Rest in Jazz: Cemeteries in New Orleans to Visit
New Orleans is known for its vibrant culture, delicious food, and Mardi Gras. But did you know it’s also famous for its unique cemeteries? Nothing is traditional in New Orleans, and that extends to your final resting place. The cemeteries in New Orleans to visit aren’t somber graveyards but are bursting with history, personality, and even the supernatural. Join us on a journey through the cemeteries in New Orleans to visit, where the spirits come to life!
What Makes New Orleans Cemeteries Different
New Orleans is below sea level, meaning any in-ground tomb risks water-logging or even displacement. Early settlers even claimed that during the city’s frequent floods, bodies would be displaced from their graves, causing both a gruesome sight and a health hazard. They began weighing down the coffins, but there were still issues. For these reasons, New Orleans began using above-ground tombs. Despite the ability of the city to now do more traditional graves, it has continued the method of above-ground following the Spanish custom of using vaults.
The walls of hte cemeteries are made of vaults stacked on top of one another; however, wealthier families can afford larger, ornate tombs with crypts. The family tombs look like miniature houses with iron fences. This is where the term for New Orleans cemeteries as Cities of the Dead was born.
St. Louis Cemetery No. 1
Let’s start things off with the grande dame of New Orleans cemeteries. St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 is the oldest and among the most famous of the cemeteries in New Orleans to visit and is located at 425 Basin Street. It opened in 1789 and was the first cemetery to do above-ground burials. Some even claim the cemetery was modeled after Paris’s famous Père-Lachaise cemetery. However, Père-Lachaise wasn’t used as a cemetery until 1804. This famous city of the dead houses the graves of the famous Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau, architect/pirate Barthelemy Lafon, and supposedly the remains of Madame Delphine LaLaurie. Plus, Nicholas Cage has already purchased his tomb in this cemetery!
St. Louis Cemetery No. 2
St. Louis Cemetery No. 2 is located three blocks from No. 1 on Claiborne Avenue and was concentrated in 1823. The cemetery was built to find a new place further from the town center since everyone believed the contagions of yellow fever, cholera, and other pestilential diseases. Famous tombs include Danny Barket, Ernie K. Doe, and Andre Cailloux. Keep an eye out for the “Bartender’s Tomb,” even in death, a New Orleanian knows how to make a good cocktail!
Lafayette Cemetery No. 1
Located in the Garden District, Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, this cemetery was named for the City of Lafayette, which was annexed to New Orleans as the Fourth District. This cemetery features intricate ironwork and houses immigrants from over 25 countries and natives of 26 states. The most famous residents of this cemetery are actually fictional! The tomb for the Mayfair witches from Anne Rice’s The Witching Hour. Rice also staged a jazz funeral at this cemetery when she rode in a glass-enclosed coffin to introduce her book Memnoch the Devil.
For all the movie buffs, Lestat’s tomb in Interview with a Vampire was modeled after the cast iron Karstendiek tomb in this cemetery. Many movies have been filmed in this cemetery, including Double Jeopardy and Dracula 2000, and music videos for LeAnn Rimes and the New Kids on the Block.
Metairie Cemetery
This sprawling cemetery is spread over 127 acres that used to contain a racetrack. The tombs range in style from understated to grandiose. The race track, Metairie Race Course, was built in 1838 and thrived in the antebellum decades. The Civil War then put a damper on racing, and the track was converted to Camp Moore for the Confederate Army, but that was abandoned in 1862 before becoming what it is today.
The cemetery was founded by New Orleanian Charles T. Howard as a revenge plot! He was never afforded membership to the city’s exclusive clubs, most notably the Metairie Jockey Club, and vowed he would buy the race track and turn it into a graveyard. He purchased the property in 1872 and fulfilled his promise. When it was first founded, however, it was not a cemetery for commoners’ and the inner portion was sold to wealthy families in a section that soon became known as Millionaires Row.
The most notable graves to visit include Leon Galatoire, Owne Brennan, Arnaud Cazenave, Mel Ott, Al Copeland, and William Pike, among countless others!
Greenwood Cemetery
Not to be outdone, Greenwood Cemetery boasts stunning sculptures and opened in 1852 on City Park Avenue in the Navarre neighborhood. This is one of the most famous cemeteries in New Orleans to visit due to all the landmark monuments, historic tombs, and modern mausoleums. The cemetery is home to hundreds of unknown Confederate soldiers, jazz musician Nick LaRocca, MLB pitchers Al Jurisich and Jack Kramer, and Confederacy of Dunces author John Kennedy Toole, among others.
St. Roch Cemetery
This hauntingly beautiful cemetery is one of hte most unusual cemeteries in New Orleans to visit and is located at 1725 St Roch Avenue. It was founded by Reverend P. L. Thevis in 1874 as a promise to Saint Roch, the patron saint of the sick and invalids after no one in his church died of yellow fever. He also built a chapel inside of the cemetery. One of the fascinating aspects of this cemetery is the offerings left to show in recognition of answered prayers. Common offerings include polio braces, glass eyes, dental plates, and other parts of prosthetic selves once their health was recovered. There is also a shrine of all the offerings, one of America's most unusual shrines.
Finalize on your Cemeteries in New Orleans to Visit Tour with Creole Gardens
Whether your trip involves exploring these cemeteries or some other iconic ones across the city, we guarantee your experience will be full of history, beautiful sights, and maybe a few frights! New Orleans has fun at every corner, and planning your trip can seem daunting, so cross one thing off your to-do list and book your stay at Creole Gardens. Located in the Lower Garden District, Creole Gardens is accessible from all the cemeteries in New Orleans to visit, plus numerous other attractions. We are pet-friendly and offer free parking, complimentary breakfast, and more to ensure your trip is full of treats and no tricks.
Book your stay at Creole Gardens, then start planning which cemeteries in New Orleans to visit. We look forward to welcoming you!
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