6 Geology tour | Woodland Cemetery, Coventry (rain date 4/13)
4/6 Clean-up | Three burial lots, Cumberland
4/6 Clean-up/Flagging | Isaac Collins Lot, Richmond
4/6 Pokanoket Royal Burial Ground Tour | Burr’s Hill Park, Warren (rain date 4/7)
4/7 Clean-up | Five+ burial lots, Cumberland
4/8 The Poorhouse Graves of Route 37 Panel Discussion| Central Cranston Public Library
4/13 Clean-up | Hopkins/Potter/Marsh Cemetery, Burrillville
4/13 Clean-up, stone cleaning, self-guided tours | Newman Cemetery, East Providence
4/13 Clean-up | Jonathan Foster Ground, Westerly
4/17 Clean-up, stone cleaning, self-guided tours | Newman Cemetery, East Providence
4/20 Clean-up | Old Baptist Church Yard, Exeter
4/20 Clean-up | Governor King/Borden Lot, Johnston
4/20 Arnold Burying Ground and Alice Brayton Tour | Arnold Burying Ground, Newport
4/20 Tour | Hotchkiss Cemetery, North Smithfield
4/20 Clean-up | Tillinghast Cemetery, Providence
4/21 Hike/Clean-up | John Gardner Lot, Exeter
4/23 Birds & Burials Tour | Norman Bird Sanctuary, Middletown
4/24 Living with the Dead in Rhode Island Talk | Central Cranston Public Library
4/27 Flagging | (meet at) Exeter Public Library
4/27 Tour | Hotchkiss Cemetery, North Smithfield
4/27 Tour | Common Burying Ground, Newport
4/27 Clean-up/data verification | North Burial Ground, Providence
4/27 Clean-up | Nicholas Thomas Lot, Scituate
4/27 Clean-up | Mowry Lot at Bryant University, Smithfield
4/27 Clean-up | Brayton Cemetery, Warwick
4/27 Clean-up | Babcock Lot, Westerly
4/28 Walking Tour | Moshassuck Cemetery, Central Falls
4/28 “Zinkies” walking Tour | North Burial Ground
4/28 Walking Tour | River Bend Cemetery, Westerly
4/28 Walking Tour | Precious Blood Cemetery, Woonsocket

There will also be ongoing exhibits:

4/2 – 5/31 Newport Historic Cemeteries Exhibit | Newport Public Library, Newport
4/10 – 5/18 Middletown Historic Cemeteries Exhibit | Middletown Public Library, Middletown

For more information on the event schedule for this year’s Rhode Island Historical Cemeteries Weeks, please visit the calendar !

Cemetery tourism in Loures: the value of the transfiguration of a cemetery

The western necropolis has been structured around a texture of signs and symbols that evoke the memory of the past, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, bring to the present ancient rituals of the search for eternity that have been reproduced since the 18th century. Taking into consideration constant memories, proto-memory, and the philosophy of memory, the fact is that the evocation of what is absent has led to different discourses such as its transfiguration into cultural and tourism assets on a global scale. Since the end of 1990s, the various uses of a cemetery have been emphasized and resulted in differentiated concepts and perspectives regarding tours at the site. As such, it is now common to consider there is a wide set of attitudes vis a vis death and its records. One of the reasons and motivations for this research is also the growth and diversification of the tourist offer. This article compiles the existing scientific information on tourism, specifically cemetery tour...

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Research, Society and Development

Carolina Spinola

Cemeteries or necropolises are important cultural sites in cities, both for their symbolic value in terms of the expression of memory and religiosity and for their influence on the landscape. This study covers the formation process of the first necropolises and the paths that contributed to the conception of the cemetery model adopted at the present time. Added to this, the analysis of the practices and habits that conceived these important cultural sites, the symbolic value present in the memory, in the religiosity and in the architectural landscape of cities and societies. The objective is to contribute to the discussions that deal with non-traditional spaces with great potential for tourist attraction, in this case, the funerary cultural heritage glimpsing in the cemeteries. The methodology adopted included the bibliographic review and critical analysis of the main theorists on the theme, seeking to relate aspects about visitation and tourism in cemeteries. The empirical object o...

