15 Cemetery Tours You Can’t Miss
Cemetery tours combine education, culture, history, art and often a touch of mystery, making them appealing to people with a broad range of interests. They can be opportunities for personal reflection or just fun. Cemetery tours provide insight into the past and how different cultures honor their loved ones after death, and they’re a chance to appreciate both nature and architecture.
Types of cemetery tours
There are different types of cemetery tours, each catering to various interests, preferences and mobility needs. Self-guided tours offer flexibility, while guided tours provide expert insights. Walking tours are perfect for a leisurely pace, while biking tours help you cover more ground quickly. Driving tours provide comfort but you’ll be limited in where you can go. Group tours offer a more social experience, while solo tours allow for more personal reflection. If you’re not able to travel, virtual tours let you explore from afar.
Here’s what you need to know about the different types of cemetery tours cemeteries may offer.
Docent-led tours
Docent-led tours are guided experiences led by experts. Those curious about local history will enjoy detailed insights into the cemetery’s history, the people memorialized there and its unique features.
Self-guided tours
Explore at your own pace using a simple map, mobile app, recorded audio or even a solo scavenger hunt to visit points of interest. Those with a more spontaneous sense of adventure and curiosity will benefit from the ability to shift gears at any point during the tour to focus on different highlights.
Group tours
Participants in a group tour may already know each other and enjoy learning and exploring with friends and family. They might also be strangers, allowing participants to meet new people with similar interests. Led by a knowledgeable guide, a group tour can often be tailored to the desires of the group.
Solo tours
A solo tour may or may not include a private guide. It may suit those with an interest in quiet contemplation, those who enjoy exploration without the necessity to consider the needs of a crowd or people who want a highly personal experience that can be mapped out ahead of time.
Walking tours
Walking tours are a great option for active people who like to get close to the action and see details up close. Remember to dress for the weather—don’t forget sunscreen—and wear comfortable shoes that provide stability on a variety of surfaces.
Biking tours
If you have a lot of ground to cover or just want to get some exercise, a bike tour is a great option. You’ll take breaks along the way to check out specific features of the cemetery. The same advice about dressing for the weather applies. Water may also be a good idea.
Driving tours
When exploring a large cemetery, you can either drive yourself or be driven by someone else. Driving tours can be enjoyable for those who may not be able to walk distances, but not all cemeteries allow cars or even golf carts
Audio tours
Pre-recorded audio can be a good accompaniment to a self-guided tour. You will have access to details you may not otherwise have, and you can hit pause anytime you like to set your own pace.
Virtual tours
For those who aren’t able to travel to a particular cemetery or who have limited mobility, virtual cemetery tours let you explore from anywhere. They also provide a great way to preview a cemetery before visiting in person.
15 popular U.S. cemetery tours
Whether for the storytelling, the history, the research or a special event, cemetery tours go beyond simply exploring a burial ground. Here are some of the most popular around the United States.
1. Arlington National Cemetery Tours
Arlington, Virginia
If you go on a tour at Arlington National Cemetery, expect to visit the graves of prominent figures like President John F. Kennedy and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. The tour includes stops at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Marine Corps War Memorial.
2. Sleepy Hollow Cemetery Tours
Sleepy Hollow, New York
The Sleepy Hollow Cemetery Tour explores the final resting place of Washington Irving, the author of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” as well as the Helmsley mausoleum, with its New York City-skyline stained-glass windows. The cemetery sits on 90 acres in the Hudson Valley, about an hour outside of NYC.
3. St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 Tours
New Orleans, Louisiana
With its famous aboveground tombs and fascinating stories, a tour of the St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 offers a glimpse into the history and culture of The Big Easy. Notable figures you might learn about include Voodoo practitioner and herbalist Marie Laveau, civil rights activist Homer Plessy and many extraordinary musicians, politicians and war heroes.
4. National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific Tours
Honolulu, Hawaii
The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific Tour takes you into an extinct volcano and features a monument honoring those missing in action from World War II. It’s also the final resting place for more than 13,000 identified soldiers and sailors from World War II, as well as those who served in the Korean and Vietnam wars.
