Tours
Tours to entertain, educate, and enlighten the community throughout the year.
Historic Oakland Foundation offers two main types of tours: our guided overview tour and special topic tours. We also offer both guided tours for private groups and schools. If you want to tour the cemetery at your own pace, we have several options for self-guided tours.
See our full calendar here.
Guided Overview Tour
Sights, Symbols, and Stories of Oakland
Saturdays, Sundays, and Select Wednesdays
Tours begin at the main gate on Oakland Avenue.
Discover the history, the period gardens, and the art and architecture that give Oakland its distinctive character. Oakland is an outdoor museum of Atlanta’s history with over 70,000 stories to tell; stories filled with both stunning victories and heart-wrenching tragedies. Join one of our knowledgeable and entertaining guides for a 90-minute walking tour of the grounds.
Tickets:
Adults: $12
Children (aged 6-17) and Students (with ID): $6
Seniors (65 and older): $6
Historic Oakland Foundation Members: FREE
Upcoming Special Topic Tours
Want to learn more about a specific topic? Historic Oakland Foundation offers more than twenty special topic tours that explore a range of subjects, from Atlanta’s African American history to Victorian symbolism and beyond.
Tickets:
Adults: $12
Children (aged 6-17) and Students (with ID): $6
Seniors (65 and older): $6
Historic Oakland Foundation Members: FREE
Tickets available for purchase by selecting your desired tour on the calendar page.
Each 75-minute walking tour begins at the main gate on Oakland Avenue. Tickets are available for purchase on the Oakland Cemetery calendar page.
View the tours on a calendar here.
Learn More About Each Special Topic Tour
Art and Architecture of Death
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 the popular architecture of the day, such as Egyptian and Gothic Revival. New money meant bigger and bolder memorials to reflect the social status and power of prominent families. This tour explores the origin and use of popular Oakland grave markers, including tombs and towering monuments, obelisks and angels, and many magnificent mausoleums. Discover how architectural and design choices made during life created a lasting and eternal legacy for many Oakland residents.
Available to private tour groups any day of the week. To book a private tour, click here.
Black Magnolias
Historically, many African American women worked as maids, child nurses, cooks, and laundresses—all while managing their own households. As educational opportunities became available following the Civil War and emancipation, African American women aspired to occupations beyond domestic service. Many sought jobs as educators and nurses. Others with access to advanced education became lawyers and physicians. With increasing economic stability, more African American women became stay-at-home mothers, focusing their efforts on homemaking and children. Many African American women also considered it their duty to serve their communities and churches, and they did so in both professional and volunteer positions. This guided walking tour moves beyond historical stereotypes to explore the history, lives, and labors of Atlanta’s African American women.
Available to private tour groups any day of the week. To book a private tour, click here.
Behind-the-Stones Preservation Tour
Join the Behind the Stones tour for an exclusive look at past and ongoing preservation and restoration efforts. This 75-minute walking tour discusses and visits several of types of physical preservation efforts – from the repair of small, badly broken headstones to the stabilization of dangerously leaning obelisks weighing several thousand pounds. Guests will also see examples of restoration, which involves intervening to return a monument, headstone, or structure to its original appearance or condition.
Available to private tour groups any day of the week. To book a private tour, click here.
Boys of Summer
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 still emotionally smoldering from General Sherman’s fires. Red flags hang from the doors of homes housing people with smallpox. It is May 12, 1866 and the city desperately needs something to celebrate. On this day, the Gate City Nine and the Atlanta Baseball Club took to the field to play the first baseball game in Atlanta. Join us for a tour that recaptures the spirit of the day and examines the lives of several of the players taking part in that historic game.
Available to private tour groups any day of the week. To book a private tour, click here.
Crime Through Time
Crimes of passion, embezzlement scandals, premeditated murders, and cons that exposed city-wide corruption – Oakland Cemetery holds the history of crimes that rocked the city of Atlanta. Crime Through Time explores our understanding of crime, criminals, and justice.
Available to private tour groups any day of the week. To book a private tour, click here.
Epitaphs: The Immortality of Words
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 the monuments of Oakland. Whether brief or rambling, poignant or humorous, all provide insight into the person’s life. It’s certain you’ll walk away with a favorite!
Available to private tour groups any day of the week. To book a private tour, click here.