Revista Murciana de Antropología

En muchas grandes ciudades, el ‘primer’ cementerio decimonónico es cada vez más el núcleo del turismo de cementerios. El texto considera el ‘patrimonio funerario’ como un desarrollo relacionado pero diferente. Señala la posible relación incómoda entre el turismo de cemen- terios y patrimonio funerario, en parte debido a la falta de voluntad de asociar directamente las visitas a los cementerios con la muerte. Un turismo de cementerios mal planteado puede socavar el patrimonio tangible e intangible de los cementerios. Muchos cementerios siguen en uso y, por lo tanto, deben considerase como ‘patrimonio vivo’. En estas circunstancias, la interpretación debe reconocer a los afectados como partes interesadas relevantes, mientras que los sistemas de interpretación deben comunicar con más firmeza los diversos aspectos de la mortalidad. Poner de relieve las dinámicas de ‘funcionamiento’ del cementerio es un marco narrativo poco explorado y es necesario ser consciente de que las for...

MemoriaMedia: RITUALS – PRACTICES, PLACES and OBJECTS

Andréa M Diogo

This paper intends to question the Cemeterial Heritage as an artistic materialisation and crystallisation of a place of memory. To that end it focuses on issues related to its safeguard: on the one hand, it pursuits to detail the Cemeterial Heritage in regard to the practices and the legislation as a heritage asset; on the other hand, it evaluates to which length the adequacy of its management may or may not enhance its values, both material and immaterial, taking into account the fruition of the space and the conservation of its spirit of place. DIOGO, Andréa M. 2017. “Cemeterial Heritage: between materiality and spirit of place. Reflection on the valorization and management of death as artistic heritage, sense of belonging and collective memory”. In MemoriaMedia Review (2), «Rituals: Practices, Places and Objects», 1-7. ISSN 2183‐3753

RELACult - Revista Latino-Americana de Estudos em Cultura e Sociedade

Gisele Dutra Quevedo

A presente comunicação discute o espaço funerário designado cemitério e suas possibilidades, na interface patrimônio cultural material e fonte de turismo. Para estruturá-la, argumentos desenvolvidos por autores como Rezende (2007), Ragon (1981), Martins (1983, 2005), Coelho (1991), Gonçalves (2007), Bellomo (2008), Araújo (2008), dentre outros, são aproveitados. O British Cemetery do Recife é o lugar-exemplo que suscitou e ancora a argumentação escrita.

Pedro Martínez-Cavero

Durante los días 6 y 7 de marzo de 2020 se desarrolló en Murcia el II Simposio internacional sobre culturas funerarias. Reunió investigadores de Gran Bretaña, Alemania, Países Bajos y España para abordar la dimensión social y patrimonial de nuestros cementerios y su relevancia para la identidad europea.

Belmira Coutinho

Se é verdade que a maioria das pessoas associa os cemitérios a tristeza e a morbidez, não é menos verdade que há um número crescente de pessoas para as quais eles são fonte de fascínio ou interesse (Queiroz, s.d., Sharpley, 2009). Inserida ou não na temática do Turismo Negro, a procura pelas visitas a cemitérios tem vindo a aumentar. (Sharpley, 2009, e Scott, 2010). O objectivo principal deste trabalho é o de mostrar que o Cemitério Central de Aveiro tem potencial para se tornar em mais uma das atracções turísticas da cidade, chamando assim a atenção das autoridades locais para a sua preservação. Pretendemos fazê-lo através da sugestão de um percurso de visita dentro do cemitério, com enfoque na memória da vida de alguns dos que lá estão sepultados. Queremos mostrar que este cemitério é um local privilegiado para oferecer aos visitantes um panorama da vida da cidade de Aveiro, desde a segunda metade do século XIX.

Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, 13(1): 87-107 - https://doi.org.10.1108/JCHMSD-08-2020-0116

Singapore tops multiple global rankings for the consumption of luxury products. In this land-scarce and densely-populated city-state, to purchase a high-end car, landed property, or to have a fine dining experience, ranks amongst the most expensive in all Asian cities. That luxurious approach in life, however, does not find a parallel in death. As this paper indicates, a life of luxuries in Singapore does not necessarily mean deluxe burials, graves, mausoleums, or shrines. In fact, due to scarcity of land and the tight control on its usage, there are limited options for the well-off to display the same sense of wealth in death as they did in life. This paper explores the correlation between elaborate burials and the right to eternal rest, and investigates how a land-deprived country faces the challenge of sustainably balancing modernisation aspirations with respect for burial customs and cultural heritage.

