[DiamondSmiles]

Cemeteries may not be the most obvious tourist attractions, but they can provide a fascinating glimpse into the past, especially at this time of year. Whether you’re looking for the final resting place of your favorite movie star, want to pay your respects to our nation’s former leaders, or have an interest in some of the intriguing figures of the underworld, let’s take a look at cemeteries around the country that provide visitors with unique, enriching, and occasionally spine-tingling adventures.

There are several ghostly tours you can take of the
Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah GA.

Playwright Oscar Wilde pronounced the cemetery, “incomparable,” when he visited it in the 1870s, and today it is famous the world over as a location in John Berendt’s “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” as well as Clint Eastwood’s film of the same name. Situated on nearly 160 acres of a former plantation, the grounds are a must-see for any visitors to Savannah, often called American’s most haunted city. You may have to dodge unearthly spirits as you wander among the historic headstones, monuments and crypts under the shade of enormous oak trees draped in Spanish moss. Don’t forget to visit the grave of Oscar-winning lyricist Johnny Mercer, who wrote many memorable songs, including, “Hooray for Hollywood” and “Moon River.”

Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, NY

Founded in 1838, majestic Green-Wood Cemetery was granted National Historic Landmark status in 2006. With its rolling hills and beautiful parklike setting, the spectacular 478-acre site in Brooklyn became the most desired final resting place for generations of prominent New Yorkers, from mobsters to members of the Roosevelt family. Green-Wood’s 560,000 ghostly residents include actor Frank Morgan (the title character from “The Wizard of Oz”), notorious New York Sen. “Boss” Tweed, stained-glass artist Louis Comfort Tiffany, pioneer journalist Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman, newspaperman Horace Greeley and composer Leonard Bernstein. Green-Wood is also a Revolutionary War historic site. The Battle of Long Island was fought in 1776 on the land that now houses the cemetery.

The Old Granary Burial Ground, Boston

Head back further into our country’s rich history and visit the Old Granary Burial Ground in Boston. Founded in 1660, the cemetery is home to such notable American figures as Paul Revere and three signers of the Declaration of Independence: John Hancock, Samuel Adams and Robert Treat Paine. Though Boston native Benjamin Franklin is buried in Philadelphia, several members of his family can be found here. Other stops you’ll want to make on your trek through this historic site are the graves of Crispus Attucks, an African-American victim of the Boston Massacre; Benjamin Woodbridge, a casualty of the first duel fought in Boston; and Samuel Sewall, one of the judges at the infamous Salem witch trials.

Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery, Chicago

It’s time we found some real ghosts to spice up our Halloween-themed travels. Let’s check out Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery near Chicago to see if we can verify claims by many that it’s haunted. Established in 1844, the secluded cemetery was open to burials until 1989. Reports of ghostly apparitions at Bachelor’s Grove reached their peak in the 1970s, and were unfortunately accompanied by major vandalism as wannabe ghostbusters carried away many of the historic tombstones. Over the years, people have claimed to see figures roaming the cemetery in monk’s robes, a ghostly black dog and even a farmhouse that disappears when you get to close. Paranormal investigators claim to have recorded images of ghostly figures on the grounds.

Westwood Village Memorial Park, Los Angeles

It was baseball legend Joe DiMaggio, Marilyn Monroe’s ex-husband, who chose Westwood Village Memorial Park as Monroe's final resting place when she died in 1962. Today the actress’s loyal fans and a bevy of impersonators visit her crypt regularly in the stately grounds close to the UCLA campus. Many of Monroe's contemporaries share her eternal resting place. After visiting her, be sure to pay your respects to Peter Lawford, Billy Wilder, Gene Kelly, Natalie Wood, Dean Martin and Truman Capote, among many others. Had she lived, would Monroe have enjoyed the music of Janis Joplin and Frank Zappa? They’re buried here, too.

St. Louis Cemetery, New Orleans

Are you interested in voodoo, the mysterious religious practices with roots in West Africa that flourished in slave-owning states? You may want to check out the ornate St. Louis Cemetery just outside New Orleans’ storied French Quarter. The Roman Catholic cemetery opened in 1789 and houses the tomb of Louisiana voodoo queen Marie Laveau, who died in 1881 and at one time had thousands of devoted followers. She still receives daily offerings from admirers and, who knows, she may show up for a visit. While there, you can also visit the above-ground grave of civil-rights pioneer Homer Plessy, of the famous Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court decision, and the Italian tomb where a key scene from Dennis Hopper’s “Easy Rider” was filmed.

Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Hollywood, CA

Located across the street from Paramount Studios, this famous cemetery was on the verge of ruin when it was purchased several years ago by two brothers from a Missouri funeral-home family. Now restored to its original glory, Hollywood Forever provides year-round tours of the graves of its celebrated inhabitants, as well as an outdoor summer film series and live music events. You can even get a tour by the Lady in Black, a descendant of the mysterious woman who has been putting a rose on the shrine of screen legend Rudolph Valentino since he was buried here in 1926. It would take days to visit the graves of all the celebrities who reside here, including Tyrone Power, John Huston, Douglas Fairbanks, Marion Davies, Cecil B. DeMille, and even former Beatle George Harrison.


Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington County, VA

Situated directly across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial, the most famous military cemetery in the U.S. was established during the Civil War on land that once belonged to Mary Ann Custis Lee, wife of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and great-granddaughter of Martha Washington. Veterans and casualties of all wars are buried at Arlington’s 624 acres. There are also memorials for the men who lost their lives on the USS Maine, the astronauts who died in the Challenger space-shuttle disaster and the victims of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. You won’t want to leave Arlington without paying your respects at the eternal flame on the grave of President John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline. Two of the Kennedys’ children as well as Sens. Robert and Ted Kennedy are buried nearby.

McGavock Confederate Cemetery, Franklin, Tenn.

Tired of all these prominent Yankees? Head south to the McGavock Confederate Cemetery, near Nashville. This somber location is a sobering reminder of the carnage that took place during the Civil War. All of the nearly 1,500 Confederate soldiers who are buried here were killed in the bloody Battle of Franklin, which occurred Nov. 30, 1864; it was one of the Confederate Army’s worst disasters. In the immediate aftermath of the battle, the plantation home of Col. John and Carrie McGavock, less than a mile from the action, was used as a field hospital for hundreds of wounded soldiers. Of the 1,438 soldiers buried in the land donated by the McGavocks, only 780 were ever identified. Today the historic grounds are maintained by the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

Cemetery, Portland, OR

The Lone Fir Cemetery in Portland, established in 1846, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Named for the single fir tree on the 30-acre site, the Gothic Revival cemetery contains the graves of many unknown Chinese immigrants who once worked hard labor in the area, many of whom were the victims of anti-Chinese violence. These graves were paved over years ago but were restored in 2007 after public outcry. Containing the remains of the rich and poor, important political figures as well as common criminals, the Lone Fir Cemetery provides a glimpse into the colorful history of the Pacific Northwest. Don’t forget to stop by the grave of J.C. Hawthorne, the founder of the Oregon Hospital for the Insane. Many of his troubled patients are buried nearby.

[jimmi5]

bad links

[DiamondSmiles]

Sorry, jimmi. All fixed. I posted each picture separately.