Fear and Accusation: The Leo Frank Story
This tour begins and ends with a murder. In the early hours of April 27, 1913, the body of 13-year-old Mary Phagan was discovered in the basement of Atlanta’s National Pencil Factory. Leo Frank, the factory superintendent and a Jewish man from New York, was accused of the heinous crime and tried on evidence that was questionable at best. Class tensions, anti-Semitism, and mob violence all played a role in the trial and events that followed, which rank among the most tragic and unforgettable in Atlanta’s history. Learn how several Oakland residents were involved in the infamous event during this thought-provoking tour.
Available to private tour groups any day of the week. To book a private tour, click here.
Fifty Ways to Die
From disease outbreaks to battlefield wounds to murders in broad daylight, 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 Atlanta’s humid climate and swampy land. While advances in medicine were made, like the discovery of germ theory and anesthesia, doctors also used quack cures. All this led to illness, injury, death, and a rise in the number of Oakland residents.
Available to private tour groups any day of the week. To book a private tour, click here.
From Terminus to Terminals: People Who Put Atlanta in Motion
How did a rural railroad crossing known as Terminus evolve into the home of the world’s busiest airport terminals? As far back as the early 1800s, when this area was nothing but forest, Georgia leaders recognized its ideal location as a connecting point to the west and the Piedmont region. From train disasters to bicycle clubs to hot air balloons piloted by daredevil dentists, discover how several Oakland Cemetery residents had a role in Atlanta’s evolution into a major transportation hub.
Available to private tour groups any day of the week. To book a private tour, click here.
History, Mystery, and Mayhem
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.
Available to private tour groups any day of the week. To book a private tour, click here.
The Jewish Grounds of Oakland
Oakland Cemetery is home to three Jewish burial sections, including the second old 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 as waves of Jewish immigrants and families arrived in Atlanta, adapted to the culture of Victorian America, and created a vibrant and active community.
Available to private tour groups any day of the week. To book a private tour, click here.
Margaret Mitchell and Gone with the Wind
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. The Pulitzer Prize-winning novel sold more than 1 million copies in its first six months of publication, has been published in 40+ languages, and was made into an Oscar-winning epic. This tour visits the gravesites of Margaret Mitchell, her husband John Marsh, Mitchell family members, and pioneers of Atlanta. Meet several real-life residents believed to inspire her novel’s characters, such as madam Belle Watling and Doctor Meade.
Available to private tour groups any day of the week. To book a private tour, click here.
Oakland and the Civil War
Stand at the site where General Hood watched the Battle of Atlanta. Hear the story of the Great Locomotive Chase and Andrew’s Raiders. See the Lion of Atlanta as it lies wounded and dying over unknown soldiers from nearby battlefields and hospitals, and the Confederate Obelisk, at one time the tallest structure in Atlanta. This tour explores the lives of soldiers who fought, civilians who survived, and military leaders who led troops in the nation’s bloodiest conflict.
Available to private tour groups any day of the week. To book a private tour, click here.
Oakland MD: Discovering Oakland’s Healthcare Pioneers
Oakland MD: Discovering Oakland’s Healthcare Pioneers highlights the physicians and dentists who provided care to Atlanta’s citizens from the city’s earliest days to its emergence as a center for medical excellence.
Available to private tour groups any day of the week. To book a private tour, click here.
Oakland’s All Stars: Sports Legends of Atlanta
Go team! Atlanta is home to five major sports teams, several powerhouse universities, and diehard fans who celebrate buzzer beaters, photo finishes, home runs, and hole-in-ones. Discover the origins of some of Atlanta’s most beloved sports teams and hear stories of professional athletes, passionate amateurs, team builders, Olympic supporters, and sports fans of every kind. Don’t forget to bring a golf ball for a special visit to the final resting place of Bobby Jones!
Available to private tour groups any day of the week. To book a private tour, click here.
Oakland’s Music Makers
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 the stories of musical prodigies, Civil War bandmasters, a dance club DJ, a beloved family songbird, and more on this musically-inclined tour.
Available to private tour groups any day of the week. To book a private tour, click here.
Pioneers of Atlanta
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 cooperation as you wander through the graves of early Atlanta pioneers.
Available to private tour groups any day of the week. To book a private tour, click here.
Tech Tales: Oakland Cemetery and Georgia Tech
White and gold, the Ramblin’ Wreck—do you know the history of Georgia Tech? Learn how a few Atlanta pioneers, Jewish immigrants, and displaced Northerners transformed a humble trade school into a nationally-ranked institute that forever changed Atlanta and the South. Names like Henry Grady, Sam Inman, and Ivan Allen echo how the story of Atlanta is intertwined and reflected in the history of Georgia Tech. Along the way, hear a little about the first glory days of Tech football, the RAT cap tradition and Margaret Mitchell’s match-making advice for Tech students.
