NEW ORLEANS CITY TOUR FIELD GUIDE
Beignets and Burials: A Morning Walk Through New Orleans’ Private Cemeteries
A guided, expert-led walk that begins with beignets and coffee at Morning Call and moves through Greenwood, Cypress Grove and memorial sites to explore the city’s distinctive tombs and funeral traditions.
Beignets and Burials: A Morning Walk Through New Orleans’ Private Cemeteries.
Start your morning with beignets and coffee at Morning Call, then follow a cemetery expert and an experienced death‑care guide through a compact loop of New Orleans burial grounds, where ironwork, society tombs and local stories anchor the city’s funerary landscape.
Highlights
Outing Highlights
Authorized entry into private cemetery spaces
This tour offers exclusive access to cemetery grounds and tombs not available to other private operators, letting you step inside features that are ordinarily closed to the public.
Stories tied to city figures and monuments
Discover monuments that commemorate local and national figures and learn the stories embedded in funerary symbols and memorial architecture.
Seeing original granite, marble and cast‑iron tombs
View a range of historic tombcraft—from cast‑iron assemblages to granite and marble society tombs—on a route curated for its representative monuments.
What the day feels like
What the morning feels like
The tour begins at Morning Call for beignets and a beverage, then moves on foot through Greenwood Cemetery, Cypress Grove Cemetery and memorial sites tied to Charity Hospital and Hurricane Katrina before returning to Morning Call, all led by an expert guide who explains burial traditions, symbolism and the city’s funerary history.
Suitability
Who it's for
Who this tour suits — and who should consider alternatives.
Practical planner
Details to review before reserving
The tour starts and ends at Morning Call, 5101 Canal Blvd and is easily reachable by streetcar, automobile, bus or rideshare.
The tour runs approximately 2 hours and will roughly cover the distance of a mile.
Price includes one beignet and a choice of beverage along with the walking tour of the cemeteries.
Review cancellation policies before reserving.
Frequently asked questions
Planning Your Outing
Where and when does the tour start?
The tour starts and ends at Morning Call, 5101 Canal Blvd.
How long is the tour and how far will we walk?
The tour runs approximately two hours and will roughly cover the distance of a mile.
What does the price include and what are the rates for children?
Price includes one beignet and a choice of beverage; children six and under are free but must purchase any beignet or drink separately, children six to twelve are $25, and adults are $50.
Is the tour ever cancelled?
A minimum of four guests is required; if the minimum is not met, guests will be notified by 8pm the night before and the tour will be cancelled.
Who leads the tour?
The tour is led by Geoff Polson, a death‑care professional and experienced cemetery guide; the comprehensive guide and researched material are provided by Sally Asher.