Forest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo (must see)

Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo is far more than a resting place-it's a sweeping 269-acre landscape where history, art, and nature quietly converge. Founded in 1849 by Charles E. Clarke, Forest Lawn is one of the oldest rural cemeteries in the United States and has grown into a multifaceted cultural landmark. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it functions not just as a cemetery but also as a park, arboretum, outdoor museum, and even a place of public learning.

More than 152,000 individuals are buried here, among them U.S. President Millard Fillmore and First Lady Abigail Fillmore, trailblazing Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, legendary funk musician Rick James, and aviation pioneer Lawrence Dale Bell. Art and memory intertwine across the grounds, with over 150 years of monuments and sculpture-including the 1851 statue of Seneca leader Red Jacket, shown in his scarlet British coat and George Washington's peace medal.

Each summer, Forest Lawn comes alive with themed “Sundays in the Cemetery” tours, which offer everything from Civil War stories to insights on the Pan-American Exposition-all against the backdrop of tranquil greenery and historic markers.

A major addition to the grounds came in 2014 with the opening of the Margaret L. Wendt Archive and Resource Center. This modern facility houses digitized records dating back to the cemetery’s founding and features interpretive displays on notable figures buried here. It’s a research hub and architectural nod to the cemetery’s past, built with support from local philanthropic foundations.

Forest Lawn is also home to one of just three memorials in the world designed by Frank Lloyd Wright: the Blue Sky Mausoleum. Originally conceived in 1928 and built decades later in 2004, it features 24 crypts and stands as a serene fusion of architecture and remembrance.

Whether you're drawn by the history, the landscape, or the artistry, Forest Lawn invites exploration-and offers much more than silence among the stones.