Visiting a cemetery on your own can be a relaxing, meditative experience that allows you to contemplate mortality and connect with nature. Yet if you truly want to soak up the history of these cemeteries and the people laid to rest within them, a tour is the way to go.
The best tours treat these cemeteries with reverence and respect, while also diving deeply into their architecture, landscape, and the fascinating lives (and sometimes tragic deaths) of the people interred within them. Here are five of the most unforgettable cemetery tours, based on the cemeteries' beauty and historical richness as well as the strength of reviews for their best tours.
- St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 in New Orleans, Louisiana
- Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Sleepy Hollow, New York
- Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia
- Old Burying Ground in Salem, Massachusetts
- Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, California
St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 in New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans has no shortage of notable cemeteries, but its oldest and most historic is St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. Established in 1789, this stately, weather-worn maze of Spanish- and French-style vaults is home to the remains of many noteworthy New Orleans residents. Its most famous may be Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau, an herbalist, midwife, and ritualist who presided over New Orleans’ Voodoo system in the 19th century. The cemetery’s aura of mystery is certainly enhanced by its exclusivity; the only way to see it is by booking a daytime or evening walking tour with Cemetery Tours New Orleans. Fortunately, these tours are quite well-reviewed, earning a 5/5 rating on TripAdvisor based on over 1,000 reviews.
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Sleepy Hollow, New York
There’s a uniquely deep kind of quiet that can be found among the towering crypts and dense trees of Tarrytown, New York’s Sleepy Hollow Cemetery—as long as you don’t visit on the week of Halloween, that is. Home to the body of Washington Irving, whose story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” helped put the region on the map, this cemetery also houses a number of other notable residents, including Andrew Carnegie and several of Alexander Hamilton’s children. The cemetery offers two-hour daytime tours, as well as special one-hour tours that focus on Washington Irving and all things related to his famous tale of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman. But the best way to experience the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery may be the evening excursion, when you can explore its moss-covered tombs and stunning landscaping by lantern-light.
Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia
Shrouded in Spanish moss that drapes the whole place in a dreamlike wistfulness, this historic rural cemetery on the Wilmington River offers a singular beauty. Spanning over 150 acres, it is home to hauntingly elegant Gothic angel statues and many stunning monuments honoring those who rest beneath the old oak trees. Luminaries like “Moon River” songwriter Johnny Mercer and the poet Conrad Aiken are buried there, and John Muir and Oscar Wilde visited and praised its beauty. There are a number of ways to see the cemetery, from guided golf-cart tours to walking tours sure to immerse you in the locale’s rich and complex history. Of course, it’s never a bad idea to wander around on your own time. Just make sure you carry a map, as it’s easy to get lost among the surreal expanses of trees and headstones.
Old Burying Ground in Salem, Massachusetts
No Halloween-time trip to Salem, Massachusetts is complete without a visit to the Old Burying Ground, which is home to a number of influential figures, including Judge John Hathorne, who presided over many of the witchcraft trials in the 17th century. (Most of the convicted witches who were killed during the trials were not permitted Christian burials, so the whereabouts of their remains are largely unknown.) Most guided walking tours of Salem include a stop here, and out of those, the History and Hauntings of Salem Guided Walking Tour reigns supreme on Tripadvisor, with a 4.9/5 score across over 10,000 reviews.
Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles’s most star-studded cemetery is home to many famous graves, with everyone from Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney to Johnny Ramone and David Lynch laid to rest here. The cemetery has become a must-see location in Los Angeles and offers many public events, from summertime film screenings to a popular Día de los Muertos celebration. But the best way to soak up all the Hollywood history sleeping under the earth here is on the cemetery’s signature walking tour. As with all the tours featured on this list, check dates and times in advance.