What to do and see in California, United States: The Best Cemeteries

As North America's premier provider of funeral, cremation and cemetery services, the Dignity Memorial brand is your assurance of quality, value, caring service and exceptional customer satisfaction

Located on a high mesa in San Diego County, Glen Abbey Memorial Park & Mortuary has been providing funeral and cemetery services since 1924. It is approximately 11 miles from the center of San Diego and half of a mile from Chula Vista. Glen Abbey is situated in what is now Bonita, formerly a 1,500-acre locale called Lomacita. Bonita is now a highly restricted residential area following the course of the Sweetwater River. Glen Abbey faces Bonita Road, within one mile of the 805 expressway, and the back of the park is bordered by precipitous hills with Mount Miguel to the east and the blue Pacific to the west. Almost the entire area of the park affords an excellent view of the surrounding countryside. From most points in the park, San Diego Harbor, Coronado, the Coronado Bay Bridge, Point Loma and downtown San Diego are visible. The altitude of Glen Abbey is in keeping with the centuries old tradition and desire to bury and memorialize our loved ones in a high place. One of the park's better known features is the Little Chapel of the Roses, a nonsectarian chapel built in 1925. The chapel is an exact scale replica of Lord Tennyson's chapel in Somersby, England. A circular-stained glass window positioned over the altar illustrates a verse of Tennyson's “Crossing the Bar.” A second massive-stained glass window depicts “The Resurrection,” complemented by amber skylights, live singing canaries and living floral arrangements that change with the seasons. The Little Chapel of the Roses is truly symbolic of our trademark, “Where Memory Lives in Beauty.” People travel from all over the world to be married at the Little Chapel of the Roses. Of course the Chapel is always available for memorial services. Equipped to serve any faith and order, the use of the Chapel eliminates long, cumbersome funeral processions through heavy city and freeway traffic. Glen Abbey is a charter member of the National Association of Cemeteries (NAC), and is one of the five founding cemeteries of the association. The NAC, a prestigious organization of outstanding cemeteries in the country, governs the quality and ethical service its members provide. Glen Abbey's beauty is largely attributable to the early efforts of Kate Sessions, who gained fame landscaping Balboa Park. Ms. Sessions, working with Walter Anderson of Anderson Nurseries, helped select the more than 40 varieties of trees that grace our slopes. We're proud to be a member of the Dignity Memorial® network of funeral, cremation and cemetery service providers. Dignity Memorial providers offer exclusive benefits, including National Transferability of Prearranged Services, the Bereavement Travel Program, the 24-Hour Compassion Helpline® and access to an acclaimed grief management library. As North America's largest provider of funeral, cremation and cemetery services, the Dignity Memorial brand is your assurance of quality, value, caring service and exceptional customer satisfaction.

A full-service facility, Pierce Brothers-Crestlawn Memorial Park and Mortuary was established in 1952, and then, as now, we are devoted to exceeding expectations and providing a standard of services that is unprecedented. We are a proud member of the Dignity Memorial® network of funeral, cremation and cemetery service providers. When you choose Pierce Brothers-Crestlawn Memorial Park and Mortuary, you not only receive the compassionate care you expect from a locally operated establishment, but also the value you deserve from the largest and most trusted network of funeral, cremation and memorialization services. Occupying approximately 255 acres, our memorial park offers families a peaceful and serene setting featuring numerous trees; beautiful flowers and gentle hills with valley views; a variety of statues; three separate mausoleums; 14 gardens, including our exclusive Cypress Estates; both flush-to-the-ground and upright monuments. In addition to our well-landscaped memorial park, our mortuary and flower shop offers families convenience, exceptional service and a caring staff with bilingual capabilities. We understand losing a loved one is an emotional and difficult experience and we are committed to helping our client families with compassionate, professional and personal service. Dignity Memorial providers offer exclusive benefits, including National Transferability of Prearranged Services, the Bereavement Travel Program, the Compassion Helpline® and access to an acclaimed grief management library. As North America’s premier provider of funeral, cremation and cemetery services, the Dignity Memorial brand is your assurance of quality, value, caring service and exceptional customer satisfaction. A full-service facility, Pierce Brothers Crestlawn Memorial Park and Mortuary was established in 1952 and then as now we are devoted to exceeding expectations and providing a standard of services that is unprecedented. When you choose Pierce Brothers Crestlawn Memorial Park, Mortuary and Flower Shop, you not only receive the compassionate care you expect from a locally operated establishment, but also the value you deserve from the largest and most trusted network of funeral, cremation and memorialization services. Occupying approximately 255 acres, our memorial park offers families a peaceful and serene setting featuring numerous trees; beautiful flowers and gentle hills with valley views; a variety of statues; three separate mausoleums; 14 gardens, including our exclusive Cypress Estates; both flush-to-the-ground and upright monuments. In addition to our well-landscaped memorial park, our mortuary and flower shop offers families convenience, exceptional service and a caring staff with bi-lingual capabilities. We understand losing a loved one is an emotional and difficult experience and we are committed to helping our client families with compassionate, professional and personal service. Pierce Brothers Crestlawn is proud to be a member of the Dignity Memorial® network of funeral, cremation and cemetery service providers. Dignity Memorial providers offer exclusive benefits, including National Transferability of Prearranged Services, the Bereavement Travel Program, the 24-Hour Compassion Helpline® and access to an acclaimed grief management library. As North America’s premier provider of funeral, cremation and cemetery services, the Dignity Memorial brand is your assurance of quality, value, caring service and exceptional customer satisfaction.

This famous cemetery has dozens of fancy Hollywood tributes and exhibits, and it attracts over one million annual visitors.

Final resting-place of some of Hollywood's celebrities and other luminaries.