The Cedar Grove Cemetery ~ New Bern, NC

   Let's face it. There are two types of people in this world: those who dream that they live in a small tight-knit community like the fictional town of Stars Hollow on the Gilmore Girls TV show, and, well, everyone else. It reality, it takes a group of like-minded community leaders to reinvent a small town and turn it into a quaint place where people love to spend their time (and money). New Bern, NC is, or at least is becoming, one of these places. Now, I'm not sure if Stars Hollow had a cemetery, but if they did, it would look just like the Cedar Grove Cemetery in New Bern.

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    The Cedar Grove Cemetery is located just off of quaint, walkable, bustling, downtown New Bern. The cemetery was established in 1800 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The graves, statues, and trees on the property are impressive. Cemeteries aren't usually places you'd take a stroll on a nice day - but this one is.
   The best-best-best time to visit the cemetery is during the New Bern Historical Societies' annual Ghostwalk. This event is a self-guided walking tour through historic New Bern. You walk from houses to churches to the cemetery, and are entertained by talented actors telling historic, factual stories about the character they have embodied and about the site they are stationed at. It is a ticketed event, however, once you've got your ticket you simply grab a map and explore the sites you want in any order. We always stop by the cemetery - forewarning: it gets a little crowded during the peak hours. Ghostwalk is not a haunted house - it's an entertaining and educational outdoor museum-like walk for the whole family.
   The best part about it? While the Ghostwalk actors aren't really real, the Stars Hollow-vibe is. You'll be walking the streets of historic New Bern and rubbing shoulders with the community as they continue to reinvent a great, quaint, little town on the river.

    ~Paul & Amber   ETC 

P.S. - I couldn't write about the cemetery and not mention the spooky legend of the Weeping Arch...gulp...watch out as you enter the front gate!