Alice Leoti Silva

Este trabalho traz dados sobre parte do projeto de ensino que foi desenvolvido na Universidade Federal do Pampa (UNIPAMPA) Campus Jaguarão/RS vinculado ao curso de Tecnologia em Gestão de Turismo. Refere-se a uma pesquisa no Cemitério das Irmandades de Jaguarão, para a elaboração de um roteiro turístico. O projeto tem como objetivo principal, a construção de um roteiro dentro do Cemitério das Irmandades para a realização de turismo nesta necrópole. Como objetivos específicos do projeto, busca-se rememorar a história do Cemitério das Irmandades, bem como, estudar, fotografar e catalogar os símbolos da arte, arquitetura e símbolos tumulares presentes no referido cemitério. Metodologicamente, para a pesquisa do projeto, foram utilizadas referências bibliográficas acerca de turismo, turismo em cemitérios e arte/arquitetura/iconografia tumular visando embasar a catalogação desta e a elaboração do roteiro. Quanto a este artigo, objetiva-se relatar a história do cemitério de Jaguarão e apr...

Journal of Tourism Research & Hospitality

Claudia Seabra

Luciana AraÚjo De Holanda

Potencialidades y límites del turismo cementerial en Brasil Resumen: Los cementerios son lugares turísticos en diversas partes del mundo, buscados por la arquitectura de sus lápidas y tumbas, sus monumentos y esculturas, las personalidades enterradas, su historia, mitos y leyendas, entre otros atractivos. Los más antiguos y conocidos datan del siglo XIX y se ubican en París, Buenos Aires y Londres. En Brasil algunas necrópolis ofrecen visitas guiadas y realizan eventos en sus espacios, buscando transformarlos en lugares turísticos, así como ocurre en los destinos internacionales. Pero, a pesar de la oferta existente, el turismo cementerial aún es criticado por los brasileños, que tienden a visitar cementerios en ciudades extranjeras donde este tipo de turismo ya está consolidado e integrado a los itinerarios turísticos, aunque no tienen el hábito de visitar turísticamente los cementerios de Brasil. Entendiendo que la producción y el consumo de bienes y servicios poseen carácter cult...

9 Things You Need to Know About a D-Day River Cruise

This year marks the 80th anniversary of D-Day, when the Allies landed on the Normandy Beaches on June 6, 1944, marking the start of the liberation of France – and the turning point of the Second World War.

Most river cruise lines include tours to the Normandy Beaches as part of a Seine River cruise, including Viking , Avalon Waterways , Uniworld , AmaWaterways and Scenic .

Although 2024 is significant given the D-Day milestone, these D-Day river cruise itineraries are the same every year and all include a visit to the Normandy Beaches as part of the cruise.

Cruises Begin and End in Paris
…But Note Water Levels Can Affect Port Stops
Cruises Operate from March to November
Onboard Lectures and Port Talks Prepare You for the Tours
Different Tours Are on Offer to the Normandy Beaches
Most Tours Will Include a Stop in Caen or Bayeux
Nothing Can Prepare You for the Cemeteries
The Normandy Beaches
It's Not All About D-Day

1. Cruises Begin and End in Paris

D-Day river cruises all start and end in Paris

All D-Day river cruises start and end in Paris and will include an overnight at the start and the end. However, if you want to spend more time in the City of Light, it’s worth considering adding a day or two at either end – particularly this year when the city plays host to the Olympics.

Also worth noting, in 2025, to mark the end of World War II, Viking is operating a number of “Paris & the Heart of Normandy” cruises, which include five nights at the start in London to coincide with the Victory in Europe Day anniversary. (VE Day, which marked the end of WWII in Europe, was May 8, 1945.)

This tour offers a chance to visit the key sites involved in the British war effort, including the Cabinet War Rooms in London and Bletchley Park, where the German Enigma code was deciphered.

