I like to visit Mount Hope Cemetery at least once a year. It's quiet beauty and landscapes makes for a great location to take a walk and enjoy the surroundings. There is lot to observe including grave sites of well known Rochester residents such as Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass. The cemetery is well maintained and has historical significance throughout its grounds. Free tours are available from May-October with specific details available on the official website. A must visit historical location in Rochester. read more

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Very impressive historic cemetery. Respectfully walked through many areas, eventually finding the grave of Frederick Douglass and family to pay our respects to a great man. read more

Mount Hope Cemetery - Paid our respects at the Frederick Douglass grave site. - Funeral Services & Cemeteries Near Me - Rochester, New York

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Among others, the Mount Hope Cemetery is the final resting place of women's rights activist Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906) and abolitionist Frederick Douglass (1817-1895). It is 196 acres in size and contains some 350,000 interments. It was founded in 1838. The cemetery is very drivable (at low speed, of course) and that's a good thing as the more famous graves are some distance apart. Please be respectful when you visit - it is an active cemetery and there are people here laying family members to rest. [Review 1523 of 2024 - 439 in New York - 22546 overall] read more

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We rented the viewing room for my mom's service. The Cremation process is a rushed awful process. Non caring workers at the crematorium. They should have an employee there coordinating with the funeral directors to ensure the family's wishes are met. read more

So many famous people are buried here including Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglas. It makes for an interesting visit any time of year, but especially in spring when thousands of daffodils are in bloom. Spectacular read more

Finally did make it back in the fall, and it's just as wonderful as I would have hoped. read more

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Mt Hope is a Rochester treasure. It was a little busy today but still a beautiful quiet place to spend some time. "Mount Hope Cemetery, one of the most remarkable Victorian cemeteries in America, is a magnificent 196 acres of lofty hills and picturesque valleys created by glaciers and transformed into a beautiful historic cemetery. A diversified forest of trees forms an arboretum shading thousands of marble, bronze, and granite monuments. The cemetery is a veritable museum of funerary sculpture and mausoleums spanning more than a century and a half." read more

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I've been to Mt Hope Cemetery on a few separate occasions, and am always blown away by how much rich history is packed into this large plot of land. Not only is the scenery absolutely stunning in the fall time, but the cemetery almost functions like a labyrinth where you can walk and walk and never really feel lost and also have no idea where you are. I've taken my pup for walks around the scenery and my partner and I have taken part in their October ghost tours, which I highly recommend doing if you're local and haven't yet! I've also went during the last election cycle to pay my respects to Susan B. Anthony prior to placing my vote. I ALSO highly recommend doing this, as the community that comes out is really special, and the moment is super transformative/reflective. This spot is not to be missed by locals and visitors alike! read more

Such a beautiful place filled with so many stories and rich history. It's beautiful and peaceful. Worth a tour, and definitely support the Friends of Mt Hope Cemetery. Their historic walks are worth the ticket cost, and the guides are very knowledgeable. I was here with my sisters for a Twilight walk, and I'd recommend attending one or two. read more

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Mt. Hope Cemetery is a historical cemetery by all means. Founded in 1838, it was the first municipal cemetery in the United States. It sets on 196 acres and has over 350,000 guests. It also has some historical, famed people resting there as well as friends/family of many of us. The place is huge, a great place to hike, take pictures. Truly a monumental place of Rochester. read more

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Rochester overall, has many parks, most are just "nice" but if you want dramatic pictures or good texture of scenary, then I recommend your jog or walk be through Highland Park or Mount Hope with their sloping landscape to give more gradient to your scenic view. Mount Hope has nice gravestone and great history to add story and also stone contrast against forest foliage in your stroll. Highland Park across from it has more of a park feel with more consideration to flora/fauna labeling and arborists. It is a HUGE cemetery btw. The size of it, as you drive by will impress you already. What is Mount Hope most famous for? Frederick Douglass and Susan B Anthony's graves (both great American historical figures with freedom, suffrage rights). I've included the map below I found to help people find the appropriate graves in case you wanted to pay your respects to these great people by adding your Voted sticker on there, as tradition. The small cathedrals and stone buildings make great photos and contrast with the trees and trails. You'll see my fall and winter photos below as ideas of what kind of dramatic views you can get. I honestly think Mount Hope is the BEST place within Rochester to get ood scenic photos- other parks are a little too homogeneous in backdrop or too flat to get good photos. There are also free and good tours given by the Friends of Mount Hope society that go on once in a while for those who love ghost tours and hearing historical stories. Sundays at 2:00 p.m. May 1-oct 30, the last time I checked, were the days you can catch these tours at the main big gate. read more

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What a special place it is! We love taking our dogs for walks at cemeteries. This one has been our favorite-because it is huge! Not to mention it looks so cool, so rugged and so historical. You don't get these sort of cemeteries back in California. We can't wait to check it out in the fall and winter. read more

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Old school since 1838. Despite the famous people that are buried here this is one beautiful cemetery. I love visiting these old historic place for the incredible artwork on the headstones. The area with all the trees and hills makes it even better to walk along and get lost in its beauty. read more

