As we proceed through the oak-lined streets we will take in the grandeur of historic mansions and gardens and discuss the political landscape that gave birth to the Garden District. When you get to the tree-lined aisle, turn left. These are the most common tombs in New Orleans, although this was not the original method of interment. Your guide, a local historian, will lead you through the Lower Ninth Ward and the ever-evolving Warehouse/Arts District. It was established in 1833 by the City of Lafayette (which is where it gets its name), and it’s the oldest of the seven municipal, city-operated cemeteries in New Orleans. 1. This article should be used as reference only until the cemetery re-opens. Soon after you pass the Sewell tomb, the recently-bricked Koenig tomb will be on the left. Turn right when you reach the middle, tree-lined aisle. Lafayette Cemetery #1 is the first city-owned/operated cemetery, c. 1833. Turn left in the opening after Bartchy, then right in the main aisle. Visit streets lined with gracious, antebellum homes, and learn how the city’s Creole and American residents competed with Greek Revival architecture and English-gardens. They were pre-fabricated at an ironworks in Philadelphia and sold by Wood & Miltenberger, a local ironworks distributor who also sold gates and fences, iron furniture, coffins, and cast iron for the balconies and galleries that give New Orleans its distinctive look. As you walk along this aisle, you will see some common funerary symbols: -Broken flower (Philbert Bernard tomb): The broken stem represents the end of life. Get a customized introduction to this historic neighborhood on a walking tour of antebellum mansions, celebrity homes, movie locations, and more, with a private guide alongside to share insight and answer all your questions. Hear about the above ground burial practices of New Orleans, and join in some gossip about the dead. The Poydras Orphan’s Rest was a home for orphan girls, established in 1817 when a ship of immigrants arrived in New Orleans with 20 orphaned children, whose parents had died during the grueling passage from Europe. Lafayette Cemetery No. Obviously, the Irish got used to above-ground interment! From there it’s a short walk to the cemetery. Continue till you get into the tree-lined aisle, then turn left. 1. Quickly access bookings. Stops include multiple Confederate-era houses, some celebrity homes, and the Lafayette Cemetery #1. Experience the best of New Orleans’ opulent Garden District. Your tour will conclude at Lafayette cemetery #1, one of the most visited and filmed cemeteries in New Orleans. You’ll learn the burial practices and traditions that make our cemeteries unique. The Secret Garden – This special little section is the resting place of four best friends and their families. 1 tour is a two hour leisurely stroll with frequent stops through one of America's most beautiful neighborhoods, the New Orleans Garden District. Explore one of New Orleans’ oldest and most atmospheric neighborhoods on a walking tour of the Garden District. Simply buy a ticket for the streetcar and hit play to enjoy the tour. One of Lafayette’s oldest cemeteries just became the city’s first to be designated as a local historic district. Alden died at the age of 84, six weeks after being struck by a truck in 1920. Then, during the tour, you’ll set eyes on the current residences of New Orleanians Anne Rice, Sandra Bullock, and John Goodman. Judge Ferguson determined that the Louisiana Legislature was within its rights to discriminate by race on rail cars and the case was appealed all the way to the United States Supreme Court, where the rule of “separate but equal” was established. Continue in this aisle till you can’t go any further, then turn right. The shoes are a coveted throw and everyone in New Orleans wants to have a “Muses shoe.”  If you catch one, you will display it proudly in your home for all to see. All three sons who survived to adulthood fought in wars – Charles and Alden in the Civil War on the side of the Confederacy, and Orris (at age 63!) Compare prices across the ticket providers below: Lafayette Cemetery No.1 was established in 1833 in the Garden District of New Orleans. The society, which is still an orphanage for boys in New Orleans today, has always been known for compassionate and dedicated superintendents, and we can see from the inscriptions that one of the superintendents is interred here with the boys. or his family was cutting corners, but he is one of only two in this cemetery  who have their name spelled out in these blue-and-white street tiles. All the people listed on this closure tablet are from Scotland, Ireland, and England. A basic 1.5-hour lafayette cemetery No. 2 or 3 tombs past the tomb of the children, on the same side, notice the Freudenstein tomb’s broken flower. Your tour includes roundtrip transportation from the French quarter and refreshments at Magazine PoBoy Shop. Smith (also with upside-down torches). Wall vaults are used  for three purposes: Turn right at the end of the row of wall vaults (NOT THE END OF THE AISLE – Just the end of the wall vaults. Godwin tomb on your right). 1 is the oldest cemetery in New Orleans. ), then turn right. This symbol is used when a married couple is interred in the same vault. Save your favorites. 