Cemeteries in New Orleans

I also got to visit 2 of the cemeteries, one in the French Quarter, and another in the Garden District (which I’ll talk more about later). It has been advised that when visiting the cemeteries, you should book a tour for safety reasons, since they tend to be located in not-so-good neighborhoods. And they can be dangerous, even in broad daylights. But I’ve still seen people tour by themselves.

I did book a tour (can’t remember the name of company) in the French Quarter, but our guide was entertaining, sharing the story about Uncle Charlie, and how it was impossible to bury him. That’s because New Orleans is built below sea level, so when it rained, Uncle Charlie would be flowing around town, or more like his rotted corpse. Hence why above-ground cemeteries were built.

The first one I visit, is St. Louis Cemetery #1, near the French Quarter. It was like a maze, with all the tombs that are all over the place, as if people chose random spots to put. This graveyard consisted of tall vaults, with the remains cremated, to save space. Each vault belonged to one family. One of particular interest is the voodoo queen, Marie Laveau, which had a lot of markings on them, and even a game board as an offering.

The other cemetery that I visited is Lafayette #1 in the Garden District. This was in the uptown district, and a little more spread out and organized. I also went on a guided tour, but supposedly, this one is safer to tour alone. This one is particular interest to Anne Rice fans, where one of her characters supposedly lived.