Mount Hope Cemetery - Voting rights - Funeral Services & Cemeteries Near Me - Rochester, New York

I flew into Rochester, NY for some site seeing in the area and decided to visit Frederick Douglass's historical sites. He is buried here along with other famed people as well other families. Susan B Anthony is also buried here. The cemetery is well maintained with clean bathrooms. Make sure you stop the visitor office for info and maps. The staff gave me some useful tips and other markers to see during my visit. This place is huge, I saw quite a few people wandering and taking pics. read more

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This is such a cool place to walk around. So much history. We found Susan B Anthony and Frederick Douglas' grave sites. Such a pretty setting as well. You can spend hours walking/driving around. Will definitely go back as we only got to see a small portion of the grounds. read more

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This place is so amazing! One of the oldest cemetery's dating back to 1838. With over 190 acres of land perfect for walks or jogging through the hills and valleys all while be surrounded by so much history. Just a few of the notable people buried here: Nathaniel Rochester, founder of Rochester Susan B Anthony, social reformer and women's rights advocate Frederick Douglass social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. Frank Gannett, founded Gannett newspaper Seth Green, fish farming/fish hatchery Henry Lomb and John Jacob Bausch , founded Bausch & Lomb Margaret Woodbury Strong, Strong National Museum of Play Hiram Sibley, pioneer of the telegraph in the United States Henry Augustus Ward, American naturalist and geologist Tips: Take a tour, Sundays at 2:00 p.m., May 1 - October 30... and it's free!! If you are looking for a specific grave site do your homework first or stop at the office for directions to a location. With so much land,the cemetery is broken up it to four quadrant's you could be wondering around for hours. Visit Susan B Anthony grave site on election day, many people place voting stickers on her grave marker to pat their respect and say thank you. Take your time and enjoy all the beautiful nature and great views. Visit in the Autumn, thank me later. read more

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On Sundays at 2pm the Friends of Mount Hope Cemetery conduct a tour of the cemetery for just $5 (there are other specialty tours on other days). This tour was always on our list of things to do but we never got around to doing it despite the great press. Finally with some out-of-town visitors in tow we took this history walk on a beautiful summer afternoon. Joanne, our tour guide, did a great job of weaving history, botany and geology through her storytelling about the cemetery and its residents. The almost two hour, one mile walk through the hilly north end can be taxing for some especially when you have a guide like Joanne who is one spry "seasoned" volunteer. Despite my many years of living in Rochester I learned some historical tidbits and connections of modern businesses to their pasts. Well worth it! read more

Mount Hope Cemetery - Funeral Services & Cemeteries Near Me - Rochester, New York

I don't think I've left a bad review for a cemetery ever. If you're walking out it's a good experience, no? Mount Hope is a lovely place to stroll through. It's very hilly, with deep pits and shallow circles that look a little spooky in the right light. We came across some people doing a photo shoot. I found lots of entertaining tombstone names, my favorite being Catharine D. Lux. You tell em Cathy! read more

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Amazing. 1) If you like American history, it is a must visit. 2) You have two people here who change the course of American history for large chunk of the American population. 3) It was amazing visiting the graves of Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass. 4) Plus it is free. read more

Historically significant and also picturesque with lots of greenery and beautiful monuments. read more

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What can I say.. it is a stunning place. I need to take a proper tour. So many famous people are interred here. Some from the early 1800's. It's well maintained and yes Susan B Anthony is here and yes I went to pay my respects to her. She fought to the end for women to vote. So much history, so much sculpture so much...and during the fall the changing color of the leaves truly stunning. Go take a tour, learn some history. read more

Mount Hope Cemetery - Today on Election Day November 8,2016 - Funeral Services & Cemeteries Near Me - Rochester, New York

Aside from the interesting people that are buried here and the unique topography of the vast cemetery, Mt. Hope offers a peaceful place within the city to relax with a stroll or explore with a camera handy. I take all of my friends from out of town here because it's FREE and it a great historical icon in America. If you didn't know, this is the first Victorian style cemetery in the country. I prefer wandering the older section and finding gravestones that have been forgotten about on the steep slopes or overgrown with bushes. Whether you're taking friends or just going solo, make sure you carve out an hour or two because you won't want to leave! read more

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What a beautiful place to rest eternally in. Please note: At the first building by the entrance there are self guided tour maps and bathrooms. The bathrooms close at 3! If walking a lot is not your thing you can drive some of it but mostly you're in for a hike. There were some headstones that have been completely broken down and left unfixed. It breaks my heart. But over all it's enchanting. I need another 36 hours to explore it all. read more

This is a beautiful location to go for a walk. Climb to the top of one of the hills - the view down is breathtaking. I came in the fall, during the last few days before the winter snow came in. Susan B. Anthony, Bausch, and Lomb are only two of the notable people buried here. Be sure to also visit J. Harry Stedman, who invented the fuzzy pipe cleaner. The cemetary is huge and you could easily spend two hours strolling around. I recommend going on one of the tours (I believe the run in the spring to mid fall). read more

Mount Hope Cemetery - Beautiful in the fall - Funeral Services & Cemeteries Near Me - Rochester, New York

