How to Tour the St. Louis Cemetery in New Orleans

The St. Louis Cemetery, located in New Orleans, is one of the most famous cemeteries in the United States. The different areas of this old cemetery are known by numbers, referred to as St. Louis No 1, 2 and 3. The tombs of many famous American cultural icons can be visited during a tour of this historic national treasure.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Check out the tomb of legendary voodoo practitioner Marie Laveau at St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 located on Basin Street. St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 was established in 1789, making it the oldest cemetery in the city of New Orleans. It is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the week through Saturday and on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

2. Visit the second most visited of the St. Louis cites, St. Louis Cemetery No. 3. St. Louis Cemetery No. 3 is can be entered at 3421 Esplanada Avenue. It is open during the same hours as St. Louis Cemetery No. 1.

3. Experience a thorough tour of the complete cemetery by making a visit to St. Louis Cemetery No. 2 on Claiborne Avenue between Iberville Street and St. Louis Street.

4. Consider taking a tour with the organization Save Our Cemeteries, Inc. (see Resources below). Save Our Cemeteries is a reputable tour company offering guided tours of the St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 on Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. Tours are first come first served, and they depart from the Basin Street Station Visitors Center, located at 501 Basin Street.

5. Realize you are on shallow ground. Due to the water table in New Orleans, coffins would often float up to the surface during wet seasons. The tombs and above ground vaults were fashioned to avoid this problem that still plagues the buried population of New Orleans.

6. Get information about the St. Louis Cemetery at the online home of "Dead Space," a historic preservation program headed by the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Fine Arts (see Resources below). Get information about St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 site preservation efforts and download a coloring book for the kids.

Tips & Warnings

• Exercise caution when visiting the St. Louis Cemetery cites. Muggers are abundant in the dark and hidden paths. Travel in a group or during a scheduled tour.

Resources

• Save Our Cemeteries, Inc. for tour information
• University of Pennsylvania for the St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 Dead Space site

[srhgompf]

on 3/11/2009 My husband and I like to tour cemeteries and take pictures. He is a filmmaker and I love to write horror. Cemeteries not only give a bit of history, they give rise to questions about the people entombed in them, and become the emphasis for some great stories. Good information and a well written article = 5* and I recommend you.