Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA, just outside Washington D.C., is arguably the nation's most famous cemetery. Spanning 624 acres, Arlington National Cemetery is the resting place of veterans, military heroes, and important civilians and politicians. Important Americans such as Thurgood Marshall, John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Senator Edward Kennedy are buried here. The Tomb of the Unknown is perhaps the cemetery's most famous landmark, and holds the remains of unknown soldiers from WWI, WWII, and the Korean War. The cemetery is overseen by the Department of the Army, is divided into 70 sections and dates back to 1864. In fact, military heroes from the American Civil War to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are buried here.
Situated in Cambridge, Mass, Mount Auburn Cemetery dates back to 1831 and is considered the first rural, garden-style cemetery in the U.S. There are nearly 100,000 individuals resting at Mount Auburn Cemetery, including important statesmen, writers, artists, educators, and reformers. Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, author Hannah Adams, governor, Harvard president, and Secretary of State Edward Everett, and artist Winslow Homer are all buried here. Mount Auburn is a non-denominational cemetery and plots can still be purchased.
Saint Louis Cemetery in New Orleans dates back to 1789 and is often considered among the most haunted cemeteries in the United States. This is probably because of the above-ground mausoleums, vaults and crypts, plus the fact that it's the rumored resting place of voodoo priestess Marie Laveau. Saint Louis Cemetery is a Catholic cemetery and is actually divided into three distinct cemeteries: Saint Louis #1, Saint Louis #2, and Saint Louis #3. Saint Louis #1 is the most famous of the three and is home to 100,000 dead. Saint Louis #2 is the resting place of many musicians, mostly jazz and blues musicians, while Saint Louis #3 is known for its more elaborate and creative crypts. Most of the crypts and vaults in all cemeteries date back to the 18th and 19th centuries.
The Forest Lawn Memorial Park is best known for being the resting place of Hollywood legends and artistic icons such as Elizabeth Taylor, Jimmy Stewart, Walt Disney, Nat King Cole, and Clark Gables, among others. Situated in Glendale, California, Forest Lawn Memorial Park dates back to 1906, and is also home to the Forest Lawn Museum which showcases rotating exhibits, as well as 1,500 statues, and three chapels. The cemetery is situated on 300 acres, receives more than a million visitors a year, and is the resting place for more than 300,000 individuals. It's usually on most people's L.A sightseeing itineraries because of its impressive landscaping and plethora of star graves.