2. …But Note Water Levels Can Affect Port Stops

Two Viking Longships side by side on the River Seine in Le Pecq

High-water levels (usually at the start of the season) can affect where your ship is moored, i.e. it might not be in Paris itself. All river lines will have contingency plans should this arise, but note that if your ship starts in Paris, you should make the most of the city while you are there, as it might not end the cruise in Paris but in a suburb several miles from the center.

3. Cruises Operate from March to November

The river cruise season gets underway in late March and runs till early November. D-Day is, of course, June 6, so there is still time to book a cruise around this date (for the 80th anniversary in 2024). Note that at the start and end of the season, some attractions (like Monet’s Garden, pictured above) will be closed.

Unless you especially want to be at the beaches on the actual anniversary day (and you might well have good reason, being a relative or veteran), it makes little difference when you travel -- you will still get to see the museums, cemeteries and beaches.

4. Onboard Lectures and Port Talks Prepare You for the Tours

A map in the US Cemetery in Coleville-sur-Mer depicting the Normandy Landings

All the lines will have onboard enrichment, either in the form of lectures, movies or port talks about D-Day, so even if you are not an expert on the events of June 6, 1945, you will be after a few days.

5. Different Tours Are on Offer to the Normandy Beaches

U.S. citizens will visit Colville-sur-Mer, the American cemetery overlooking Omaha beach, where 9,386 U.S. servicemen are buried.

Brits, Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders and other Commonwealth citizens will likely opt for a tour to the beaches and cemeteries more relevant to their personal history, such as Gold and Sword (Brits) and Juno (Canadians), which also have cemeteries overlooking the beaches, as well as museums dedicated to the events of that day from the British and Canadian points of view.

The British and Canadian tour will also visit the Pegasus Memorial (the key bridge defended by the Brits) and the town of Arromanches.

It's worth noting that Rouen is as far along the Seine as you can travel by river ship, but it is still some two hours from the Normandy Beaches, so all tours are all-day and involve four hours on a bus.

6. Most Tours Will Include a Stop in Caen or Bayeux

To get a true understanding of the significance of the D-Day Landings, take time in the Caen Memorial Museum. Caen itself was key in the liberation of France; it took more than a month to capture as the Nazis held on stubbornly, despite Field Marshal Montgomery’s efforts.

The Caen Memorial Museum is significant in that it is built atop a bunker from which the Nazi’s coordinated the war effort. Lying deep below the museum itself, it provides a fascinating insight into the Nazi point of view of the events of June 6 and the following days and weeks.

Above, there is a café, shops, a restaurant and several exhibitions, one dedicated to the D-Day; and a second which looks at the horrors of the war in general, with a particularly harrowing section on the Shoah, as the French call the Holocaust.

Some tours also include a Stop in Bayeux for the Tapestry depicting the Norman Conquest.

7. Nothing Can Prepare You for the Cemeteries

Even if you have seen the movie, Saving Private Ryan and you know what to expect visually when you reach the American cemetery at Colville-sur-Mer, nothing can prepare you emotionally.

Row upon row of identical white crosses and Stars of David as far as the eye can see, each with a name and a state from which the serviceman hailed, though curiously, no age. And then behind the graves, a memorial wall, with yet more names of the men whose bodies were never recovered. And Colville cemetery is just one of five; there are two British, one Canadian and one German cemetery along this stretch of coastline.

Memorial service organised by Viking at the American Cemetery in Coleville sur Mer

There is also a spot where ceremonies are held to honor those who gave their lives that day. Viking can organize a private ceremony if there are a number of relatives of veterans onboard. Note that if you are a relative, you can request to walk among the graves, if you are not, you can only walk around them.

Omaha Beach as seen from the American Cemetery at Coleville-sur-Mer

The cemeteries overlook the beaches upon which the men died, and all the crosses face west, to the countries where they were born.

It is a sobering and harrowing site, particularly when contrasted with the swaying pines, soft sea breezes and quiet beaches directly below.

The cruise lines leave time here for walking around and contemplation, before heading to the beaches themselves.

8. The Normandy Beaches

Below the cemeteries lie the beaches, the final part of the tour. Here, it’s hard to imagine the hellscape men had to endure to break through the Nazi lines, when busloads of tourists are jostling for selfies. But it’s not disrespectful; the locals, when asked, said they wanted the beaches to return to their original use and not become a permanent memorial to that day. It’s not unusual to see beachgoers sunning, swimming or surfing.

