St. Louis Cemetery No.1 is the city’s oldest cemetery and it started in 1789. St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 is not open to the public and the only way to visit is by booking a tour. Visiting the St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 is rated in the top 10 things to do in New Orleans by Tripadvisor (2020).

What Makes New Orleans Tombs Unique

New Orleans’ mausoleums are designed to hold multiple people in one slot. You can fit one body into one slot and about 2 years later, the body will be decomposed. (It used to be a much quicker process but because of the preservatives, it takes longer these days.) The ashes and bones are pushed into a hole into the back of the mausoleum, ready for the next body. This is why you may see one “single” mausoleum but it is actually a family mausoleum filled with hundreds of body remains.

Marie Laveau’s Grave

Marie Laveau was a New Orleans native and a famous Voodoo queen in the 1800’s. She is buried with her husband’s family This tomb used to have hundreds of X’s on it before it was vandalized by painting it pink in 2013. It was restored by painting it white however, this caused for the hundreds of X’s to be “erased”. People used to ask for the Voodoo Queen to have a wish granted. You would complete the ritual by marking 3 X’s on the tomb, knocking on the tomb, and spin around 3 times. If you did not come back within a year of your wish being granted, humor has it you would be cursed. People would leave circles around their X’s after their wish has come true and leave an offering for Marie Laveau.

Nicolas Cage Tomb

Nicolas Cage has his grave site already set here. I was told he decided to have his grave site here after visiting a psychic and in order to appease the spirits. Another rumor I heard is Nicholas Cage is hiding his wealth in the tomb, although I think this is unlikely.

St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 is an absolute must to visit and especially if you enjoy spooky things. The grave sites do not get more authentic than this.