@celestialjenna's Review of Metairie Cemetery - New Orleans, Louisiana

This cemetery was built on a racetrack and you can still see its shape today. This is Metairie Cemetery, established in 1872 on the former Metairie Racecourse, once one of the country's leading racetracks. During the Civil War, the grounds became a military encampment. Racing returned afterward, but the track never fully recovered. The cemetery that replaced it was designed differently from New Orleans' crowded over burial grounds. Spacious, landscaped, and filled with elaborate tombs and monuments. And today, more than 100,000 people are buried across its 127 acres. You walk or drive through Metairie Cemetery today, you're still following the same oval where racehorses once ran. One of those rare places where history isn't just remembered. You can still see its shape beneath your feet.