New Orleans Cemeteries: Walking Tour & Katrina Memorial Stories

4.87

(169 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I didn’t know what to expect when we stepped into St. Patrick Cemetery #2 — maybe just rows of old stone, but it was quieter than I thought, almost heavy. Our guide, Marcus, had this way of pausing in front of a tomb like he was introducing us to an old friend. The air smelled faintly of moss and something sweet I couldn’t place (jasmine? or maybe just the city’s humidity). He told us about how families used to gather here for picnics, which honestly surprised me. People actually eating among graves — that’s New Orleans for you.

Walking between those above-ground tombs felt strange at first — some were cracked open a little at the corners, and you could see how time had worn them down. Marcus pointed out symbols on the stones: crosses for Catholics, odd markings for Masons. He even let us try saying one of the French family names; Li laughed when I tried it (I definitely butchered it). There was this moment where we all stood quietly while he talked about yellow fever epidemics — you could almost feel how scared people must’ve been back then.

The last stop was the Katrina Memorial at Charity Hospital Cemetery. It’s not fancy — just rows of white markers and a wall with names. Marcus didn’t sugarcoat anything when he told us about the thousands buried there after hurricanes and epidemics. Some people in our group got teary-eyed. I kept thinking about how much history is packed into these places most folks drive right past. The sun came out for a second and lit up the marble; it looked almost hopeful, if that makes sense.