June 28, 2009 at 04:33am by Gus
Above: Watch a narrated tour video of the Michael Jackson cemetery, filmed the day after he died.
Last week, if you were a Miami tour guide and someone asked you to take them to see the Michael Jackson cemetery, only one place would come to mind - the Coconut Grove Bahamian Cemetery - which locals know as the place where Michael Jackson filmed his “Thriller” music video.
Now, Miami Tour Company does not claim this is the cemetery where the big dance number was filmed, that was shot inside an old meatpacking plant in East LA, but the director’s second unit crew did shoot some B-roll footage here.
The cemetery is one of the secret spots we visit on our award winning City Tour. We get there by driving the back way down Loquat Avenue, where all the hippies used to live in Coconut Grove.
From the tour:
If you look out the window, you’ll notice an unusual graveyard you may have actually seen somewhere before. This is the Coconut Grove Bahamian cemetery, also known as Charlotte Jane Memorial Park. It was first used as a final resting place in 1906, when Bahamian immigrants moved a former cemetery here from another location. It employs the above-ground burial style used in the Bahamas. Since the cemetery is located at sea level, any flooding would cause the caskets to float around. Keeping the departed about a foot apart from each other in above-ground stone caskets can assure they stay in place. And if you feel it has a spooky aura, you’re not alone. In 1983, pop star Michael Jackson chose this as the filming location for his famous music video “Thriller”!
Rest in peace, Michael.
Your music will live forever.
And the Coconut Grove Bahamian Cemetery will always be a special place we can visit to remember you.
Would Anyone Like To Visit The Cemetery?
If you are traveling with people who do not speak English, Miami Tour Company offers City Tours narrated in 5 languages: English, Spanish, French, Italian, and German.
Let us show you around!
If you’d rather drive yourself, the cemetery is located at 3575 South Douglas Road Miami, FL 33231.
 | Gus Moore heads up Miami Beach 411 as site administrator, where he has been helping people understand how Miami works for over a decade. See more articles by Gus > |
