Elmwood Cemetery

This was our first time to attend the «Spirits With the Spirits Gala» at Elmwood Cemetery. What a great place to have a Halloween party! There was food from several restaurants in the city, soft drinks and water, wine and vodka. You could enjoy a wagon ride drawn by two mules, which entertained by a knowledgeable «spirit from the past who was a resident at the cemetery.» There was a palm reader and card reader to tell your future if you dared, or you could take a walking tour through the graveyard in the dark, which was very exciting! There were many items you could bid on in a silent action to benefit Elmwood.
This was a very fun evening and we plan on attending it again next year!

There are some excellent events and tours at Elmwood. It’s a great place to learn some Memphis history!

Did the audio tour on a really hot day. Audio tour takes an hour if you don’t get out (it was too hot and humid for us). Very interesting place full of interesting people. Some of the turns are tight, so if you’re in a Suburban or something, beware. Would be really cool in the fall.

«The Dead Hate the Living.»
Always loved that B Movie Title.
Anyhow…when I’m gone, I hope to haunt Elmwood – arguably the most beautiful cemetery on our planet.
The founders of this park planned it to be a lovely park where the citizens would spend an afternoon, preferably eating fried chicken.
Wander the rolling hills, and remember that the living in Memphis are much scarier than the souls peacefully at rest in the best.

We did the CD tour in the rain, and it was not bad. Just stayed in the car the whole way. You might want to take small comfortable car for the tour as the road is a bit rough and small. There are quite a few hill and lots of stop and go. Definitely not good for manual transmission car unless you want big left leg.

Is it weird that I love going to Elmwood? Because I totally do. We have been 3x in the past month alone and I suggest everyone in Memphis visit at least once. There is so much Memphis history buried here and really is breath taking beautiful.

The headstones are beautiful with many historical figures and families that shaped Memphis buried here. My only complaint is that the grounds should be immaculate! Do you know the kind of «blue blood» stock in that place? Great time for a stroll.

I’ve always wanted to go on a tour here and finally made one last night The tour was called Scandals and Scoundrels and the guide showed us around a few of the monuments while relaying the salacious details of the deceased. It was very entertaining. The cemetary is a parklike setting with lovely magnolias and crêpe myrtles. I can imagine going there for a walk or some photography.

A wonderful and tranquil place.
A perennial favorite of almost everyone in town with a camera — a wonderful piece of Memphis history.
A wonderful book about Elmwood is available on amazon,
Elmwood is very enjoyable

My favorite place in Memphis. It might sound weird that I would love a cemetery, but once you come here you’ll know why. The architecture & landscaping here is breathtaking. I spend hours walking the grounds looking at the beautiful headstones, sculptures, monuments, crypts, and mausoleums (many are from the late 1800’s) The stonework is amazing & there is so much history here. Elmwood is a visual treat for your senses & will calm your soul — one of the most beautiful & peaceful places I have ever been too.

This is the oldest active cemetery in Memphis! Founded in 1852 by 50 wealthy Memphians, there are 75,000 — and counting — people buried here (including some famous people!).
I am all about some Memphis history and this place is an absolute goldmine. I felt like I went into a time machine and was now walking in the past. As a city, Memphis doesn’t have too many things from the past, but you do right here — a lot! Seeing headstones with dates on them from the late 1800s blew my mind.
There is something eerily calming about this place. As other reviews have mentioned, it feels more like a park than a cemetery (the intention when it was built). I can’t explain it any other way than simply saying this place has a good energy about it. Normally I’m frightened at cemeteries but here I could read a book or spend a quiet afternoon by myself.
Go into the office upon your arrival for maps and any questions you may have. They have the nicest staff, who want to help! Their walking tour map helped me quite a bit (but don’t lose it if you plan on returning — it is $ 5!). It explains the common memorial symbols; i.e. a broken column symbolizes a life cut short or the lamb means innocence and is usually found on children’s graves. They also hold lectures and tours frequently so check their website for their calendar. Their Scoundrels and Scandals tour is supposedly their «best» but I’m a huge fan of the lunch lectures too.
Don’t forget to grab your camera! This place is beautiful. Seriously stunning. I was there for 2 hours and took over 600 pictures — and I just walked ¼ of the cemetery!
Fun fact: people often wonder how Elmwood got its name… and it was drawn out of a hat!
As can be expected from a cemetery, there are plenty of ghost stories about this place so don’t forget to ask for one!

