Metairie Road — City of the Dead Drive

The colonial-era trail that became Metairie Road connected the Mississippi River settlement to the Metairie Ridge — a natural levee. Within two miles, it passes Cypress Grove, Greenwood, Metairie Cemetery, and half a dozen smaller burial grounds. This is the densest concentration of above-ground tombs in New Orleans, the corridor that earned the city its "Cities of the Dead" nickname. The cemeteries were built on the ridge because it was the highest ground available — the same logic that placed the earliest houses. Metairie Cemetery was founded in 1872 on the grounds of a horse racing track established in 1838. The track hosted the famous Lexington-Lecomte Race on April 1, 1854, attended by former President Millard Fillmore. After the Civil War and Reconstruction, the track went bankrupt. The cemetery was built following the original oval layout of the track itself. Metairie Cemetery has the largest collection of elaborate marble tombs and funeral statuary in the city. The Army of Tennessee, Louisiana Division monument is topped by an 1877 equestrian statue of General Albert Sidney Johnston on his horse "Fire-eater." The Moriarty tomb includes a marble monument sixty feet tall, which required the construction of a temporary special spur railroad line to transport the building materials to the cemetery. The cemetery contains the tombs of nine Louisiana governors, seven New Orleans mayors, and three Confederate generals. Jefferson Davis was buried here, but his remains were later moved to Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia in 1893. Drive or bike Metairie Road from City Park Ave toward Metairie. The cemeteries are visible from the road.