By Melody Larson
Posted 9/30/19
Ready to feel spooky? I’m doing a 3 part series on free cemetery tours.
Part 1 of 3: Free cemetery tours
Greenwood Cemetery: Do you know about the free Greenwood Cemetery Moonlight Walking Tours? The Greenwood Cemetery was established in 1880 and is managed by the City of Orlando. You can visit during daytime cemetery hours. You can only visit at night if you attend the Moonlight Walking Tour. The cost of the tour is free but they accept donations to charity. The tours includes two miles of walking through the cemetery with brief visits to about 100 graves of notable individuals in Orlando history. I did the tour years ago and enjoyed it.
The registration for the tours are through Eventbrite and it sells out quickly. The registration opens up 2 weeks before the tour dates. Visit the website for upcoming dates and registration. The October tours are October 25 with registration on October 11 at 9am. Wear comfortable shoes and bug spray.
Note: Normally (the nights with no tours) the cemetery is closed at night and the fence gates are locked due to vandalism/theft.
Part 2 of 3: Free cemetery tours
Oviedo Cemetery: There is an Oviedo Preservation Project’s Annual Twilight Tour of the cemetery on Sunday, October 27 from 6-7pm. The Oviedo Cemetery is located across the street from Oviedo High School.
This is a one hour Oviedo historical tour with actors in costume. It’s not a ghost tour. The tour is free and $3 donations are optional. The tales include the civil war, celery, snakes and other surprising stories. You get in a group when you arrive then rotate around to the different actors stationed at the gravestones. We enjoyed the tour last year.
Note: The cemetery is closed at night due to vandalism/theft. It is illegal and trespassing to go into the graveyard at night.
Part 3 of 3: Free cemetery tours
Tolomato Cemetery and Huguenot Cemetery: Visit the Tolomato Cemetery and the Huguenot Cemetery in St. Augustine. The guided tours are open free of charge to the public ONLY on the 3rd Saturday of each month. Normally the cemeteries are closed to the public or open only for private tours. The next guided tour is Saturday, October 19 from 11am-2pm. These two cemeteries have graves from the 1700’s and might be haunted.
Note: The cemeteries fence gates are always locked due to vandalism/theft. It is illegal and trespassing to go into the graveyard at night. The police monitor the area. You can walk by and take photos of the cemeteries from behind the fence anytime though.
Orlando Adventuring 