5. Lake View Cemetery Tours
Cleveland, Ohio
The Lake View Cemetery Tour will walk you through many highlights, including the Garfield Monument, Wade Chapel and Rockefeller Monument. The cemetery is known for its natural beauty as well, with 258 acres, an arboretum and a hill that hosts more than 150,000 daffodils each spring.
6. Hollywood Forever Cemetery Tours
Los Angeles, California
Founded in 1899, the cemetery is one of the world’s most visited landmarks. You’ll visit the graves of Hollywood legends like Judy Garland and Rudolph Valentino on the Hollywood Forever Cemetery Walking Tour. You’ll also hear stories of the cemetery’s history and its role in the entertainment industry.
7. Bonaventure Cemetery Tours
Savannah, Georgia
The Bonaventure Historical Society Cemetery Tour highlights the cemetery’s role in Savannah’s history. Amid the iconic Spanish moss-draped oaks, you’ll visit the resting places of historical figures such as poet Conrad Aiken and popular lyricist Johnny Mercer, as well as more than 500 Confederate soldiers.
8. Mount Auburn Cemetery Tours
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Mount Auburn Cemetery Tours will introduce you to the graves of notable figures like poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, as well as a veritable outdoor museum of funerary art. The first cemetery to embrace the early 19th-century shift from cramped urban burial grounds to rural, parklike spaces, Mount Auburn Cemetery is also a beautiful botanical garden.
9. Gettysburg National Cemetery Tours
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
A tour of Gettysburg National Cemetery includes a visit to the Lincoln Speech Memorial as well as the hill within Evergreen Cemetery (part of the National Cemetery), where Lincoln stood to give his famed Gettysburg Address. You’ll also visit many key Civil War monuments and the graves of both named and unknown Union soldiers.
10. Cave Hill Cemetery Tours
Louisville, Kentucky
Cave Hill Cemetery Tours highlight the cemetery’s arboretum and its collection of monumental art. You’ll visit the grave of boxing legend Muhammad Ali and the real Colonel Harland Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame.
11. Boothill Graveyard Tours
Tombstone, Arizona
On a Boothill Graveyard Tour, you’ll visit the graves of outlaws like Billy Clanton and Tom McLaury. You’ll also hear stories of the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral and the colorful history of the silver mining boom town, Tombstone.
12. Mount Moriah Cemetery Tours
Deadwood, South Dakota
Visit the graves of Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane and other frontier legends on a tour of Mount Moriah Cemetery. You’ll get a glimpse into the lives of Deadwood’s most interesting characters and the history of the Black Hills.
13. Long Beach Historical Cemetery Tours
Long Beach, New Jersey
Arranged by the Historical Society of Long Beach, the annual Long Beach Historical Cemetery Tour takes place each October at Long Beach Municipal Cemetery and Sunnyside Cemetery. This self-guided program features 10-minute graveside performances by community theater actors who portray the lives of those buried there.
14. Granary Burying Ground Tours
Boston, Massachusetts
On the Granary Burying Ground tour, you’ll visit the final resting place of three signers of the Declaration of Independence: Samuel Adams, John Hancock and Robert Treat Paine. Established in 1660, this is among the oldest cemeteries in the United States.
15. Wind River Reservation Tours
Fort Washakie, Wyoming
A Wind River Reservation Tour takes you through Sacajawea’s Cemetery in the Wind River Reservation, overlooking the inspiring Wind River Mountain Range. This peaceful setting honors Sacajawea, a Native American Lemhi Shoshone who journeyed with the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Tour a Dignity Memorial® cemetery
None of the cemeteries listed above are Dignity Memorial providers. Among the 400-plus cemeteries in the Dignity Memorial network are many historical locations worth a visit—not to mention hundreds of parklike spaces that welcome families for strolls, picnics and holiday events every year.
If you’re considering purchasing cemetery property, you may want to tour a few locations. This proactive step will help you to better understand the properties and services they offer. We welcome the opportunity to show you around.