NOTE: Oakland Cemetery is closed for the month of January in 2024, for construction and infrastructure improvements. However, you can sign up here for the MLK Day of Service on Jan. 15th and help out by planting trees and doing basic work on the grounds.
Oakland Cemetery is not just a final resting place for historic figures from Atlanta’s past — it’s also one of the largest public green spaces in Atlanta. That’s why Oakland’s gardens and park-like 48 acres are often the setting for outdoor events.
The cemetery grounds themselves are always free to visit and open to the public daily from dawn to dusk.
Tourists often visit to view the grave markers of famous Oakland residents like author Margaret Mitchell, golf pro Bobby Jones, and country music star Kenny Rogers.
If you live in metro Atlanta and have never been to Oakland, you should add it to your Atlanta Bucket List.
You can find a full calendar of events at Oakland Cemetery’s website.
Parking is available in a lot outside the front gate and on the street along Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive and Oakland Avenue.
Located less than a mile from downtown Atlanta, Oakland Cemetery’s 48 acres are a treasure trove of history, gardens, sculpture, architecture, and ancient oaks and magnolias.
Oakland Cemetery is located at 248 Oakland Avenue, in southeast Atlanta, near Grant Park.
Famous people buried at Oakland
Among the most visited graves is Margaret Mitchell, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Gone With the Wind. You can search Google Maps for the grave and walk right to it!
Another famous resident is country music star Kenny Rogers.
Other notable residents include:
- Moses Formwait (Atlanta’s first mayor)
- Ivan Allen, Jr., Maynard Jackson, and 24 other former Atlanta mayors
- 6 former Georgia governors
- Confederate generals
- Carrie Steele Logan, founder of the first black orphanage in Georgia
- Bobby Jones, pro golfer
Pro golfer Bobby Jones’ grave site at Oakland Cemetery. Photo: H. Brucker
Kenny Rogers grave site at Oakland Cemetery. Photo: Atlanta on the Cheap
Free & cheap events at Oakland Cemetery
Click thru the links for more info on each of these annual events.
We update each year.
MLK Day free tours
The free tours sell out each year, so make your reservation early. And if you don’t get in, we have a big list of free MLK Day events you can choose from.
Daffodil Days
A charming February festival that puts thousands of blooms on display. It is FREE to attend, and the grounds are just gorgeous.
Black History Month tours
These free tours book up fast, so reserve early! They feature stories and information relevant to the African-American burial grounds.
Love Stories of Oakland Valentine tours
This popular, ticketed tour sells out each year. A guide tells stories and points out the symbols of enduring love and devotion that were so popular on Victorian-era grave markers.
Spring Scavenger Hunt
A great way to spend spring break with kids who are out of school!
There is also a summer and fall edition.
Illumine
A rare chance to visit the cemetery after dark! Oakland’s very own light show features lasers, projections, light, and sound to create a magical experience. It takes place in late April or early May. Tickets usually go on sale in January.
Juneteenth / Picnic in the Park
A joyous celebration of freedom; it is FREE and family-friendly.
Sunday in the Park / Tunes from the Tombs
These two events have been combined into a single, ticketed event in recent years. We hope they’ll separate them again, as Sunday in the Park used to be free! Tunes from the Tombs is a one-day music festival in the cemetery.
Pop-up Pumpkin Patch
This fall festival and pumpkin sale happens over a weekend in October each year. It’s family-friendly, and you’ll find great photo opps for autumn pictures.
Capturing the Spirit of Oakland Halloween Tours
These are ticketed tours that are VERY popular and sell out each year! Members get first crack at the tickets, which usually go on sale in August or September. We announce it every year when the tickets are available to the public, so subscribe to our newsletter (via the form on this page) for early notice!
Day of the Dead / Dia de los Muertos
An annual festival that follows Halloween.
Bell Tower Boutique
Shop local at this pop-up market for one-of-a-kind items and Oakland merchandise. It often happens twice a year: in spring and again in November before the holidays.
Holiday Spirit
A free, family-friendly winter festival each December. Formerly known as Victorian Holiday.
For more info
Visit the Oakland Cemetery event page
View the Facebook event page
Oakland Cemetery is home to over 1400 trees, some of them nearly 200 years old. Many reflect Victorian symbolism, including those with a “weeping” form or tall columnar shape that points toward heaven.
