New Orleans' 'Scavenger Hunt For Art And History' Offers A Unique Walkable Adventure In The City

With its haunted houses and over 40 historic cemeteries, look no further than New Orleans for a city that's tailor-made for a perfect Halloween vacation. The Louisiana jewel leans into its morbid flair, with places like the Museum of Death diving head-on into life, death, and culture in the city. You'll see weathered tombs and vine-covered mausoleums looming along streets, and ghost tours wind through the French Quarter at night, spinning tales about the grand old mansions and shadowy alleyways. There's a unique and fun way to explore the city's macabre side at your own pace, too. The vigilant eye might notice small, moss-covered tombs sitting in the recesses of a hotel lobby or an antique store. These tombs, called the "NOLA Tiny Tombs," make up a New Orleans "scavenger hunt for art and history," as described on Boing Boing.

The Tiny Tombs — there are 13 in total — were created by miniatures artist Lady Delaney starting in 2017. Lady Delaney, a resident of New Orleans, modeled each tomb on those found in real New Orleans cemeteries, drawing from the city's multi-faceted cultural influences. Each tomb is hand-made, with inscriptions bearing names like "LaBelle" and "Hermann" commemorating fictional dearly departed. The scavenger hunt is free and spread across public locations, with new tomb sites added or changed regularly.

If you want to participate in the Tiny Tombs scavenger hunt, you can obtain a Site Guide from Lady Delaney's website by joining a special email list. You'll then receive an email detailing the rules of the scavenger hunt and where you can find each tomb. The rules state that you cannot touch or move the tombs — you only need to inspect the tombs visually to get their stories. For the most part, the tombs' locations are free to enter, like bookstores, hotel lobbies, and speakeasies. There are a couple tombs located in museums that have a small admission fee, including the Pharmacy Museum — but the ticket is worth it, as this is one of the unmissable things to do on a vacation in New Orleans.

While locations are provided for most of the tombs, there are a few with an added element of mystery, which are "undiscovered" and do not come with a provided address. These ones you'll have to put in a bit more detective work to find. The guide provides one clue to delimit your search: All the tombs' locations are within a 15-minute walk of the St. Charles Avenue Streetcar route. Riding the streetcar is itself an interesting bit of historical exploration in New Orleans — it's the oldest active interurban passenger rail line in the U.S., having been in service since 1835. The streetcar line starts at the junction of Canal Street and Carondelet Street, which is about a 20-minute drive from the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.