The Cemetery Crawl Returns to Red Hook, One Gravestone Clue at a Time

September 20–October 26, kickoff Saturday, September 20, 10am–4pm | Red Hook, NY | Free

Historic Red Hook launches its annual Cemetery Crawl on September 20, a combination scavenger hunt and self-guided walking tour through six of the town's historic burial grounds. The event kicks off during Hardscrabble Day in the village, with Historic Red Hook set up on the northwest corner in front of Bliss Juice—all materials are also available online for anyone who'd rather start on their own schedule.

The format works in two ways. Year-round, an interactive map lets anyone click a pin at any of the six cemeteries and both read and hear a recorded story about the person memorialized there, drawn from Historic Red Hook's ongoing research into the town's burial grounds. The seasonal scavenger hunt ads a competitive element on top: participants can choose their challenge level, find clues at each site, and take on bonus challenges—a graveyard haiku, a pumpkin carved in honor of a particular monument. Everyone who completes the hunt gets a prize, with four grand-prize baskets raffled off at the end.

The whole thing wraps October 26 at 3pm with an Award Ceremony on the Elmendorph Inn lawn, featuring live music and food, prize announcements, and a community project turning the green into a cemetery using recycled materials.

The six participating cemeteries include the Church of St. John the Evangelist in Barrytown, St. John's Reformed Church in Upper Red Hook, St. Paul's Lutheran Church in the Village of Red Hook, and St. Paul's and Trinity Parish in Tivoli, among others.

Six cemeteries across Red Hook, NY. Free. Maps, workbooks, and full rules at historicredhook.org/cemeterycrawl.