There are, however, two memorials on Omaha Beach, as well as a museum near Juno Beach.

9. It's Not All About D-Day

The Chateau and turret at La Roche Guyon

This small section of the Seine has so much history, dating back over 1,000 years, of which D-Day plays just the most modern part.

If we go back 1,000 years or so, you will see many monuments and chateaux that played a key role in defending France from the Normans, who occupied this part of modern-day France and southern England.

Some 600 years ago, a young woman known variously as the Defender of the French nation and the Maid of Orleans, was burnt at the stake in the town of Rouen ( pictured above ). You can learn all about Joan of Arc and the role she played in France’s history when you visit this beautiful town.

Les Andelys was one of a number of villages along the Seine which inspired the Impressionists

The Seine played a pivotal role in the birth of Impressionism, the art movement that began in the late 19th century. Most of the small towns and villages your ship stops in or passes at the start of the cruise (Vernon, Giverny, Les Andelys, Rouen), inspired artists such as Claude Monet, Edward Degas, Pierre Renoir and Camille Pissaro, with their bucolic river scenes, beautiful architecture, such as Rouen Cathedral, and of course Monet’s House and Garden (now a museum) in Giverny.

Many of the river lines also offer tours into the Normandy countryside, for an insight into rural life – most of which include tastings of the ever-present Calvados and cider.

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Museum to host logan park cemetery walking tour, earl horlyk.

Apr 25, 2024

Tom Munson, Sioux City Public Museum archival clerk, talks about an American Indian celt -- a type of ax head -- at the museum's research center.

Notable people who’ve shaped local history will be featured in the Sioux City Public Museum’s free Logan Park Cemetery Walking Tour, beginning at 10 a.m. April 27 at the cemetery’s 3910 Stone Park Blvd. entrance.

Founded in 1892, Logan Park Cemetery is the burial site of Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Jay N. “Ding” Darling, pioneering Sioux City Journal reporter Louise Zerschling and entrepreneur Henry Metz.

The 90-minute tour will be led by the museum archives manager Tom Munson and archival records clerk Haley Aguirre.

The Sioux City Public Museum developed a series of cemetery tours as a way of exploring interesting people and stories of the past. Along with visiting the graves of several individuals and families, tour guides will show historic photographs, provide biographical information, and tell about their lives.

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To fully explore the cemetery, quite a bit of walking will be required including some hills.

For more information, call 712-279-6174 or visit siouxcitymuseum.org .

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Weekender Calendar for April 25, 2024

If you want to know about even more events happening around the Sioux City area, the Sioux City Journal's Weekender's got you covered.

