St Louis Cemetery #1 in New Orleans

Established in 1789 St Louis Cemetery #1 is the oldest cemetery in New Orleans and famous for it’s appearance in the film Easy Rider along with being the final resting place of several important historical figures, like Maire Laveau and Homer Plessy. New Orleans cemeteries are also famous for our unique burial traditions which you can learn about by clicking here

St Louis cemetery #1 has attracted visitors for some time now and not only for the right reasons. There has been many cases of vandalism reported in recent years; people marking the graves or defacing them like in the case of one of the most popular attractions – the burial site of 19th century Voodoo priest Marie Laveau. As a result access to the cemetery is restricted to tours led by a licensed guide and to relatives of the deceased. This policy prevented further damage to the mausoleums and tombs and help preserve for the next generations what is a fascinating and rich testimony to the history and culture of New Orleans.

After The Covid-19 Pandemic The New Orleans Archdioceses decided to close St Louis #1 to all but one tour operator. Fortunately for you there are still plenty of Free Cemeteries worth visiting. You can check out more info on cemeteries worth visiting in New Orleans by clicking here.

The last we checked the tour of St Louis #1 is $25 per person and it’s up to you to decide it it’s worth visiting. It is very close to the French Quarter so if your time in New Orleans is limited it might be a great option for you. Personally, we miss being able to take people into a New Orleans cemetery so we now offer a free to join tour of St Louis #3, established in 1853, located in present day Bayou St John which is a great neighborhood to visit, close to City Park.

If you feel like St Louis #1 and the tomb of Marie Laveau is calling to you use the link below to book this tour, if you have more time and are perhaps a bit more adventurous consider our free tour of St Louis #3