Graveyards are more than the resting place of the dead. They are full of stories. If you want to hear them, tours blend history with just enough eerie energy to make you glance over your shoulder. In New Orleans, storytellers guide visitors past crumbling tombs under flickering gaslights. In Salem, guides trace the final paths of witch trial figures. And in Savannah, Spanish moss drips from the trees as ghost stories mix with real-life history.
If you’re the kind of traveler who prefers a scare with your history lesson, these are the cemetery tours worth taking: real places, real legends, and the true stories behind America’s most haunted resting grounds.
St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans’ oldest extant cemetery, St. Louis Cemetery No.1, dates to the late 18th century and is accessible by guided tour only. The Archdiocese authorizes one operator to lead small groups on set departure times. Expect a slow, narrated walk along above-ground tombs while a licensed guide explains New Orleans burial traditions and the geology that shaped them. You will stop at the tomb associated with Marie Laveau and learn the documented story of the iconic Voodoo practitioner. You’ll also see the burial site of Homer Plessy, whose case led to the Plessy v. Ferguson segregation case, and tombs for former city leaders. Advance reservations are strongly recommended since group size is capped.
How to book a tour…