Maybe you love exploring cemeteries on your RV travels, but maybe you find them sad, or creepy. However you feel about them, there’s no denying that visiting cemeteries can be a great place to learn about local histories.
Read this essay by Chuck Woodbury about why he enjoys visiting cemeteries while he travels.
So, on your RV travels, do you like to walk around random cemeteries? Do you have a favorite cemetery that comes to mind that you discovered on your RV travels? If you don’t mind sharing, please tell us about it in the comments.
And lastly, here’s a list from TimeOut sharing the most beautiful cemeteries in the U.S. And yes, they sure are beautiful!
I find older military cemetery interesting. Went to a Civil War one in South Carolina where a large area was blocked off. It was the grave site of an estimated 12,000 Union POWs, who died in a disease epidemic. Also, a tombstone just labeled, “son.” I imagine a death following birth. Sad stories.
On longer trips, a cemetery of interest is often one of the planned stops.
Different cultures honor their dead differently. In Iceland neon lights poke up out of the snow. Near ElPaso Texas cemeteries have objects which were important to the dead or may indicate cause of death such as a car bumper on the grave. In Hungary where multiple generation share the same grave sight we saw a rv plaque with pictures of a couple. Many older historic cemeteries in the US have tours. These are not ghost tours but explain the evolution of grave art etc
We often go to old mining towns so a stop at the local cemetery is not unusual.
It’s interesting to see how folks were named, how long they lived, the months of their birth and death and the fate that put them in the grave. For example, pneumonia was a pretty common cause of death in Goldfield, Nevada during its heyday and the number of deaths of men to women was at least 3 to 1.
It’s one of my wife and I favorite things to do when traveling. Especially if it’s an old, overgrown, forgotten cemetery. Seeing dates as long ago as the 1700s is fascinating.
I got an early start at touring cemeteries. We used to ride bicycles to a local one when I was 6 years old. I enjoyed reading the epitaphs. The most interesting one was from 38 year old Brownell Durham who died on Oct 5,1848.
“Behold me now, as you walk by. As you are now, so once was I.
As I am now, soon you will be. Prepare for death, and follow me.”
I try to visit the living as much as possible. Not much for funerals, or dead people.
If we do tour a cemetery, they are often quite rural, small, and old cemeteries. And more often than not, it happens in the spring with wild flowers blooming. The oldest grave markers can often give you a sense of the early non-native settlers.
We usually check out cemeteries when exploring old west towns and ghost towns. The one in Viriginia City, NV had a couple of outlaw names that we recognized, which made it even more interesting.
I’ll be a resident soon enough, so I’ll skip the tour….
I enjoy visiting/touring cemeteries as much as possible. We were just at the Antietam National Battlefield yesterday. I enjoyed walking around the cemetery at Mumma Farm (this was the family cemetery – not the soldiers). I look at the names and try to picture what life was like for those people. I also enjoy figuring out how old they were when they died. I usually limit the cemeteries to 18th and 19th century. Btw, if you are ever in the Williamsport area, I strongly suggest the Antietam National Battlefield – very well done. Next time we’re in the area, Gettysburg!
I love old cemeteries. So much history and family stories to be imagined. Old cemeteries and national cemeteries interest me the most. I always pay tribute to our veterans.
The operative word is random. While we have walked around them, it was for a reason.
I don’t know why but it seems every time we drive from one camping location to the next (in our average 1-2 month travels) we seem to drive by an old cemetery. Very strange. That and Sherwin Williams. Idk ? We don’t generally stop at the cemeteries but have visited a few along the way
Walk around old cemeteries, yes, sometimes, but stop to do that, no.
MIL loved to do this. We, rest of the family, we find it funny. Now my wife has started doing it since MILs passing.
I’ve always found cemeteries fascinating and yes, I have made specific trips to visit these places to locate specific people who might have had a historical link to the past. Sometimes these cemeteries can be isolated and alone, and others are vast underground cities. I was on a cemetery tour in Edinburgh, Scotland and the guide told us that there were more people buried under our feet than were alive in the city at that moment. I’ve been to other cemeteries here in Oklahoma that were small, isolated, and usually sad. I guess it’s no surprise I now work at our city cemetery here where I live now.
Thank you, RV Travel! When RVing? Only once that I recall. We were in a TVA campground and a community was relocated when a dam was built. The cemetary was near the campground and we walked through it to see if it was still in use; it was. When traveling internationally, we are attracted to ancient ruins, which usually include a cemetary. We always wander through them to see the variety in markers used as well as the age range of the graves. I was surprised by how far apart the ages of the graves were; centuries in some cases. Have a great weekend and safe travels!