1 in New Orleans Lafayette Cemetery No. Our tour guides are New Orleanians with strong personal connections to the history and have many impressive credentials. Straight ahead you will see a seated angel. Note that the Rusha tomb has closure tablets on all four sides and lists 36 names. Take a stroll through New Orleans’ history and culture on a walking tour of the Garden District and Lafayette Cemetery #1 with an experienced guide. US$ 30 per person Guided tour New Orleans: Garden District Food and History Tour Small group; Duration: 3.5 hours; 5.0. Walk shady avenues lined with antebellum homes, and hear how a small riverside settlement grew into a lavish, wealthy city. This private Garden District walking tour with English- or Spanish-speaking guide can accommodate groups of up to 5 travelers. Garden District & Lafayette Cemetery Walking Tour. We can easily say that thousands have been laid to rest here, and the cemetery holds that many stories. After that, a stop in Lafayette Cemetery, the oldest city-owned cemetery. The City of New Orleans has temporarily closed Lafayette Cemetery for repairs but we still do the cemetery tour from the gates. Walking tours are back! Tours are available twice daily at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Learn about New Orleans above ground burial practices and join us in some gossip about dead people. Your guide shares recommendations for shopping, dining, and sightseeing in this gracious area of town! Thank you for showing an interest in this treasure of New Orleans, and come again soon! Mr. Hagan, being in the business, must have gotten a good deal on some granite. The last coping tomb on the right in this row is the Whitely tomb. Sewell tomb on the right. Continue down the same aisle. These volunteer fire departments became social organizations, and the members raised the funds to build their society tombs. Explore the scenic Garden District, known for its oak-lined streets, lush gardens, and impressive Victorian mansions. Overview Discover parts of New Orleans that you might otherwise miss during a Garden District and Lafayette Cemetery #1 tour, a great introduction to two New Orleans icons. In an 1873 Times Picayune article, it was reported that “21,889 persons” were laid to rest in the cemetery. You can also take our GPS-enabled audio tour anytime the cemetery is open. Learn about life and death in the city and its unique above-ground crypts and gravesites. White columns, scroll work of a cast-iron fence, or a romantic Romeo and Juliet style gallery. This family has been bringing their loved ones to this site since 1876. Hayes, hailed as the leader of the “Louisiana Tigers,” a fighting regiment of the Confederacy, came to New Orleans after the Civil War, received his pardon from President Johnson, and was sworn in as Sheriff of New Orleans. Lafayette #1 Cemetery Private Tour . as a temporary resting place, until the required year-and-a-day period is up and the deceased can be put in the family tomb . At the next aisle on your right, detour a bit to see two recently restored tombs (Mullen and Poelman). Different flowers have different meanings – lily for purity, rose for love and grief, chrysanthemum for honor and sympathy. Lafayette #1 is an excellent example of the unique way we bury our departed. Check out national museums, historic graveyards, southern Gothic mansions and fabulous local haunts. This excursion features the highlights of the French Quarter and uptown neighborhoods. This spot, incidentally, is where a fake tomb was built for the 1999 film Double Jeopardy, starring Ashley Judd. Until the mid-20th Century, it was commonly called “The Washington Cemetery.” The number of people interred in this cemetery is a subject of much debate. The very next tomb is the impressive society tomb of the Jefferson Fire Company no. The urn and image of a weeping woman have both been funerary symbols since ancient times, and this statue was at one time on top of the F. Zimmerman tomb next to it. All fire departments at the time were volunteer departments, therefore its membership were usually among the well-to-do in the city (who else but a rich man can volunteer to be a fireman?). It also reads Mizpah on the top. 1 are: You can reserve your spot today and pay when you're ready. This casual bike ride covers a lot of ground and gives our guests a unique look into the lives of those who first settled there. Walk through the neighborhood of the historic Garden District in the American Sector while being dazzled by the opulent wealth of the early settlement of the Americans! Plus, traveling by pedicab creates a pleasant pace while enabling you to see more than you could on foot. We're creating your account. The tomb is quite impressive and although it was erected for the family of J. S. Smith, it is no wonder that the builder, Hagan, signed his name on the lower right side of the tomb. End with a guided walk through Lafayette Cemetery, featuring a remarkable collection of above-ground tombs. Step back in time on this historic walking tour of New Orleans’ Garden District with an experienced guide. Our experienced tour guides will lead you through this amazing collection of some of the best preserved mansion homes in the Southern United States. 1 say their graves are being … We visit Lafayette Cemetery #1 twice daily as part of our Garden District tour, but if you want to further explore this treasure on your own, this guide will help you learn more about New Orleans’ oldest city-owned cemetery. You can get there by taking the St. Charles Streetcar to Washington Street stop. The answers provided below are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions. This is called the Secret Garden. Established in what was known as the City of Lafayette, now the heart of the Garden District, it remains non-segregated and non-denominational. 