Nice place. We stopped by for about 30 minutes while passing through Memphis. Definitely some interesting history to be found here. We didn’t bother with the maps or the audio tour, electing to just wander around for a while. The grounds are beautiful, with some amazing trees and monuments.
Very cool.

We got the map and tried to follow the signs but they are either not very visible or are missing. The cemetery has no logical flow to it, small winding roads, turns and curves. impossible to make out which direction to follow. It must be a pain to trim the weeds around all those different headstone shapes. Make this a fast drive thru experience of about 30 mins and keep moving on.

We were lucky enough to get a tour of the grounds from the executive director and she really killed it. I love love love old cemeteries, and I’ve been to dozens of them over the years, but I’ve never had the chance to get such a detailed tour from someone who is obviously passionate about what they do and where they do it.
The grounds are beautifully maintained, with gigantic trees overlooking everything. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a magnolia tree as big as the ones dotting the landscape here. The craftsmanship on some of the tombstones is mindblowing as well.
I can’t wait to come back and try one of the other tours like «The Enduring Love Tour» or «Suds & Spuds.»
Check out the books in the building, too. There’s one by Nell Dickerson called «Gone» that is so incredible it makes my heart beat faster.

A beautiful, historical cemetery. The monuments are amazing.
I went mainly to play with my new camera and this is a great spot for an amateur like me to practice. I am sure a professional or even an intermediate photographer could get some amazing shots.
If you are interested in history, sculpture, photography or simply scenic beauty Elmwood cemetery is worth a visit and it is free.
See Kerry C’s review for more detailed information about the cemetery itself.

Very cool monuments, very lame history. This is a beautiful cemetery, but listening to the audio tape was a huge disappointment. Every grave of note was the brother of the spouse of the secretary of someone famous. If you’re not looking to see famous graves and just want something very scenic, this place is really nice though.

BRING A CAMERA.
There are about two things that would bring people to visit a cemetery: history and photography. As I did not participate in the audio tour that is offered, I can not speak to the historical aspect.
However, as a person who super recently picked up photography as a new hobby, going to Elmwood Cemetery was a great place to practice shooting still life and working on composition (can not do either to save my life). The grounds were expansive, so if you grew bored of shooting one particular tomb stone, there were plenty more of different varieties to pick from.
Or if you were immature like me, it was simply entertaining to tie certain names in the graveyard to certain pop culture references. Butyes, superstition and a sense of respect for the deceased did stop me from playing this game so laugh and giggle at your own expense.
Closing notes: This was a free activity that took up almost two hours of my day. Had I not any other scheduled activities (meals, naps, interviews), I most likely would have stayed longer.
Plus being in a cemetery literally alone on a cold Friday morning got my spidey senses tingling.
Closing closing note: I only give 5 stars on super rare occasions. When I give 4 stars, it means I would definitely look forward to going back again and expect to have just as much fun.

if in memphis, this is worth a visit.
very interesting historically.
we did the audio CD in our car because it was raining, but they also have bikes there that you can use to tour around.

Morbidly fantastical. I’ve driven past this place for 10 years and finally stopped by this week. Very ornate headstones and monuments. Architecture from the past make present day seem so boring.

Chances are, if you’re a famous dead Memphian, you’re buried at Elmwood, one of the city’s oldest cemeteries. Same goes for those who have midtown streets named after them (Goodletts, Overtons, Crumps, Vintons, etc.).
Elmwood was founded in 1852 as part of the Rural Cemetery Movement. It’s almost more park than cemetery. There are hills and winding roads and plenty of trees that lean dramatically over ornate monuments of angels, flowers and logs. The place is huge (about 80 acres) and seems to be divided into different «neighborhoods».
Much like Memphis, Elmwood Cemetery has a little bit of everybody: politicians, former slaves, yellow fever victims, criminals, musicians, millionaires, madams, civil rights leaders, writers, and preachers all rest there.
Elmwood has all sorts of events during the year. There are lunchtime lectures, a 5K run through the cemetery, guided and audio tours. One of my favorite events is the annual Costume Twilight Tour. People in costumes play some of the most notable Elmwood Cemetery residents.