Lafayette Cemetery No. 1

New Orleans’ cemeteries are part of the city’s culture as well as its landscape—and St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 is the oldest and most famous. Opened in 1789 on the edge of the French Quarter, the cemetery is home to the tomb of Marie Laveau, a free woman of color who earned a reputation as the city’s most powerful voodoo queen in the 1800s. Her tomb is littered with tributes (money, alcohol, candy, trinkets) left by those who hope the queen will grant their desires from beyond the grave. In the Garden District, Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 made a cameo in several movies, including Interview with a Vampire and Double Jeopardy. Save Our Cemeteries, a non-profit dedicated to cemetery restoration and preservation, runs tours of both St. Louis No. 1 and Lafayette No. 1.

Cemeteries can tell us such fascinating stories about the past – where people came from, how they lived and how they died. Nowhere is this more evident than in the above-ground cemeteries throughout New Orleans. Many local tour companies will escort visitors on haunted history tours through St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 on North Rampart Street, considered by many to be the “most haunted” cemetery in the U.S. (and home to the grave and ghost of Marie Laveau, the “Voodoo Queen of New Orleans”). A less crowded and more tranquil alternative that should be considered by visitors is the Garden District’s Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, located across the street from the legendary Commander’s Palace Restaurant. The first planned cemetery in New Orleans covers just one city block but contains an estimated 1,100 family and society tombs. A few areas of the cemetery are somewhat overgrown and many monuments, gravestones and tombs are broken and crumbling, as the oldest date back to the 1800s when yellow fever and other epidemics were the story of the day. The outer sections of the cemetery are lined with trees, allowing dappled sunlight to filter through the darkness, adding to the moody and compelling atmosphere. Many movies and music videos have been filmed in this cemetery, most notably “Interview with The Vampire. “

New Orleans is made for walking, so grab your honey by the hand and take a stroll through the French Quarter. Pop in and out of antique shops on Chartres and Royal or just take in the wrought-iron balconies, street musicians, and colorful characters. The Garden District’s leafy streets are lined with fine examples of Greek Revival and Italianate architecture. The area is also home to Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, which dates back to 1833 and is lined with magnolia trees. You can also opt for a guided walking tour: The city offers everything from basic tours of the Quarter and the Garden District to haunted tours, voodoo tours, and cocktail tours.