A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure go to one of the Capturing Spirit of Oakland Halloween Tour at the Historic Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta. Oakland's always been a major piece of Atlanta's history, but granted, cemeteries make me a bit nervous. Oakland hosts a ton of events, from movie nights to weddings to tours and festivals.

A friend invited me to Oakland's annual Halloween tour, which she's attended for years. I was hesitant at first, but they aren't really ghost tours - instead they're historical tours that honor the cemetery's "residents." The tours sell out every year, with around 1,000 visitors each night for a little over a week. The proceeds of the tours actually benefit the restoration of the cemetery, which is actually a park run by Atlanta Parks & Rec (and was apparently the city's only park for over 30 years, when it first "opened"). As you can tell, there's a lot of history.





I was really excited about the Halloween flavors that King of Pops was selling (and about the King of Pops girl dressed as Ripley from Alien). Not to mention, I was able to buy a drink that was a rosemary pear collins, which was oh so good, and I got a souvenir cup to keep!




The tour is a selection of many of the cemetery's residents. The actors tell a story as if they are the individuals they are telling the story of. It's a really interesting concept. I got emotional over almost all of the stories, especially the suffragette who encouraged everyone to go vote!









The cemetery was lovely and it's somewhere I'd definitely visit again during the day. I learned there are even opportunities to volunteer in the cemetery for restoration and care-taking purposes, so that's something I'd definitely consider in the future.