Stories of Faith and Courage: A Self-Guided Tour of Metairie Cemetery

(90 reviews)

New Orleans, Louisiana audio tour: Stories of Faith and Courage: A Self-Guided Tour of Metairie Cemetery

This is a 1mi walking tour

It takes an average of 60 mins to complete.

New Orleans, Louisiana

The United States

$8.99

Access all 17 locations offline with the VoiceMap app

Buy for a Group

Reviews

About the Tour

Enter the former Metairie Race Course, an earthly venue for the “quick,” now elegantly transformed into a glorious “City of the Dead” - where no one is in a hurry. Architecture and archeology seem to converge in this hallowed landscape of imposing society tombs and soaring mausolea. Experience an angelic locale filled with obelisks and pyramids, heroes and rogues, symbols and secrets. You will walk past the final resting places of over 50 kings and queens … of Carnival, that is.

New Orleans cemeteries are outdoor museums where memorial art is celebrated with as much passion as it is neglected. “Perpetual Care” assures that most family tombs are restored and renewed with regularity. Others face abandonment and neglect, lingering in the irony of their own death throes.

But, have no fear. Soldiers and saints will escort us, revealing the rich military history and religious culture of New Orleans. We will explore the fascinating and unique memorials honoring many who struggled in the face of earthly battles as well as those who achieved spiritual victories, arousing the “better angels of our nature.” Join New Orleans writer and photographer Kevin J. Bozant on this hauntingly beautiful journey. He knows where the bodies are buried.

Tour Producer

Kevin J. Bozant

3 tours

Kevin J. Bozant is a writer, photographer and digital graphic designer for his publishing company, Po-Boy Press – New Orleans.
He was born in the Upper 9th Ward of New Orleans in the 1950s – as luck would have it – just a few blocks from Huerstel’s Bar and Little Pete’s Seafood Restaurant. Kevin is a life-long resident of the city. He has walked, photographed and eaten his way through over a hundred unique neighborhoods in New Orleans. He is also a cemetery enthusiast, constantly exploring and documenting the cryptic symbols and haunting architecture of the "Cities of the Dead."
Kevin is working on his seventh book about the city.

Preview Location

Location 1

“They loved their land …” Beauregard and Johnston

You are standing inside the original entrance to Metairie Cemetery by the “horse on the hill.” This is the historic Civil War memorial tumulus of the Association of the Army of Tennessee, Louisiana Division. By 1887, when this memorial was dedicated, most Southerners were stil... You are standing inside the original entrance to Metairie Cemetery by the “horse on the hill.” This is the historic Civil War memorial tumulus of the Association of the Army of Tennessee, Louisiana Division. By 1887, when this memorial was dedicated, most Southerners were still trying to grasp the reality of being on the losing end of the Civil War. However, this did not discourage them from memorializing this “Cult of the Lost Cause.”

The exterior of the tumulus includes two beautiful Civil War statues by Alexander Doyle. The magnificent ten-foot bronze statue of General Albert Sidney Johnston proudly stands atop the tumulus. Johnston is riding his horse, Fire Eater, into battle at Shiloh on April 6, 1862. He was killed early in the battle when a bullet caught the back of his leg and he bled to death. He had just sent his surgeon off to care for wounded Federal troops. Johnston was buried here but was secreted away to the Texas State Cemetery in Austin sometime after the war. The six-foot statue to the right of the tumulus entrance depicts a Louisiana Confederate soldier. The face is that of Sergeant William Brunet of the Louisiana Guard Battery who was killed in the Battle of New Hope Church, Georgia. He is calling the honored “roll of the dead” from a document which he holds in his left hand.

Just inside the iron gates of the vault, there are two marble tablets listing the names of the many battles in which units of the Army of Tennessee engaged. Take a quick look inside before we set off.

The vault is flanked by 48 crypts, each sealed with wrought brass enclosures. Three of the vaults are sealed for eternity including those of Colonel Charles Didier Dreux, John Dimitry and General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard, the “Great Creole.” There is a moving elegy to General Albert Sidney Johnston by John Dimitry inscribed on the rear wall.

We will return to this spot at the end of our walk but for now, let’s leave the vault, and start walking down Central Avenue into this silent city. The cemetery is open to vehicles so you might encounter an occasional tour bus or maintenance truck so pay attention.

As you cross Metairie Avenue, glance to your right and notice the beautiful oak-lined curve in the roadway. Metairie Avenue follows the original oval path of the one and one-sixteenth-mile race course.

