Location: Savannah
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Things to do in Savannah, Georgia (GA): The Best Cemeteries
Charming Savannah is the picture of antebellum hospitality, thanks to period architecture and oak-lined streets. It’s tempting to spend your trip just relaxing on vast verandas and sipping mint juleps, but there are plenty of historical sites and museums to explore. Haunting (and possibly haunted) Bonaventure Cemetery is one of the hallmarks of the city, featuring beautiful obelisks, masses of flowers, and ivy-covered crypts. Dine on fresh seafood and creamy grits for a taste of Savannah home cooking.
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1. Laurel Grove South Cemetery
2. Bonaventure Cemetery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 6,548 reviews
Bonaventure Cemetery was developed on the historically-significant site of Bonaventure Plantation. The peaceful setting rests on a scenic bluff of the Wilmington River, east of Savannah. The site was purchased for a private cemetery in 1846 and became a public cemetery in 1907. Citizens and others can still purchase interment rights in Bonaventure. This charming site has been a world famous tourist destination for more than 150 years due to the old tree-lined roadways, the many notable persons interred, the unique cemetery sculpture and architecture, and the folklore associated with the site and the people. The entrance to the cemetery is located at 330 Bonaventure Road and is the largest of the municipal cemeteries containing nearly 100 acres. The cemetery is open to the public daily from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. . The main office of the Department of Cemeteries is located in the Bonaventure Administrative Building at the entrance.
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
Established in 1846 and covering nearly 160 acres on a scenic bluff overlooking the Wilmington River, east of Savannah, Georgia, the Bonaventure Cemetery is the largest of the city's municipal cemeteries. In recent years, it has become one of Savannah's most popular tourist attractions, primarily due to its role in John Berendt's best-selling book "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," which was turned into a movie directed by Clint Eastwood. The cover of the book features the "Bird Girl," an evocative sculpture which used to reside in the cemetery. After going virtually unnoticed for over 50 years, it was relocated from the cemetery in 1997 for display in the Telfair Museum of Art in Savannah. Many of the city's statesmen, prominent citizens and soldiers are buried in Bonaventure Cemetery in the shade of 250-year-old moss-laden oak trees, including Savannah founders Noble Wimberly Jones and Edward Telfair. Five Civil War generals and one admiral are buried there. So is singer, lyricist and composer Johnny Mercer and poet Conrad Aiken. In a cemetery of many unusual tombstones, perhaps one of the most unique is one in the shape of a piano, Mercer's grave site. The interesting tombstones and vaults and mausoleums, the colorful azaleas and camellias and the old oak, dogwood and magnolia trees have made the cemetery one of the most photographed in the country. The cemetery is open from dusk to dawn with tours available at the Bonaventure Historical Society Visitor's Center. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.
3. Colonial Park Cemetery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,730 reviews
The city's oldest cemetery, with family plots dating back to the 1700s.
Reviewed By trmdwelk - Centreville, United States
Not only is this a beautiful place to stroll but it is packed with history all around! Best of all, the city has placed many historic markers that share the story of the many important Americans who rest here and even if all you do is go from marker to marker, you'll have a great visit. But don't miss two important elements of this resting ground, the first of which are the many headstones that have been separated from their owners, posted along the back wall, which tell moving stories on their own. Second, look for the several headstones "humorously modified" by Union soldiers in 1864-65, like the man who died at 143 years of age - it's a fun sort of treasure hunt!
4. Laurel Grove North Cemetery
5. Bonaventure Historical Society, Inc.
Bonventure Historical Society offers a self-tour app for both Apple and Android platforms. It costs $4.99, of which $3.50 goes to the Society's preservation and restoration fund. Just download Bonaventure Cemetery (be sure the vibration option of your device is turned OFF!). It is the same tour BHS offers visitors one weekend a month and is narrated by BHS tour guides.
