Hi! I’m Jennifer. She/her. Athens, Georgia resident for over 15 years. Office & distribution manager for Flagpole Magazine, dessert maker/baker for Daily Groceries Co-Op, companion to one cool dude and 6 rescue critters, and a huge supporter of literacy, libraries and human/animal rights.

Like many Southerners, I grew up in a traditional small town. The same one my Mother grew up in. And my Grandmother. And my Great-Grandmother. And my Great-Great-Grandmother. That town, while a bit bigger nowadays, still remains a time capsule of sorts. It sits right on the edge of the amazingly beautiful and wonderfully wild Okefenokee Swamp, and has been a huge influence on my life interests and hobbies.

Thanks to the many old cemetery visits in my youth for Homecoming and the like, it feels like I’ve loved funerary art for just about forever. My move to Athens and its proximity to some of the most unique cemeteries in the South continues to fuel the fire of that interest.

I’ve spent a good deal of time exploring nearby states and documenting my finds, and I’m pretty sure positive that I’ve moved into the realm of full-fledged tombstone tourist or taphophile. Definition: someone who visits cemeteries because they have a specific interest or hobby that isn’t affiliated with traditional mourning practices. In other words, I will often visit cemeteries and I won’t know a single soul there!

I like to explore these sites for a variety of reasons – funerary art & sculptures, interesting epitaphs, ghost stories & odd history, interesting characters/people, vernacular works, Victorian Era finds, metal graves of cast iron & white bronze, and the list goes on. But that’s just me and there’s a world of other cemetery-centric interests. Folks might go for historical research or to update find-a-grave. Some go the conservation route such as mapping plots to protect these areas from land development, or going bird or critter watching in a quiet and protected area, or finding rare or native plants tucked against headstones. Oh, there any other number of pursuits! As you can see, there’s a lot to be had from exploring your local cemetery.

Of course, as a visitor one should be sure to read rules and regulations, and to behave accordingly. Many people visiting cemeteries are there to pay respect to loved or lost ones, and a good cemetery tourist will be sure to practice proper etiquette. After all, I am from the South and we do love to natter on about manners…

Aside from all things cemetery, I am also a big fan of car camping, reading booksbooksbooks (I was a librarian in a previous life), visiting museums and museum gift shops, collecting vintage pottery, finding roadside attractions and oddities, and admiring outsider folk art like Paradise Garden, Pope’s Museum and African Village in America. Oh, and local festivals and botanical gardens! You’ll find all this and more on the blog from time to time. I do have a much neglected travel blog Another Southern Roadside Attraction that I’m trying to engage with more often. No pressure but you can feel free to wander over that way and take a peek at some of my sidequests. Just pardon the work in progress that it is…

While Southern Cemetery is primarily about my Taphophile travels around the South, I hope we can connect over a variety of interests. And I’m very open for collaborations with others – specifically not-for-profit events and projects.

If I share places here on the blog such as shops, restaurants, museums, etc, then please know that it is because I truly enjoy them and it is not for my profit. I do not have sponsored posts. There’s nothing wrong with sponsored posts but a) I have very people who ask to do so and b) that’s not the direction that I’m currently wanting the blog to go. With a full-time job, trying to roadtrip all the damn time, volunteering here and there, and wrangling 6 rescue critters, it’s just not in the cards right now. I’m just glad to be here to show you things I find interesting and to share the people who are involved in community.

I have a disclaimer here about using my blog for travel and information, sharing my photos, AI use, and more. There’s also a statement regarding representation, inclusivity and other topics of that nature. I love the South so much but I still have an awareness of how much has changed and how much should change. This blog, much like myself, is a work in progress.

Anyhoo, I’m glad you’re here and you’ve read all this. WELCOME!

Oh, and I have to give photo credit to my kind and talented friend Zane. Go follow his Instagram!

*There’s a historical difference between cemetery and graveyard but in a more modern/casual setting the term cemetery is often used in an overarching manner that includes both titles.