I'm Kevin J. Bozant, life-long resident of the Crescent City and author of "Cryptic New Orleans: Cemetery Secrets and Symbols." Today I am going to share a number of stories with you about those who have contributed to the city’s military history and religious traditions and include a few colorful characters along the way. We will also explore a few interesting examples of cemetery symbolism. All of the streets have names or letters. Sections are clearly labeled, but follow no obvious order. I'll give you directions to keep you on track, and my voice will trigger automatically when you reach each of the locations we'll be visiting. There might be some silence in between, but just keep walking straight unless I say otherwise.

Enjoy the views, take a few photos and meet me just up ahead on the right at the imposing four-tiered Italian society tomb on Central Avenue at Section 95. Read More

View locations and route

How VoiceMap Works

Focus on your surroundings, not the screen

The VoiceMap app uses GPS to play audio automatically, at the right time and place, so you can focus on your surroundings, not the screen.

Follow a route with turn-by-turn-directions

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a fixed starting point. That lets us give turn-by-turn directions and use context to tell a better story.

Resume playback to go at your own pace

If you'd like to stop for a drink or go into a museum, end your tour then use the Resume feature to pick up exactly where you left off.

Listen as many times as you like

You can listen to your tours as often as you like using both the VoiceMap app and website.

Take virtual tours anywhere, like a podcast

Select Virtual mode in the VoiceMap app to listen to tours like a podcast - at home or in transit.

Buy for less on voicemap.me and sync

Once you've purchased a tour, it's added to your VoiceMap library. To access it in the app, just sign in using the same account.

Do tours without paying for data

Tours work offline, so you don't have to pay roaming fees. Just download them over WiFi before you get started.

Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
5098-5070 Pontchartrain Expy, New Orleans, LA 70119, USA
Total distance

2km
Final location
5100 Pontchartrain Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70119, USA
Distance back to start location

22.21m

Directions to Starting Point

If you plan to take the Canal Street streetcar, make sure you take the car with ‘Cemeteries’ as the destination panel, NOT ‘City Park’ Upon your arrival at the Cemeteries Streetcar Terminus next to Greenwood Cemetery, you will exit there. You will find yourself in the presence of at least eight historic cemeteries. Once on foot, you will turn right on City Park Avenue, walk past Greenwood Cemetery, (you can’t miss the large Elk sculpture on the Hill) and head toward and under the elevated Pontchartrain Expressway. As you emerge on the other side you will see the steps that will take you up to the pedestrian entrance to Metairie Cemetery. You are looking for what locals call the horse on the hill. The current pedestrian entrance was originally the main entrance to Metairie Cemetery. The first tomb you will encounter is the tomb of Tom Benson. As you walk past the Benson tomb you will see the horse on the hill on your right.

Show Directions

Gift vouchers

Buy tours for friends and family who delight in discovery

Buy Now

Buy for a group

Get 15% to 50% off when you buy for a group

Buy Now

License this tour

Adapt this tour to use your brand and suit your guests

Find out more

Tips

Places to stop along the way

Tumulus of the Louisiana Division of the Army of Tennessee, the grave of General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard, the Equestrian Statue of General Albert Sidney Johnston, the Italian Society Tomb of Madonna of Mount Triona, the Pillars of Jaquin and Boaz, the Battalion Washington Artillery Cenotaph, the Louisiana Division of the Army of Northern Virginia Mausoleum, the statue of General Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson, former resting place of Confederacy President Jefferson Davis, the tomb of Louis Prima, the avenue of Italian Benevolent Society Mausolea, The secret of Howard’s Tomb, the Virtues of Faith, Hope, Charity … and Mrs. Moriarty.

Best time of day

Morning is best. Be sure to have comfortable walking shoes, a hat, sunscreen and a bottle of water. There are abundant trees in the cemetery; however there are also long stretches in full sun. Cemetery hours are 8am to 5pm.

Precautions

Using your phone as a camera will be awkward as you will be listening to my commentary. Take a good camera with a telephoto lens, a large SD card and extra batteries along with you on this walk. You will be taking more photographs than you ever thought possible.

Get The App

Download tours to use them offline

Listen hands-free with GPS playback

Get turn-by-turn directions

Scan the QR Code

“This app has become my go-to app for audio tours. I pretty much use it for every trip and it works wonderfully. I highly recommend VoiceMap for travelers to truly experience cities.”

App Store Review

“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”