Joan Rattner Heilman
Joan Rattner Heilman, an inveterate traveler and seasoned journalist based in Mamaroneck, New York, is author of more than a dozen books. She specializes in 50-plus travel.
Some of America’s famous old cemeteries draw millions of visitors a year from all over the world. That’s because these cemeteries are not only intriguing archives of human history but also beautiful landscaped parks where famous people are buried. Many offer tours and educational programs, and a few even schedule entertainment, such as concerts, lectures, picnics, movies, tree walks and Halloween parties. Here are four of the most interesting cemeteries in the US. All are free, and most are open every day.
Designated a National Historic Landmark in 2011, this Victorian-era cemetery covers about 400 acres of bucolic land in the Bronx. The cemetery’s 20 miles of roads wind through the largest collection of towering specimen trees in the East and past elaborate tombs and mausoleums, many featuring mosaics and stained-glass windows by such artists as John La Farge and Louis Comfort Tiffany. A free map shows you where the giants of the past are buried, including journalist Joseph Pulitzer…financier Oliver H.P. Belmont, whose mausoleum is a replica of the chapel at Château d’Amboise in France…and a trove of early merchant princes, such as J.C. Penney, R.H. Macy and F.W. Woolworth, who is buried beneath an Egyptian temple flanked by two sphinxes. Woodlawn also is known for its renowned musicians, including Duke Ellington, Irving Berlin, Oscar Hammerstein, Sr., Miles Davis and Fritz Kreisler. A favorite visitors’ site is the bronze sculpture of a nude dancer adorning the graves of Vernon and Irene Castle, the husband-and-wife ballroom-dance team.
Woodlawn offers special events year-round, including festivals, concerts and tree walks. It also is a favorite haunt of local bird-watchers.
Information: 718-920-0500, TheWoodlawnCemetery.org.
Activities at Hollywood Forever include concerts and performances, as well as a summertime film series that draws about 3,500 people a week.
Information: 323-469-1181, HollywoodForever.com.
The most popular is the supposed grave of Voodoo queen Marie Laveau, one of New Orleans’ most colorful characters. You also will find the tombs of mayors, jazz musicians, heroes of the War of 1812 and infamous gamblers. You can wander through the cemetery free on your own, but it is more interesting to join an organized walking tour, such as those conducted by volunteers for the nonprofit Save Our Cemeteries (504-525-3377, SaveOurCemeteries.org, $20 per person…children under age 12, free. If you book online, you save $2).
Information: 504-482-5065, NewOrleansOnline.com.
You can wander Graceland Cemetery on your own, but opt for the two-hour guided tours led by trained docents from the Chicago Architecture Foundation (312-922-8687, Architecture.org, Sundays, May through October…adults $15, seniors 65+ $10 and children and students $10).
Information: 773-525-1105, GracelandCemetery.org.