St Louis Cemetery No.3: A Guide to New Orleans’ Unique Burial Traditions

(42 reviews)

New Orleans, Louisiana audio tour: St Louis Cemetery No.3: A Guide to New Orleans’ Unique Burial Traditions

This is a 0.6mi walking tour

It takes an average of 45 mins to complete.

New Orleans, Louisiana

The United States

$6.99

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About the Tour

Mark Twain famously referred to New Orleans cemeteries as “cities of the dead” and they’re a must see for anyone visiting. St Louis #3 is one of the city’s oldest cemeteries. On this walking tour, you’ll learn all about the city’s unique burial traditions and above ground tombs.

Built in 1852 in response to one the worst yellow fever epidemics, it’s constructed on the site of a former leprosy colony. St Louis #3 features a diverse and unique collection of above ground tombs in a wide variety of architecture styles and materials. Join me as I show you some of my favorite and explain the rich and detailed history of the people who are now resting here.

I think New Orleans cemeteries are a great place to explore New Orleans’ unique culture and learn details about the way people have lived and died before us. This tour is riddled with interesting architecture, histories and landscapes found nowhere else in the world.

On this New Orleans tour, you’ll have a chance to:

Find out why the city’s cemeteries are above ground
Hear how they fit so many people into a single tomb
See the tombs of some of the most important and unique New Orleanians like E.J. Bellocq, the photographer of Storyville
Get a detailed understanding of the history of not just the cemetery but the whole Bayou St. John area
Connect the dots between ancient burial traditions and our more modern forms of grieving
Take in a variety of tomb styles and learn about the differences

After this tour, it’ll be clear to you why New Orleans cemeteries are so famous and visited by people from all over the world.

Tour Producer

David Hedges

3 tours

David G. Hedges an adventurous, fun-loving Chicago native who considers New Orleans his true home. David studied history in college and visited New Orleans several times. He quickly became enamored with New Orleans and after finishing up college in Chicago with a degree in History. He decided to move there permanently. In 2011, David pursued his tour guide license so he could share his passion for the city and its history with others, but found that many existing tour companies were based out of state and offered only a cookie cutter, watered down version of New Orleans’ unique history. So in 2012 he started his own walking tour company, Nola Tour Guy. David Hedges is an expert at crafting tours that include rich historical details that give you a real deep understanding of New Orleans while still being entertaining. Join him on an audio version of his tour today and you too will find out why he fell in love with New Orleans!

Preview Location

Location 3

Funeral Symbols on Kramer Tomb

On this tomb, you should see some interesting symbols. On either side of the tomb are inverted torches. I love talking about symbols. The inverted torch is a symbol for mourning. The story goes that Greek city states would battle each other and a woman from your city state wou... Read More

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Major Landmarks

St. Louis Cemetery No. 3

Getting There

Route Overview

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Start location
3421 Esplanade Ave, New Orleans, LA 70119, USA
Total distance

925m
Final location
3441 Esplanade Ave, New Orleans, LA 70119, USA
Distance back to start location

55.61m

Directions to Starting Point

The tour begins outside St Louis Cemetery #3 3421 Esplanade Ave, New Orleans, LA 70119. We start specifically at the pedestrian only entrance, which if you're facing the cemetery is to your right.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

I strongly recommend checking out this neighborhood after you take the audio tour. Some highlights include: Pilot House built in 1799 at 1440 Moss Street, it's open for tours Wed-Fri. City Park, a massive park with an New Orelans Museum of Art and a free sculpture garden. You can get drinks and food a Liuzza's by the Track at 1518 Lopez, try a famous New Orleans at Parkway or drink with locals at Pal's. Find out more by reading my guide to the neighborhood here: https://www.nolatourguy.com/guide-to-bayou-st-john-new-orleans/

Best time of day

Cemetery is open 8 am - 5 pm. In the warmer months I'd recommend doing it early in the morning.

Precautions

There is no shade in the cemetery, we suggest wearing sunscreen and/or bringing an umbrella

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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.”