Mount Auburn Cemetery, Boston

Mount Auburn Cemetery, Boston

In the early hours of spring mornings, bird enthusiasts flock to Mount Auburn Cemetery, channeling their inner feathered friends for some avian camaraderie. Spanning 175 acres with more twists and turns than a Hitchcock thriller, this place has enough space to make even the most seasoned birdwatcher go "tweet" with delight.

Founded back in 1831, Mount Auburn quickly became the benchmark for beautifully landscaped resting places, blending elements of an arboretum with its final resting role. It's the eternal home of some illustrious "residents", from poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow to cookbook maestro Fannie Farmer, wordsmith Bernard Malamud, and the ingenious Buckminster Fuller (the guy who dreamt up the geodesic dome). While the cemetery does offer guided tours, you're free to wander on your own accord.

With its undulating hills, scenic valleys, charming knolls, and serene ponds, Mount Auburn invites contemplative strolls. There are nearly 6,000 trees representing 600 varieties across 75 genera, along with some 250 species of shrubs and ground coverings. Take a stroll along Indian Ridge in spring, and your nose will be treated to an all-you-can-sniff buffet of magnolia, viburnum, lilac, and crab apple blossoms.

The delightfully secluded Consecration Dell is a favored spot to pause, especially if you're lucky enough to catch the ethereal serenade of a wood thrush. (The pond there is also a hotbed for one of eastern Massachusetts' largest breeding colonies of spotted salamanders.) Similarly tranquil, assuming Mount Auburn Street isn't jammed with traffic, is Spruce Knoll. This contemplation garden, designed by the renowned landscape artist Julie Moir Messervy, is nestled among towering spruce trees.

Tip:
Upon arrival, swing by the chapel (there are two historic ones worth seeing) to grab a map if you're on a quest to locate specific graves – sometimes the markers can be a tad elusive. They also have audio guides available for self-guided tours. Finally, cap off your visit with a climb to the top of the Washington Tower for a 360° panoramic view of the surroundings. It's a real eye-opener, figuratively and literally.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Boston. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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Mount Auburn Cemetery on Map

Sight Name: Mount Auburn Cemetery
Sight Location: Boston, USA (See walking tours in Boston)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Walking Tours in Boston, Massachusetts

Create Your Own Walk in Boston

Create Your Own Walk in Boston

Creating your own self-guided walk in Boston is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
North End Food Tour

North End Food Tour

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Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 0.8 Km or 0.5 Miles
Beacon Hill Historic Houses Tour

Beacon Hill Historic Houses Tour

Boston’s historic neighborhood of Beacon Hill is quite a charm! One can spend hours here, admiring the elegant uniformity and restraint of the architecture; at times, perhaps, imagining people from the past in their horse-drawn carriages. Federal-style and Victorian row houses, narrow streets lit by antique gas lanterns, brick sidewalks and lavender-hued windows adorn the area, which is...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.1 Km or 1.3 Miles
Harvard University Walking Tour

Harvard University Walking Tour

The United States’ oldest institution of higher education (and, of course, among the most prestigious), Harvard was established in 1636. Reverend John Harvard, who bequeathed his entire library and half of his estate, is the University’s namesake. Presidents, billionaires and Rhodes Scholars are only some of the illustrious graduates; in fact, Harvard has more Nobel Prize-winning alumni,...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.3 Km or 1.4 Miles
Bunker Hill Walking Tour

Bunker Hill Walking Tour

Bunker Hill, sitting on the bank of the Charles River in Boston, Massachusetts, is a historic site that holds great significance in American history. At its heart stands the Bunker Hill Monument, a towering obelisk commemorating the Battle of Bunker Hill, a pivotal event in the American Revolutionary War.

The battle took place on June 17, 1775, when American patriots faced off against British...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.5 Km or 0.9 Miles
Boston Introduction Walking Tour

Boston Introduction Walking Tour

The capital of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Boston is one of the oldest cities in the United States and it had played a key role in the country's struggle for independence. Founded in 1630 by Puritan settlers from England, it witnessed many events of the American Revolution, including the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, the Battle of Bunker Hill, and the Siege of Boston.

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Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.3 Km or 1.4 Miles
North End Walking Tour

North End Walking Tour

The North End was the city's first neighborhood, and one that has been key to its fortunes, having become a hub of commercial, social and intellectual activity by the 1750s. Later known as Boston's Little Italy, it has been home to Italian immigrants through much of the 20th century, and still retains a certain Mediterranean flavor in its many restaurants, cafés, and specialty shops. In...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.0 Km or 0.6 Miles

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