For many Bay Area families, summertime means cooling off at a local beach or splash pad, planning hikes and picnics, and – how about this for an interesting destination? – visiting a cemetery! If you’re on the lookout for a unique adventure everyone will enjoy, Cypress Lawn offers stunning surroundings with endless opportunities to learn about area history, art, architecture, and so much more.
As we like to say, Cypress Lawn is for the living, so we invite everyone – adults and children alike – to explore our vast, 200-acre grounds. It won’t take long for you to see why our property is often described as “heaven on earth!”
Your family will love wandering around our rolling terrain perched high upon the coast. Our impeccably maintained gardens and arboretum include trees indigenous to the Northeast. We believe few things are as beautiful as trees with decades, even a century, of growth. What an opportunity for your children and grandchildren to learn about the flora and fauna native to our area! Maybe pack a picnic lunch and enjoy the lake with the ducks and other wildlife. Many people make Cypress Lawn their home for exercise as well. There’s nothing better than enjoying beauty and history while you improve your health!
Stroll through our facilities to admire the stained-glass windows, spiral staircases, and grand fountains. Our stunning memorial monuments and statues were created by some of the leading architects, sculptors, and stained glass artists of the early 20th century. Because Cypress Lawn is both a museum and a memorial to the people who are buried here, it tells many stories about the people and places that make up California itself. Visit our Cypress Lawn Heritage Foundation blog to read some of their stories. Then, use our Cemetery 360 tool online to locate their resting place so you know where to find it on your visit.
In fact, the Cypress Lawn Heritage Foundation was created to help share these stories, promoting educational and cultural activities at Cypress Lawn Cemetery. We provide detailed maps for self-guided tours, conduct regular docent-led tours, and offer lectures on a variety of topics—all followed by refreshments. Our Sunday Afternoon Lecture series, which is in its 18th year, features an eclectic assortment of topics and speakers. Join us July 15th at 2:00, as Professor Michael Svanevik presents Buried in a Greek Temple: Phoebe and George Hearst – Giants of The American West.
Our staff takes great pride in having the honor and responsibility of preserving our portion of history. Cypress Lawn truly is a living museum – a tribute to the people who have made the Bay Area one of the most spectacular places on earth. Visit us today to see for yourself!
