Calendar of Events
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Girl Scout Search Scavenger Hunt
Historic Oakland Foundation is partnering with the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta for a self-guided scavenger hunt through Oakland Cemetery! This scavenger hunt, which runs April 22 through December 31, features all-new riddles to solve, residents to find, and challenges to complete. Oakland Cemetery is the final resting place of incredible women who shaped Atlanta…
Join in June! Membership Month
June is Membership Month at Historic Oakland Foundation. Join or renew in June and you could win some terrific prizes! Your membership helps Historic Oakland Foundation preserve, restore, enhance, and share Oakland Cemetery, a treasured Atlanta landmark and important neighborhood greenspace. HOF members receive some great benefits in addition to supporting Oakland: Advance ticket sales…
Juneteenth at Oakland Cemetery
Juneteenth National Independence Day, celebrated on June 19, is a federal holiday that commemorates the end of enslavement in the United States. Celebrate Juneteenth at Oakland Cemetery with two weeks of free programs open and available to the public! Join us for these free programs from June 18 through June 30: We Shall Overcome Walking…
Art and Architecture of Death
Art and Architecture of Death
Discover how architectural and design choices made during life created a lasting and eternal legacy for many Oakland residents. People have sought to honor the memory of departed loved ones since ancient times, but the 19th century ushered in a new era of funerary art. Innovative building materials came available and styles changed to reflect…
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Margaret Mitchell and Gone with the Wind
Margaret Mitchell and Gone with the Wind
This tour visits the gravesites of Margaret Mitchell, Mitchell family members, and pioneers who inspired Gone with the Wind characters. Scarlett and Rhett, fiddle-dee-dee, and “frankly my dear”—Margaret Mitchell didn’t know how much of an impact she would have on popular culture when her Civil War novel, Gone with the Wind, was published in 1936.…
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Boys of Summer Baseball
Boys of Summer Baseball
On May 12, 1866, the Gate City Nine and the Atlanta Baseball Club took to the field to play the first baseball game in Atlanta. Imagine looking west beyond the main gates of Oakland to a lush patch of green grass complete with a baseball diamond. Beyond the playing field is a city devastated and…
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Epitaphs: The Immortality of Words
Epitaphs: The Immortality of Words
Join us as we explore some of the fascinating epitaphs that grace the monuments of Oakland. How would you like to be remembered? Victorians gave considerable thought to this concept. An epitaph is described as “a statement commemorating or epitomizing a deceased person.” Join us as we explore some of the fascinating epitaphs that grace…
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The Jewish Grounds of Oakland
The Jewish Grounds of Oakland
Visit Oakland's three Jewish burial sections and learn about Atlanta Jewish history during this 75-minute guided tour! Oakland Cemetery is home to three Jewish burial sections, including the second oldest Jewish burial ground in Georgia. This tour examines notable residents, Jewish burial customs, and symbolism found throughout these grounds. Hear stories of adversity and triumph…
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Fifty Ways to Die
Fifty Ways to Die
From disease outbreaks to battlefield wounds to murders, this tour traces the myriad ways Oakland residents died in the 19th century. Early Atlanta was not a sleepy southern community – it had more in common with the Wild West. Life in this railroad town often ended in violence or tragedy. Diseases spread rapidly thanks to…
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We Shall Overcome: African American Stories from Civil War to Civil Rights
We Shall Overcome: African American Stories from Civil War to Civil Rights
This 75-minute guided tour explores the lives and accomplishments of outstanding and ordinary African Americans in Atlanta. “We Shall Overcome” became the anthem of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, but the origin of the song dates back to antebellum days and a spiritual sung by enslaved people, “No More Auction Block for Me.”…
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Summer Tree Walk
Summer Tree Walk
Stroll with us through Oakland’s amazing arboretum and learn from knowledgeable guides about some of our favorite trees! Did you know that Oakland is home to more than 1,600 trees, from majestic oaks to mighty magnolias, to demure crape myrtles and dogwoods? Oakland’s trees feed and shelter wildlife, help reduce air pollution and provide welcome…
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Oakland’s Music Makers
Oakland’s Music Makers
Discover the stories of prodigies, bandmasters, a dance club DJ, a beloved family songbird, and more on this musically-inclined tour! From spiritual songwriters to country legends, Oakland Cemetery’s musical roots are deep and far-reaching. This tour spotlights noted Atlanta musicians buried here and examines how some of the cemetery’s architecture tunes into musical themes. Discover…
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History, Mystery, and Mayhem
History, Mystery, and Mayhem
Discover stories that defy explanation during this 75-minute guided tour of Oakland Cemetery! With more than 70,000 souls interred in its hallowed grounds, it’s no mystery that Oakland Cemetery has its share of the surreal. Hear the stories that defy explanation, from mysterious murders to tragic events that have passed into local legend. This tour…
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Victorian Symbolism
Victorian Symbolism
From angels to anchors, learn all about grave symbols and death culture during this 75-minute guided tour of Oakland Cemetery! The Victorians were obsessed with death. From rules on mourning outfits to post-mortem photography, the Victorians had elaborate rituals and traditions to grieve and process death. The ornamentation and symbols found in cemeteries reflect this…
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Pioneers of Atlanta
Pioneers of Atlanta
Meet the founding sons and daughters of a town originally known as “Terminus" in this 75-minute guided tour. Meet the founding sons and daughters of a town originally known as “Terminus” – farmers, politicians, saloon owners, lawyers, nurses, gunslingers, and entrepreneurs who made up Atlanta’s founding community. Hear stories of accomplishments, failures, civil strife, and…
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Outdoors