Available to private tour groups any day of the week. To book a private tour, click here.
Tree Walk
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 shade for visitors. Many stand as living memorials to generations past. Stroll with us through Oakland’s amazing arboretum and learn from knowledgeable guides about some of our favorite trees that truly shine!
Available to private tour groups any day of the week. To book a private tour, click here.
Veterans of Oakland
Come hear the stories of military veterans who reside at Oakland or those with connections to Oakland. You’ll be introduced to veterans from the Mexican American War to the Korean War, both men and women. These individuals and their service help tell the history of the U.S.A. and our nation’s relationship to the world.
Available to private tour groups any day of the week. To book a private tour, click here.
Victorian Symbolism
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 death culture. From sleeping lambs to weeping angels, every symbol has a different meaning. Discover the many botanical, secular, and religious symbols at Oakland, and interpret their meanings on this wandering walk through the cemetery.
Available to private tour groups any day of the week. To book a private tour, click here.
We Shall Overcome: African American Stories From Civil War to Civil Rights
“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.” This tour explores the lives and accomplishments of outstanding and ordinary African Americans who fought to overcome the effects of slavery and discrimination to help shape the history of Atlanta.
Available to private tour groups any day of the week. To book a private tour, click here.
The Women of Oakland
Early Atlanta might have been a man’s world, but this city was built with the labor of women. From writers and domestic servants to reformers and mothers, Oakland Cemetery is home to thousands of women. Some defied social expectations or worked against racial discrimination to become trailblazers. Others created support systems that made change possible. All dealt with the issues, challenges, and social standards of being a woman in their day. Hear their stories of pioneering, producing, and patriarchy-smashing during this guided walking tour of Oakland Cemetery!
Available to private tour groups any day of the week. To book a private tour, click here.
Love Stories of Oakland
Love never dies at Oakland Cemetery! Meet several couples who expected their love to last beyond their time here on earth. This tour explores Victorian symbols of devotion, poignant epitaphs, and stories of devotion that extend into the afterlife.
This ticketed program requires reservations. Tickets are available in advance at www.eventbrite.com.
Malts and Vaults of Oakland: Where Beer Meets History
What do a jousting match, a German gymnastics group, and a blind tiger have in common? Everyone’s favorite malt beverage—beer—of course! Find out how the sudsy beverage connects these fascinating topics, and delve into Atlanta’s long and vivid history of brewing. After the tour, adults 21+ are invited to enjoy a complimentary tasting of some local brews.
This ticketed program requires reservations. Tickets are available in advance at www.eventbrite.com.
Odd Fellows, Red Men, Masons, and More: Fraternal Organizations at Oakland
The Masons, the Woodmen of the World, and the Knights of Pythias—these are just a few of the fraternal organizations found at Oakland Cemetery. Fraternal organizations in the United States were a post-Civil War phenomenon. By the late 1800’s there were literally hundreds of such organizations, with an estimated 1 in 4 adults belonging to one or more. The groups were either religious (or anti), politically, socially, or professionally based. Join us for a fascinating look at these secret organizations, many of which still exist today.
This tour is only available for private groups. To book a private tour, click here.
Writers in Residence at Oakland
Oakland’s tranquil gardens provide the perfect setting for exploring the lives and works of novelists, poets, and journalists who populated early Atlanta’s literary landscape. Gone with the Wind author Margaret Mitchell, “Poet Laureate of the South” Charles W. Hubner, Civil War Diarist Samuel Pearce Richards, and Pulitzer prize-winning journalists Julia and Julian Harris are among the many writers in residence resting at Oakland Cemetery.
This tour is only available for private groups. To book a private tour, click here.
We are Proud to Participate in the Museums for All Program
Historic Oakland Foundation is a proud participant in Museums for All, a signature access program of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), administered by the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM), to encourage people of all backgrounds to visit museums regularly and build lifelong museum-going habits. Those receiving food assistance (SNAP) benefits can take one of our weekend or Wednesday guided tours free (up to four people, with the presentation of a SNAP Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card).
Museums for All is part of Historic Oakland Foundation’s broad commitment to seek, include, and welcome all audiences.
Questions about tours?
Find out what to bring on your tour here and see more frequently asked questions about visiting Oakland here. For other questions, contact Sandy White at swhite@oaklandcemetery.com.