CNN —
Film historian Curry Bible spent most of her childhood next to the cemetery before going to college.
Bible, a Texas native, rode his bike there and played with his brother, passing by almost every day. While other kids might have told spooky stories about the cemetery or swore it was haunted, Bible was convinced of its value.
“It was normal for me to be right next to a cemetery,” she told CNN. “I always thought cemeteries were very beautiful things.”
Years later, as an adult, she found herself in Los Angeles, stumbling upon one of America’s most famous cemeteries, Hollywood Forever, a tribute to old Hollywood and the people who built it. There, she visited the graves of silent film star Marion Davies, famous director Cecil B. DeMille, and icon of innocence Judy Garland, and found countless stories to tell.
That was more than 20 years ago, and she’s been the cemetery’s official tour guide ever since, leading visitors on monthly tours of the grounds, visiting its ornate mausoleums, modest gravestones and a variety of memorials to A-list stars and Hollywood regulars alike.
“I love these people and it gives me great joy to keep their memory alive and to carry on their legacy,” she told CNN.
Bible spends his days hanging out with “gravestone tourists” – cemetery enthusiasts who travel to important cemeteries around the country and the world to interact with the people buried there and soak up history. (Philip Stone, founder and executive director of the Dark Tourism Institute at the University of Central Lancashire in the UK, likens gravestone tourism to “tourism in the house of the dead.”)
Although cemeteries are not typical tourist destinations, they are a must-see for history buffs, aestheticians, and curious visitors who want to learn more about the area they are visiting. And “tombstone tourists” are always encouraging people to explore the eerie beauty of cemeteries.
“To me, cemeteries are like museums,” says Joy Neighbors, a writer who writes about her obsession with cemeteries on the blog A Grave Interest. “It’s always an adventure and an experience to go there, dig up, and see what you can find.”
Darryl Brooks/Alamy Stock Photo
Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia, represents “the pinnacle of Southern Gothic,” Bible said.
Sue Slocum, an associate professor of hospitality at George Mason University, said people often visit cemeteries to connect with the past and explore their own interests in death and the afterlife.
Cemetery tourism is considered a form of “dark tourism” – travel to places associated with death – and dark tourism is based on an “obsession with death”, she said.
“These are parts of who we are as people,” said Slocum, who now teaches a course on the subject. “(Cemeteries) are about honoring the community and the people who are buried there.”
For anyone interested in history, cemeteries are a valuable resource. The headstones themselves are monuments to the past and the people buried beneath them, says Neighbors. The design of the headstone tells a story about the era in which it was made. For example, if it’s elaborate and well-kept, it could be the grave of someone from a well-known, wealthy area.
Symbols on gravestones also tell a story. In the 19th and 20th centuries, it was common for gravestones to feature symbols of religious or religious affiliations, such as the Masonic ruler and compass. Neighbors said children are often represented by lambs, and some gravestones resemble trees with their branches cut off, which symbolizes the death of a family member.
Even dates of birth and death can tell a rich and harrowing story without words, she said.
“It really makes you respect your traditions and your past,” Neighbors said.
Many cemeteries have become popular tourist destinations due to their architecture, famous “residents,” or historical significance. Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia, is a Southern Gothic-style cemetery that is the resting place of hundreds of Confederate soldiers and soldiers who fought in the Spanish-American War, as well as some of Savannah’s prominent 19th-century families. St. Mary Magdalene Churchyard in East Ham, London, is a Roman burial ground discovered in the 19th century after hundreds of years of slumber. And St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 in New Orleans is the resting place of dozens of locals who have become urban legends, including Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau.
Richard Burns/Alamy Stock Photos
The graveyard of St Mary Magdalene Church in East Ham is one of the oldest churchyards in Britain.
“Each cemetery is unique,” Bible says, “each has its own history and style, and not every experience is the same.”
Some cemeteries even function like parks, says Neighbors. Greyfriars Kirkyard Cemetery in Edinburgh, Scotland, is open 24 hours a day, where people come to knit, read, eat lunch, or meet friends around the historic gravestones. (The cemetery also contains a memorial to Greyfriars Bobby, a terrier who is said to have guarded his owner’s grave for 14 years. Visitors often bring Bobby a stick to play ball with, says Neighbors, a way to “attract” people to the cemetery rather than drive them away.)
“To me, that’s what a cemetery should be,” she said.
Bible also encounters unruly visitors at cemeteries: “There’s a reason why Jim Morrison has bike racks around him,” he said, pointing to the fence around the Doors frontman’s grave at Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris.
But she sympathizes with people who have complicated interests in cemeteries, for whom visiting them can bring back painful memories and grief for loved ones who have died, she said.
Colors Hunter/Chasseur de Coeur/Moment RF/Getty Images
Père Lachaise is a popular tourist destination in Paris, and Bible said there have been many incidents of inappropriate behavior around the grave of Doors lead singer Jim Morrison.
Cemeteries have often been seen as places of quiet reverence, not tourism or leisure. Maintaining a solemn atmosphere in cemeteries is “a very American idea,” Slocum said. For many years, it was considered “almost sacrilegious” to visit a cemetery just for fun, Neighbors said.
“I held my breath when we passed the cemetery,” Neighbors said of her grandparents’ view.
But historic cemeteries across the country and the world are increasingly encouraging visitors to explore the grounds and learn the stories of those buried there. Neighbors say families, joggers, and even musicians are now regularly spending time at their local cemeteries, a sight uncommon a decade ago. Some, like Atlanta’s Oakland Cemetery, have become community hubs where people come to walk dogs and picnic, making them a staple for residents rather than just tourist destinations.
“People are starting to realize this is an incredible place that can do more than just visit the dead,” Neighbors says. “There’s a wealth of experiences here waiting to be discovered.”
“There’s a way to be respectful and curious,” Bible said of visiting cemeteries. “If you go with the right attitude and you know why you’re there, I think there’s definitely a way.”
Go with purpose.
Cemeteries are places for reflection and remembrance, not places to litter, loiter or party, like the hapless teens in many horror stories. Public cemeteries can be visited privately, but many offer tours that teach visitors about the history of the cemetery and the people buried there. Slocum suggested taking a guided tour to get the most out of your cemetery experience.
Please respect the space.
Some of the most famous cemeteries, like Hollywood Forever, still host funerals, burials, and cremations. Even if a cemetery is hosting tours or events, Bible says it’s best to enter quietly, as there may still be funerals taking place there.
So even with a Halloween-themed tour that emphasizes the cemetery’s spooky elements, it’s important to maintain “common courtesy towards the dead, the victims and their families,” Stone said.
Don’t go where you’re not welcome.
Not all cemeteries welcome visitors, and if the cemetery is privately owned or has cultural significance and prohibits visitors from visiting unless they are local, it’s best to follow those instructions, Slocum says.