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COMMENTS

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Cemetery Tours NOLA - The Official Tour of St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. Price: Adults from $25; kids from $18. Duration: 45 minutes. If you want to see the inside of St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, this ...
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Today, cemetery tourism is a growing market as traveler's trek to graveyards around the world to reflect on their lives, seek out the grave of a famous person, or travel to learn more about their family by finding the final resting place of loved ones. Visiting a graveyard wasn't always reserved for those in mourning.
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1. Bonaventure Cemetery | Savannah, GA. A 160-acre former plantation, Savannah's largest cemetery was made extra famous by Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. The massive, moss-covered oaks ...
Necro Tourist
Since 2015, the Necro Tourist has visited over 1,320 cemeteries in 22 states and 2 countries. We've been featured on TV, radio, magazines, articles, and podcasts. We are recognized cemetery experts, photographers, speakers, and tours guides. We have a podcast and a blog. We also currently operate a cemetery in SW Ohio.
Tombstone tourist
During the 19th century, garden cemeteries began to appear that encouraged visitors to stay and visit in the cemetery. Famous among these is the Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris, France, which continues to invite tourists to visit and see elaborate memorials not only to the world famous, but to lesser known individuals as well.
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Tour companies will show you who's who and explain the history and traditions. Pay homage to fallen yellow fever victims at St. Louis No.1 on Basin Street, the city's oldest boneyard or visit some of the newer, just as elaborate places. Here is a list of companies that offer cemetery tours:
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4. Old Burying Ground in Salem, Massachusetts. With Salem Historical Tours. Photo Credit: Robert Linsdell / Flickr (CC) Get properly acquainted with the oldest cemetery in Salem and the second oldest in the country, circa 1637 with daytime tour "Cemetery 101: Grave Matters.". Visit the gravesites of a Mayflower pilgrim and two judges in the ...
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Six great cemeteries for tourism
Here is just a sampling of six great cemeteries for tourism: St. Louis Cemetery #1, New Orleans, LA. Founded in 1789, this is the oldest and most famous cemetery in New Orleans. It's known for its oven vaults and ornate crypts whose design was influenced by the French and Spanish. Aboveground tombs were used because the swampy location was ...
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Cemetery Tourism
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Home
Cemetery Tours NOLA takes visitors on an intriguing journey through St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. Dedicated tour guides escort small groups along meandering paths within the Cemetery, as they share the storied pasts of those residing in this magnificent City of the Dead. Tour groups depart every 15-30 minutes from 9 am - 3:45 pm.
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Why do we really visit a cemetery as a tourist? There are dozens of tourist guides on famous cemeteries in the world. Many articles have been written on how important cemeteries are as cultural sites, while their interpretation is claimed by a plethora of discourses on tourism, from cultural tourism to dark tourism. However, none of the above ...
(PDF) Cemeteries as tourist attraction
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Unearth the Past at Rosehill Cemetery: Book Tours & Activities ...
Walked at a nice pace, personalized the tour when we had questions of monuments we passed. We liked the flexible times of his tour as well. As the afternoon got cooler after 75-minutes we followed him to the mausoleum and saw the most amazing Tiffany windows. There are so many nuances we agreed we will need to take the tour again. Highly recommend.
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Arlington National Cemetery welcomes visitors to explore the rich history found within its hallowed grounds. The cemetery is expansive - 639 acres. Walking distances and hills require moderate physical exertion. An alternative to walking is the interpretive tour bus, which stops at John F. Kennedy's gravesite, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier ...
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The tour guides you into the sacred grounds of St. Louis Cemetery #3, where you'll get out and explore a bit offering a rare glimpse into the city's past, encapsulated within the silent ...
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Cemeteries as a Part of Green Infrastructure and Tourism
Cemetery tourism (thanatourism) is a specific sub-section of dark tourism that is becoming increasingly popular . Tourists wander through burial grounds with the aim of discovering the artistic, architectural, historical, and scenic heritage that often abounds in cemeteries. The changing perception of cemeteries from a place for burial towards ...
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The historic cemetery tour: it's the one locals are dying to get into. A tour coming up this Saturday (April 27) will reacquaint Alexandrians with some of their post-mortem neighbors and hear buried histories of duels, cavalry battles and more in the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex (1475-1501 Wilkes Street). According to the Office of Historic
R.I. Cemetery Weeks Schedule!
Rhode Island Historical Cemetery Awareness and Preservation Weeks is underway! The weeks kick off in April and continues into May with tours, clean-ups, gravestone conservation demonstrations, and other programs in and about historic cemeteries throughout the state. All programs are free, and most are outdoors. Rhode Island Cemetery Weeks is organized by the Rhode Island […]
(PDF) Cemetery tourism in Loures: the value of the transfiguration of a
Cemetery Tourism implemented in the Loures municipal cemetery is an essential experience, worth to be seen, as it has contributed to the construction of a meaningful Assunção, A. P. Finisterra, LIV(111), 2019, pp. 37-59 53 experience also, in what concerns the concept of cemetery tourism. ...
9 Things You Need to Know About a D-Day River Cruise
This year marks the 80th anniversary of D-Day. Most river cruise lines include tours to the Normandy Beaches as part of a Seine River cruise, including Viking, Avalon, Uniworld, AmaWaterways and ...
Historic Riverview Cemetery tour scheduled for Sunday
History enthusiasts can tour a 117-year-old cemetery this weekend. The Historic City of Jefferson and the Riverview Cemetery Association will host a historic tour of the Riverview Cemetery 1-4 p.m.
Museum to host Logan Park Cemetery Walking Tour
Notable people who've shaped local history will be featured in the Sioux City Public Museum's free Logan Park Cemetery Walking Tour, beginning at 10 a.m. April 27 at the cemetery's 3910 ...