1 is located in the heart of the Garden District. (WVUE) - Families whose loved ones are buried in New Orleans’ famous Lafayette Cemetery No. See Lafayette Cemetery #1 (not open to the public) and learn about its history from outside the gates. The tour is ready whenever you are and the audio plays automatically at exactly the right time and place using your smartphone's GPS and the VoiceMap mobile app, which also works offline. It this way, generation after generation can be interred in the same small structure. You will pass the Naffe tomb on the left. Further down on the left, you will see the unkempt tomb of Confederate General Harry T. Hayes. On the Ross tomb, you will see how poorly marble holds up in our humid climate, and several engraved flowers on the tomb. Visiting Lafayette Cemetery. and a crescent moon. On this NOLA cemetery tour, she conveyed intriguing stories about those that now lie there. Read the names and dates and you’ll learn the story of Charlotte, who died at the age of 23, 2 months after giving birth to her daughter, Clara Grace. Find tickets & tours worldwide. Walk past celebrity homes and down boulevards lined with oak trees, stopping to admire celebrity homes and historical sites. 1 is the oldest of the seven municipal, city-operated cemeteries in New Orleans. Immediately on your right you will see the tomb of the Society for the Relief of Destitute Orphan Boys. Lafayette Cemetery is one of the most popular historic sites in New Orleans, and it is frequently featured on area sightseeing tours. The wreath, an ancient symbol of victory, was adapted by Christians as a symbol of the victory of redemption. From. The style of the sleeves indicates that (in traditional dress) one hand belongs to a man and one to a woman. Monday, Dec. 2, 2019. Coping tombs were the solution when, for religious or personal reasons, you wanted or needed to be buried in soil but you had the misfortune of dying in New Orleans, where the water table is high and in-ground coffins have been known to float to the surface during a flood. Many parts of the city of New Orleans sit below sea level, so early settlers to the area had trouble with the bodies of their recently interned washing away during the summer rains. Learn about the city’s Creole roots as you ride along the banks of the Mississippi and through the legendary streets of the oldest neighborhood in town. The board continued to operate the Home (and continued to be an all-female board) until the facility was sold to the State of Louisiana in 1979. Until June 2018, you could look in and see the shelves and the chamber beneath it, or caveau. Explore the sights and stories of the elegant Garden District with your expert local guide. This cemetery has been active since 1833 and is still in use (edit: it’s now been closed … Children & teens welcome, dietary restrictions accommodated. 1, as well, and conclude your tour with reservations at Commander’s Palace, a top New Orleans restaurant. Your ticket includes food and drinks at 3 stops, tax and tip, so you can sit back and enjoy! 1. Or, if you can add on a garden district tour and the price will be USD $40.00. 22, another volunteer fire department. This may take a few seconds... Something went wrong. Proceed out to the main entrance. Click here to choose the best tour to learn about the below sea level city! Here they rest together forever. 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Notice also the wreath near the top of this tomb. As these immigrant families became more comfortable with our customs (and as discrimination against the Irish in particular encouraged assimilation), even Irish families began to build above-ground tombs. Visit the cemetery as part of a walking tour of the Garden District, or take a deeper dive into the cemetery’s history on a dedicated tour with a guide who’ll cover everything from burial procedures to notable ghost stories. Garden District Tour 1.5 hours | Our newest tour! 11 Reviews. Meet your local guide and small group and start your excursion with a complimentary praline. See the elaborate above-ground tombs at Lafayette Cemetery, one of the city’s most significant ‘Cities of the Dead’. Learn about the best things to do in New Orleans on this fun and informative Private Journey. The cemetery is openevery day except Sunday. The cemetery was named after the city of Lafayette, which was once the area of New Orleans. For more of what we’ve uncovered about the secret garden, click here. Begin at the entrance to Lafayette Cemetery #1 on Washington Avenue. So, this tomb incorporates funerary traditions from Roman, Christian, and Hebrew cultures. The area is filled with amazing Antebellum homes with significant historical information. Experience many of the Garden District’s highlights on a comprehensive half-day tour. Closed most holidays. Lafayette Cemetery #1, one of the iconic New Orleans’ above ground “cities of the dead”. Woodmen of the World tree trunk – WOW began as a fraternal organization and is now a major insurance company. We visit Lafayette Cemetery #1 twice daily as part of our Garden District tour, but if you want to further explore this treasure on your own, this guide will help you learn more about New Orleans’ oldest city-owned cemetery. Chalmette Fire Company no. Lafayette #1 Cemetery is located at 1416-1498 Washington Ave., New Orleans, LA 70131 and is open seven days a week from 7am-3pm. Established in what was known as the City of Lafayette… You are now walking in the aisle closest to Coliseum Street. The next one on your left is J.S.