These cemeteries are among the most amazing places to visit in the U.S.

Spooky stuff

These cemeteries are among the most amazing places to visit in the U.S.

Historic cemeteries can feel like outdoor museums: part landscape design, part local lore, part time capsule. Many were created before city parks existed, so people actually visited them for strolling and taking in the views. The 10 cemeteries on this list have famous names, fires, wars, funny epitaphs, and many more interesting reasons to visit them. Is any of these near your home?

Mount Auburn Cemetery (Cambridge, Massachusetts)

Image: Presentsquare

Our first entry was founded in 1831 and was designed like a landscaped garden, meant to be visited, rather than hidden away, as it sometimes happened.

It’s equal parts history book and botanical garden. It has ponds, paths, towers, and the all-around sense that a cemetery should be a public garden.

St. Louis Cemetery (New Orleans, Louisiana)

Image: Annie Spratt

This is the classic New Orleans "city of the dead". It is known for its above-ground tombs and layered legends tied to the city’s rich history of cultures and religions.

Because it’s so storied and therefore fragile, visits are often organized around official tours that work as a guided history walk.

Hollywood Cemetery (Richmond, Virginia)

Image: Vagelis Karathanasis

Established in 1847 on the James River, Hollywood feels like a romantic landscape painting: big trees, slopes, and views that don’t look like a city cemetery at all.

It’s often described as an outdoor museum: architecture, memorial art, and a trip down the Civil War history of Virginia.

Historic Congressional Cemetery (Washington, DC)

Image: David Trinks

With its first burial in 1807, Congressional Cemetery is an integral part of the city’s history. It is the final resting place of tens of thousands of people tied to the public life of the country.

It’s open for walking and exploring, and it even offers self-guided tour themes for visitors to pick a topic and follow the past like a trail map of sorts.

Bonaventure Cemetery (Savannah, Georgia)

Image: Alla Kemelmakher

Bonaventure’s look is the stuff of Southern gothic postcards: live oaks, Spanish moss, and sculptures that seem designed for a movie.

Pop culture made it famous for its incredible statues, but the one that most people search for was moved to a museum, which is another story in itself.

Key West Cemetery (Key West, Florida)

Image: R. du Plessis

Key West Cemetery is famous for its witty, blunt epitaphs. Stones that read like one-liners, including the legendary "I told you I was sick."

That humor is the point: it serves as a testament to the island’s personality, where even memorials can be playful and oddly uplifting.

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery (Sleepy Hollow, New York)

Image: Annie Spratt

This famous cemetery is visitable, and it's tied to the region’s literary fame, including the grave of Washington Irving.

It’s set up for self-guided exploration or organized tours alike. This way, visitors can choose between a full historic experience or just enjoy a peaceful landscape drive.

Arlington National Cemetery (Arlington, Virginia)

Image: J. Amill Santiago

Arlington is one of the country’s most significant burial grounds, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a focal point for visitors paying respects.

Even if you’ve seen it on TV, being there feels special. Especially around the rituals that keep the site feeling active, instead of a frozen-in-time place.

Boot Hill Graveyard (Tombstone, Arizona)

Image: Shalev Cohen

Boot Hill leans strongly into Old West lore: names, tales, and nicknames that feel half-history, half-frontier myth, and often both at the same time.

It’s very visitor-friendly, with material designed to help you connect specific graves to specific stories, sort of like a Who’s Who of cemetery lore.

Forest Hills Cemetery (Boston, Massachusetts)

Image: Christopher Ryan

Founded in 1848, Forest Hills is both a cemetery and an open-air museum. It serves as a panoramic landscape garden where art and architecture are part of the visitor experience.

If you decide to visit this place, be sure to look for the famous memorial sculpture where Death gently stops at a sculptor’s hand.