New Orleans Cemetery Bus Tour with Exclusive Cemetery Access

New Orleans’ most unusual burial ground is the star here: Odd Fellows Rest, a private cemetery that this tour can enter after dark. You ride between cemeteries in an air-conditioned bus, then walk among above-ground tombs while your guide mixes burial customs, local history, and ghost stories.

I like the rare cemetery access and the way guides such as Jeff, Geoff, and J turn a short bus ride into a lively history lesson. I also like the practical design: little walking between sites, a restroom stop, and room to bring a drink onto the bus. The main drawback is that the tour may feel shorter than expected if you want several cemetery interiors. Most of the evening centers on Odd Fellows Rest, while other stops may be viewed from outside.

Key points to know before booking

• Odd Fellows Rest is the main event: You receive nighttime entry to a private cemetery that is otherwise difficult to visit.
• The tour mixes facts with fright: Expect explanations of above-ground tombs, burial customs, local figures, and ghost stories, plus EMF readers.
• Most other cemeteries are drive-by or gate-side stops: Cypress Grove and Greenwood are seen from the bus, while Charity Hospital Cemetery may be viewed through its gates.
• The bus keeps the evening manageable: You will not walk the whole route, and the air-conditioning or heat helps when New Orleans weather turns uncomfortable.
• Guides shape the experience: Jeff, Geoff, and J are repeatedly praised for humor, energy, personal attention, and strong storytelling.
• The $40.32 price is fair for access, not for a long list of stops: Book it for the private cemetery and guide, not for a full tour of every burial ground in the city.

Why Odd Fellows Rest makes this tour different

New Orleans cemeteries are unlike ordinary graveyards. The city’s high water table helped make above-ground tombs practical, and those compact stone structures give the cemeteries a distinctive appearance. Instead of rows of grassy plots, you see walls, family tombs, and narrow paths lined with memorials.

Odd Fellows Rest adds a second layer: access. This is a private cemetery, and the tour is described as the only company permitted to enter. That makes the nighttime walk more meaningful than simply driving past a cemetery gate. You can look closely at the tombs, listen to stories in place, and use the supplied EMF readers as part of the ghost-hunting theme.

I would treat the EMF devices as entertainment rather than proof of anything supernatural. Still, they give you something active to do during the walk, and they fit the mood without taking over the historical side of the tour.

The cemetery is also the place where the tour can feel most atmospheric. You are outside at night, surrounded by old tombs, with a guide deliberately building suspense. If you enjoy spooky settings but want more than a string of ghost claims, this balance works well.

Starting in the French Quarter

The meeting point is New Orleans Ghost Adventures Tours at 620 Decatur Street, in the French Quarter. Arrive at least 15 minutes before departure. The location is convenient if you are already in the French Quarter, but parking nearby is limited and paid, so walking, public transportation, or a ride-share is usually the easier choice.

The experience begins near Bon’s New Orleans Street Food. This is a useful place to get a drink before boarding, especially if you want something for the bus. Alcoholic drinks are not included, but you may bring your own drink along. The tour also makes a later stop where you can buy a drink or a snack.

Once aboard, settle in for live commentary as the bus moves through the city. The bus holds up to 42 people, so this is a group activity rather than a private investigation. That size provides some comfort at night, though it can also make questions and photo opportunities less personal when the vehicle is full.

Several people who took the tour with smaller groups had an especially good time because they could ask more questions and spend more time looking at details. If you want the most relaxed version of the experience, a less crowded departure may suit you better, though the exact group size is not something you can count on.

The bus ride between New Orleans cemeteries

The ride is not just transportation. Your guide points out cemeteries and explains the above-ground tombs you see along the way, including drive-by views of Cypress Grove and Greenwood. This matters because the city’s burial customs make more sense when you see several cemetery styles rather than one isolated site.

The commentary also gives you a wider view of New Orleans. The strongest guides, including Jeff, Geoff, and J, are described as funny, energetic, and well prepared, with stories that keep the bus involved. Their approach appears to blend the technical side of burial practices with the human stories connected to the dead.

