[DiamondSmiles]

From the crumbling tombs of St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 in New Orleans, where voodoo queen Marie Laveau rests, to the crumbling gravestones of the Greyfriars Kirkyard in Edinburgh, Scotland, which houses a mausoleum believed to be haunted by a powerful poltergeist, cemeteries are great destinations for thrill-seeking travelers. They provide a peek into a place's history and can hint at its darker past — all the while providing some great fodder for stories to tell back at home. Here, we highlight some eternal resting places around the globe guaranteed to provoke chills. Don't forget to pack a flashlight.

Paris Catacombs, Paris, France

More than 60 feet below the bustling streets of one of Europe's most fashionable cities is one of its most macabre attractions: a massive underground ossuary that's believed to contain the exhumed remains of an estimated 6 million Parisians. In 1786, cemeteries in the City of Light were literally bursting with bodies, so officials dug them up and dumped the skeletons in a communal grave on what was then the outskirts of town. The thousands of bones — including intact skulls — are now arranged into a system of pillars and alleyways that brave souls explore on guided tours. Not surprisingly, anyone who's squeamish or claustrophobic might want to skip les Catacombes and stick with Paris's plentiful aboveground offerings.


Highgate Cemetery, North London

Also called the City of the Dead, this London landmark is considered one of the city's most haunted hotspots, with 167,000 souls resting in graves dating back to as early as 1839. The cemetery's 53,000 graves and mausoleums, which house such luminaries as philosopher Karl Marx, make for a hours of eerie exploring — even more so when you consider the various rumors of unexplained happenings that have been reported over the decades. The most well-known are of the Highgate Vampire, a menacing, seven-foot figure that was said to roam about the cemetery, sparking a media frenzy in the 1970s.

Old Jewish Cemetery, Prague

There's quite a heavy history at this cemetery, which is a jumble of gravestones layered upon each other, the oldest dating to the early 15th century. Europe's oldest surviving Jewish cemetery, it managed to survive the demolition of the majority of Prague's Jewish Quarter in the late 1800s and then the wrath of Hitler, who spared the area so it could be a museum once he eradicated Jews from the world. The number of people buried there is uncertain but, according to some estimates, there may have been 100,000 burials before the cemetery was finally closed in 1789. Today, it's popular among tourists, so visitors shouldn't expect solitude.

Bachelor's Grove Cemetery, Midlothian, Ill.

Strange lights and orbs, a full-body apparition of a woman sitting on a headstone, a ghostly farmhouse that floats and then disappears — these are just a few of the phenomena that have been reported at this small cemetery, about 30 miles from Chicago. Pete Crapia, a steward with the Cook County Forest Reserve District and the unofficial historian of the cemetery, says that recent reports have included phantom cars: "They look solid and real, and then in the next moment, they're absolutely gone."

In addition to its well-known haunted history, the cemetery, which is located down a desolate wooded path, was a target of grave robbers and served as a site for other illicit activity in the 1960s and 1970s, Crapia says. Today, restoration efforts are under way, and visitors are welcome, but they should abide by the sundown closing time or risk a ticket from local authorities.

Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah

Just about every spot in this sultry Southern city, which claims to be one of America's most haunted, has a ghost story, but these Spanish-moss-shrouded burial grounds on the banks of the Savannah River can nearly out-***** them all. The most famous of the fascinating gravestones is that of Little Gracie Watson, who died in 1889, at age 6, of pneumonia. Sculpted from a photo taken shortly before her death, her gravestone is the stuff of nightmares, topped with a life-size marble statue depicting the child with long hair and haunted eyes.

Besides Little Gracie, Bonaventure also houses the graves of fallen soldiers, Pulitzer Prize winning poet Conrad Aiken, and songwriter Johnny Mercer, who wrote classics including, "Moon River" and, "Jeepers Creepers" — a title that could just as easily refer to his eventual final resting place.

