Mount Auburn Cemetery
Founded in 1831 as America’s first garden cemetery, with lush trees and flowers. Climb the Washington Tower for views of the Boston skyline.
Mount Auburn Cemetery was established in 1831 as America’s first garden cemetery, launching the American urban park movement, and is now a National Historic Landmark. Straddling Cambridge and Watertown, the roughly 70-hectare grounds are filled with thousands of tree and flower species along winding paths. Notable burials include the poets Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Mary Baker Eddy, founder of Christian Science, and the mathematician Nathaniel Bowditch. You can climb the Gothic Revival Washington Tower at the highest point of the grounds for views over the Charles River and the Boston skyline. It is a famous birdwatching spot during spring migration, and the autumn foliage is also superb. Admission is free. The cemetery usually opens at 8:00 and closes at dusk (about 19:00 in summer and 17:00 in winter), and maps are available at the entrance. Take the 71 or 73 bus from Harvard Square for about 10 minutes. The cemetery is still in use, so please keep quiet and respect funeral services.
Opening hours
Daily 08:00 until dusk (approx. 19:00 in summer, 17:00 in winter)
Nearby sights
- Harvard University
- Harvard Museum of Natural History
- Fenway Park
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
- Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
- Newbury Street
- View Boston (Prudential Tower)