Tours and Tickets to Experience Old Settlers’ Cemetery

There are plenty of ways to experience the Old Settlers' Cemetery. Looking at ratings and reviews previously given by customers, these are the best tours available right now:

• Charlotte's Ultimate Southern Charm Historical City Cart Tour

• Carolina History and Haunts Charlotte Historical Ghost Walking Tour

• UPTOWN FUNK: 1 Hour Guided City Walking Tour in Charlotte

• Dead Funny Charlotte Ghost Tour | LaZoom Tours

• Charlotte Haunted Booze and Boos Ghost Walking Tour

The Old Settlers’ Cemetery is completely free to visit, as it’s a public cemetery and historic site. However, there are plenty of fun tours available that will get you far more out of your visit—think historic walking tours and ghost tours to boot. These start at about US$15, depending on the tour offering and duration.

Yes, a number of guided tours in Charlotte include a stop at the Old Settlers’ Cemetery. The most popular options are self-guided tours—where you explore the city’s best landmarks (like the cemetery) with your phone as your guide—as well as historic walking tours and ghost tours, which highlight the stories of those laid to rest.

Yes, the Old Settlers’ Cemetery is open to the public during daylight hours and can be explored independently. It's located in Charlotte’s Fourth Ward, near Uptown, and easy to reach for self-guided visits and photography. Of course, going on a tour is great because you’ll get to hear the wild tales behind the gravestones, but visiting on your own is worthwhile, too.

Established in the late 1700s, the Old Settlers’ Cemetery is Charlotte's oldest burial ground, containing graves of Revolutionary War veterans, early settlers, and victims of various epidemics that shaped the city's early history. The oldest gravemarkers actually date back to the country’s founding in 1776. Even the newest ones are old, dating to 1884.

Yes, photography is generally permitted at the Old Settlers’ Cemetery for personal use. Many visitors come specifically to photograph the historic headstones, old trees, and atmospheric setting, especially during the golden hour or on guided tours. The cemetery no longer takes interments, so it’s a historic site, not an active place of grief.