That mix is the real value of the tour. A basic ghost ride could point out a dark building and tell you it is haunted. Here, you get context about how people were buried, why tombs look the way they do, and how famous or troubled chapters in the city’s past connect with its cemeteries.

Guide quality can vary by departure, and the experience depends heavily on the person holding the microphone. One poor experience centered on a guide spending too much time talking about himself, which left too little time for the later stops. That is worth keeping in mind: a lively guide is a major asset, but the schedule needs to be managed carefully.

Spending time inside Odd Fellows Rest

Plan for roughly 35 minutes at Odd Fellows Rest, although some accounts describe the full walk and cemetery visit taking close to an hour when the group is small. This is where you leave the bus and get the closest look at the burial structures.

Your guide explains the cemetery’s connection to the Odd Fellows, a little-known fraternal organization sometimes described as secretive. You may hear about people buried there, the tombs themselves, and the way New Orleans handles burial in a city where traditional underground graves can be difficult.

The atmosphere is intentionally spooky, but the best part is the chance to slow down. You can look at headstones, study the tombs, take photographs, and try the EMF readers. J was also praised for helping a person using a mobility device, which suggests that a considerate guide can make the walking portion easier, although the bus itself is not wheelchair accessible.

You will need to walk on mostly flat surfaces and manage a few steps to board and leave the bus. Comfortable shoes are important. Wear layers, too. One cold and windy evening made the later cemetery stop less appealing, and some people chose to remain on the warm bus. New Orleans nights can be mild, but weather varies, and the tour operates in all conditions.

This is also the point where expectations matter most. The phrase cemetery bus tour can sound like several long cemetery visits. In practice, Odd Fellows Rest is the cemetery you enter, and it receives most of the walking time. If that private access is what you want, the focus is a strength. If you want to tour multiple interiors, you may find the route limited.

The restroom and refreshment stop

The stop at Morning Call Coffee Stand lasts about 10 minutes and gives you a quick bathroom break. You may also be able to purchase a drink or beignets, making it a handy pause before the rest of the route.

Do not think of this as a major food stop. Ten minutes is enough for a restroom visit and a quick purchase, not a leisurely café break. If you want a full meal or a drink before the tour, use the French Quarter starting point instead.

This short pause improves the evening more than it might seem. A cemetery walk can be chilly, and a two-hour outing feels much easier when you have a planned break. It also gives you a chance to warm up, refresh your drink, and reset before the final cemetery-related stop.

Charity Hospital Cemetery and the Katrina memorial

The route includes the cemetery and memorial associated with unclaimed bodies from Hurricane Katrina. Your guide explains the lasting effects of the storm and gives you time to pay your respects.

This stop carries a different mood from the ghost stories. The Katrina memorial is not simply another spooky location. It connects the tour to a recent and painful part of New Orleans history, giving the evening more weight than a purely supernatural outing.

At night, Charity Hospital Cemetery may be closed, so you could be limited to looking through the gate and hearing the explanation from outside. That is an important practical detail. You are not guaranteed an interior walk at this stop, and some people may find the gate-side visit brief after spending much longer at Odd Fellows Rest.

The contrast between the two sites is useful, though. Odd Fellows Rest lets you walk inside a private cemetery, while the Katrina memorial asks for a quieter response. Together, they show two very different ways New Orleans remembers the dead.

What the two hours really feel like

The stated duration is about two hours, including the drive, cemetery walk, restroom stop, and commentary. Time is divided unevenly. Odd Fellows Rest gets the substantial visit, while the other cemeteries are mainly seen from the bus or from outside a gate.

That makes this a good choice if you prefer a compact evening plan. You get transportation, a guide, and a clear route without committing to a long walking tour. The bus is air-conditioned, and drivers have also been praised for keeping it warm during cold outings.

It is less ideal if you want a slow photographic study of several cemeteries. One departure ran short on time after the first cemetery, and the remaining stops were cut back. That seems to be the key risk: if the opening section runs long, the rest of the route may feel rushed.

The tour also works well as a change from the standard French Quarter program. You see parts of New Orleans beyond the usual bars, restaurants, and historic streets. Since much of the route is by bus, you can cover more ground with less physical effort than on a cemetery walking tour.

