Nature and Mount Auburn

From its beginning, Mount Auburn Cemetery has drawn on nature as a resource for comfort, a focus of study, and a guide for developing its sacred landscape. Its founding, in 1831, influenced the expansion of garden cemeteries, the future development of landscape architecture, and the national park movement.

This tour will include visits to the Asa Gray Garden, Consecration Dell, and the monuments of Jacob Bigelow, Margaret Fuller, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Expect to enhance your understanding of the cemetery’s rich history, and learn how the study of botany, transcendentalism, and environmental neuroscience has helped us to understand the ways that nature sustains and inspires us.

Tour Guide: Barry J. Kahn

Barry J. Kahn is one of twenty volunteer docents who staff the Welcome Center at Mount Auburn Cemetery. When he retired as a social worker in July 2025, Barry began to create a tour centered on illuminating how places, like Mount Auburn Cemetery, promote peace of mind.

Comfortable walking shoes recommended.

Check-in at Welcome Center

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Experience a deeper connection to Mount Auburn Cemetery with free or discounted access to all our public programs and discounts on special events by joining the Friends of Mount Auburn. Our robust roster of programs each year is made possible by the generous support of our donors and in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

For inquiries about accessibility, to request an accommodation, or if you have any questions about your membership, please contact friends@mountauburn.org.