St. Louis No. 1 Cemetery, New Orleans

Established in 1789, St. Louis No. 1 may be New Orleans' oldest existing cemetery, but it's more famous as the purported eternal resting place of one of the city's most colorful characters: voodoo queen Marie Laveau, whose tombstone is constantly adorned with offerings. Laveau's spirit is said to haunt the cemetery, as does the spirit of her pet albino boa constrictor, Zombie.

The cemetery, which has fallen into disrepair and has been the repeated target of vandals, closes every day at 3 p.m., but even in daylight, its dilapidated mausoleums and crypts — combined with its haunted history and location in a sketchy neighborhood — create an unsettling feeling for many a visitor. Sandy Hester, manager and guide of French Quarter Phantoms, a walking tour company in New Orleans, also points out that its layout "looks very haphazard, and when you wander around, it adds to the disorientation, and people can feel a little uneasy."

Greyfriars Kirkyard, Edinburgh

A former convent garden, this grand old cemetery was ordered to be used a burial ground by Queen Mary of Scots in 1562. It houses many prominent Scots, but its most famous resident happens to be a canine known as Greyfriar's Bobby, a Skye terrier who kept a 14-year watch over the grave of his master (both are now buried there). However, the cemetery is also the site of some less-friendly inhabitants, namely the "MacKenzie Poltergeist": a malevolent presence that has reportedly caused physical harm to dozens of unlucky victims. The entity, named after a 17th-century judge responsible for the deaths of thousands of his fellow Scots, is believed to be most active in the Black Mausoleum, which at one point was locked by Edinburgh's city council because of all the reports of attacks. Nowadays, brave visitors can enter the mausoleum — if they dare — on a walking tour with guide Jan-Andrew Henderson, who also wrote a book on the phenomenon.

Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aires

Spanning four city blocks in Buenos Aires' upscale neighborhood of Recoleta, this necropolis is a head-spinning hodgepodge of elaborate mausoleums, beautiful statues and cupolas, and dozens of resident cats that prowl around the mazelike network of avenues. The cemetery contains more than 6,000 tombs of Argentina's most elite, the most famous of which is that of Eva "Evita" Perón, whose body is buried in a subterranean concrete vault to keep it from being stolen. One of the cemetery's eeriest, and most tragic, legends is that of Rufina Cambaceres, a young woman who was buried alive in the 1900s, perhaps following a coma or a cataleptic attack. She died trying to escape her coffin, and her tomb bears a beautiful Art-Nouveau sculpture depicting a young woman opening a door to her own crypt, looking tearfully at passers-by. Some say that a restless Rufina, gruesomely scratched from her attempts to escape impending death, wanders the cemetery at night.

Cemetery, Yazoo City, Miss.

The site of a mass grave of Confederate soldiers, this cemetery nestled in the Mississippi Delta is also home to some fascinating local lore: namely, that of the Witch of Yazoo. Made famous by the works of local author Willie Morris, who wrote My Dog Skip, the story goes that in the 1880s, an evil old woman who was believed to have killed two men was buried in the town cemetery, with her grave surrounded by thick chains. Twenty years later, in 1904, a great fire struck the town, and about that time some locals noticed that the chains were broken — causing speculation that the witch had somehow caused the fire. Today, a slab of stone — mysteriously cracked down the middle – depicts the legend. Walking tours of the cemetery are offered by the Yazoo County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

*Stupid woman blocking the last cemetary!*

[darkstar226]

I have investigated at Bachelor's Grove a few times. Have never seen an apparition, but I've gotten lot's of EVPs there. The pond behind the cemetery where Capone had the bodies dumped has a very weird feeling about it. Even the land surrounding the cemetery proper has things going on - a lot of my EVPs were caught there rather than inside. It's definitely a very, very interesting place.

[DifJuz]

If you want spooky - visit the overgrown Nunhead cemetary in south London on a grey day

[Soar]

I love this sort of stuff.

[DiamondSmiles]

Originally Posted by Soar ↗

I love this sort of stuff.

I should find another picture of the last one. That stupid woman annoys me :)

Even better! Here is a video tour:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6tKunDdxmsI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

So, now we know who the woman is ;)