The guides are a major part of the value

The most frequently praised guides are Jeff, Geoff, and J. Jeff is described as a strong storyteller who blends burial customs with ghost tales and keeps the bus laughing. Geoff is praised for detailed local history and an engaging personality. J is described as funny, thoughtful, personable, and helpful, including when assisting someone with a mobility device.

Those details matter because the cemeteries themselves do not provide an explanation. Without a good guide, you would mainly see tombs and names. With a good guide, you understand why the tombs were built, who is connected to them, and how the city’s burial practices differ from what you may know at home.

The strongest version of the tour uses humor without losing respect. You can expect a few laughs on the bus, some dramatic ghost storytelling, and practical information about burial. The Katrina memorial in particular calls for a more respectful tone, and the guide’s judgment affects how well that transition works.

The overall score of 4.7 out of 5 from 1,694 ratings, with 93 percent recommending the experience, points to a consistently strong product. Still, the isolated poor experience is useful warning: pay attention to timing and guide style. The personality of the guide is not a minor extra here. It is central to the evening.

Is $40.32 a good value?

At $40.32 per person, I see fair value if you want exclusive nighttime entry to Odd Fellows Rest and a guide-led introduction to New Orleans burial culture. The air-conditioned bus, live commentary, cemetery access, and EMF readers are included, which keeps the price straightforward.

You are not paying for a long list of admissions. In fact, only one cemetery is clearly an interior stop, and Charity Hospital Cemetery may be viewed through the gate. The price is therefore tied to access and interpretation rather than quantity.

I would compare it with the cost of a standard ghost walk, but not expect the same experience. This tour gives you less continuous walking and more city coverage. It also lets you visit a cemetery that is otherwise difficult to enter. For a first visit to New Orleans, that combination is useful.

Group discounts may improve the value for families or friends. Free cancellation is available if you cancel at least 24 hours before the local start time. Changes or cancellations inside that window are not refundable.

Who should book this cemetery tour?

I would recommend it to you if you enjoy local history with a spooky edge, want to see New Orleans tombs without a long night walk, or are curious about burial customs. It is also a good fit for solo visitors who prefer the security of a group and a bus after dark.

Families can enjoy it, provided children are comfortable with cemetery settings and ghost stories. Couples and friends will find plenty of atmosphere and photo opportunities, especially inside Odd Fellows Rest.

I would hesitate if your main goal is Marie Laveau’s tomb. This tour does not visit St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, where her tomb is located. It also may disappoint you if you expect several cemetery interiors or a full evening of uninterrupted walking.

Should you book it?

Book this tour for Odd Fellows Rest, the guide, and the unusual mix of cemetery history and ghost lore. The private nighttime entry is the feature that justifies the price, while the bus and restroom break make the outing comfortable and manageable.

Skip it if you need wheelchair access, want a visit to Marie Laveau’s tomb, or expect to enter several cemeteries. For everyone else, choose comfortable shoes, wear layers, arrive 15 minutes early, and think of the evening as one substantial cemetery visit supported by a wider New Orleans bus tour.

FAQ

Which cemetery does the tour visit?

The tour typically enters Odd Fellows Rest, a private cemetery with exclusive access for this experience. It also passes Cypress Grove and Greenwood cemeteries.

Does the tour visit Marie Laveau’s tomb?

No. Marie Laveau’s tomb is in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, which is not part of this tour.

Does the tour visit the Hurricane Katrina memorial?

Yes. The guide explains the effects of Hurricane Katrina, and you can pay your respects at the associated memorial cemetery.

How long does the tour last?

The tour lasts approximately two hours.

Where does the tour start and end?

It starts at New Orleans Ghost Adventures Tours, 620 Decatur Street, number 600, in New Orleans. The activity ends back at the same meeting point.

Can I bring a drink?

Yes. Drinks are not included, but you can buy one near the starting point or during the refreshment stop and bring it on the bus. Alcoholic beverages are not included.

Is the tour wheelchair accessible?

No. The bus is not wheelchair accessible. You must be able to walk and manage a few steps to board and exit the bus.

What happens if the weather is bad?

The tour operates in all weather conditions. Wear comfortable shoes and layered clothing, since the evening cemetery walk may be cold or windy.