This is no creepy graveyard. It's a beautiful Victorian cemetery. Meaning, mausoleums like little houses in yards along little streets. At the time, cemeteries were the first public parks. There are a variety of landscapes, including grassy fields that attract lots of joggers and dog-walking. The guided tours tell stories of the people buried here, which are really stories about the history of Atlanta. There's a great view of the Atlanta skyline as well.

This place was very quiet and peaceful. You must enter on the SW side, it's about a 20 minute walk from the GA. capitol.

Conveniently located north of the zoo this cemetary holds graves of many famous Atlanteans including Maynard Jackson, Bobby Jones and Margaret Mitchell. All of these graves are marked for easy finding. A huge granite statue of the Atlanta Lion watches over thousands of Confederate soldiers graves. Interesting granite and marble markers and large magnolia and oaks are plentiful around the grounds. Right across the street is a restaurant with a balcony overlooking the cemetary called Six Feet Under. From the highest point is a historical marker where a confederate general had his post during the battle of Atlanta during the Civil War.

This stately old cemetary is the final resting place of many Atlanta luminaries, including Bobby Jones and Margaret Mitchell, and anyone whose been in Atlanta for a while will recognize the last names on mausoleums as those street names, museum wings, and corporate moguls. What's interesting, though, is that it isn't these luminaries whose graves are so striking.

The confederate section is really moving in that the hundreds of uniform headstones really give a great sense of the loss that war caused, and of the individuals who gave their lives. It is overlooked by a vibrant green lawn in which rests a marble lion statue commemorating the confederate dead.

Also worth visiting are the Jewish section, with rocks placed upon headstones with Hebrew inscriptions, and the African-American section, which demonstrates pre-Civil Rights inequities.

The cemetary, especially on a pretty day, is serene and beautiful, evoking cemetaries of Europe and New Orleans. With statuary, fountains, and monuments all around, this really feels like you've stepped into another world and another time. You'll come crashign back toteh present, though, when you see that people park their cars all over the cemetary.

Guided tours and self-guided tour maps are offered in the gift shop, which has refreshments, toilets, and souvenirs. The cemetary is dog-friendly, and has a water bowl out for your dog. The hours are sun-up to sundown 7 days a week.