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This is a really unique place to go for a walk and makes for really good photos. It is also very cool to see all of the historic gravesites. It seems like you could find something else unique every time you visit as the place is massive. In the fall we took the cats for a walk here to see the Sue B grave with all of the voting stickers on it. We got some really nice pictures in the short amount of time we were there. read more

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Best cemetery I've ever seen, and I've been to Charleston and DC. It's a must-see just based on scenery alone, especially during Autumn. Three things you have to see are the Susan B Anthony grave, the Frederick Douglas grave, and a strange tree toward the back that practically covers a number of tomb stones. The tour is good if you have the attention span for it. Also a great place for a run. read more

Mount Hope is full of history. Many famous historical figures are buried here such as Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, as well as being one of the oldest and largest cemeteries in Rochester NY. The Friends of Mount Hope provide historical information about the cemetery and guided tours throughout the year. The cemetery is very tranquil if your into cemetery walks, or doing findagrave, or just wanna nice walk in the fall. read more

This place is such a beautiful sight to see with all the trees, hills, fancy old tombstones and nature surrounding it. I come here often for morning walks. A great place to walk,run or bikeride. It has a nice calm serene feeling to it. Today was just a beautiful day to walk there. Sunny, 70 degrees and all those little white fuzzy things flying through the air made me feel like I was in some magical land lol. As strange as it sounds it's kind of a nice place to get away. read more

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The lady of the tower awaits your arrival, she looks down, devilishly as she plots her next move... Ok, so I just made that up. Could she really be there in the tower? I don't know. People claim to see her occasionally. No doubt that Mount Hope Cemetery is haunted... duh, it's filled with dead people! But let me tell you, if you felt what I felt the night of the ghost walk that ended at the entrance of the cemetery, you'd believe it. So here it goes... At the end of the ghost story tour, I excitedly grabbed a pair of divining rods to channel the spirits. Simple enough, I suppose. You hold the rods and ask yes or no questions. I started with the recommended, "Show me yes," which leads to an X of the two rods, then "show me no," resulting in the rods lining up parallel. Are you a man? Yes. Did you die naturally? Yes. Are you buried in Mount Hope. No. Ok, weird, who is this guy? And what is he doing here. Then, we decide to have a bit more fun with it... err, I took it to the next level. Do I have the ability to communicate with spirits? Yes. (AHHHH!) Is the lady in the tower here? Yes. (Oh s**t!) Is there someone standing near me? Yes. (rods start to move vigorously to my left... uhhhh, starting to feel weird.) Is there someone standing in front of me? Yes. Rods cross in an X as far as they can, pressing against my shoulders, and I strangely feel a presence in front of me like someone is really there and I can't move, (likely out of fear). My friends laugh hesitantly and decide to make me stop. But, there was something creepy happening there. I'm also concerned about my latest attempt to commune with the spirits. I DO NOT want any freaky paranormal activity business happening. Technically, the ghost walk is not officially part of the cemetery, but they do tell a bunch of ghost stories related to people who encountered ghosts in there. Overall, Mount Hope Cemetery is a gorgeous place to visit, especially in the fall. The foliage is phenomenal and it's pretty interesting looking at what's inside. It's eerie, beautiful, and a great place to learn about the city's history. I recommend one of the tours hosted by the Friends of Mount Hope (http://www.fomh.org/Events/SpecialTours/). They host many themed ones so you can get more detail about specific topics, which are all posted on the calendar. Whether or not you're taking a hosted tour, it's worth a stroll through to check out the older grave sites of notable Rochesterians. If I recall correctly, there are more people buried in Mt. Hope than those that are living in the city of Rochester. read more

As someone who is terrified of zombies, dead people, and hates attending funerals, the cemetery terrifies me. That has not stopped me from going on two tours of this place in my lifetime. The first was during the day a few years ago and it was awesome. There is so much history that can be told about Rochester through taking a tour around the cemetery. Hearing the stories lead me to look up more information about the people they were talking about and that lead to several days of reading about Rochester's history. I recently went on a nighttime torch-lit tour and I was terrified walking in. I don't know if I believe in zombies or anything like that for sure - but if there was ever a time they were going to come and prove they were real this would definitely be the right time. The tour was great, the history was great, and the people I was with kept me sane and calm. The cemetery itself is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Just wandering around on your own can be amazing, the sculptures, buildings, towers, etc in the cemetery are amazing. You can really see that hundreds of years ago cemeteries were a place where people went to visit, have a picnic, they were basically a park. A park where your dead relatives were buries. The trees are amazing in Mt. Hope. If I wasn't such a chicken I would go more often. When people ask me where should they go check out on a free day I always tell them Mt. Hope. When they ask if I want to go....I am usually busy. read more

We drove through the cemetery in the late evening. It was rather eerie and made for a spooky albeit beautiful sight. The architecture of the headstones and statues gave glimpses into the past. The headstones were dated all the back way into the 1800s, if not older, and all the way to the present (2010s). Some of the roads that led to the older graves were very worn and unkempt. I would travel with caution along them especially during high traffic hours. In general, the cemetery is a definitely a must see in Rochester. Unfortunate for us, we stayed past closing hours and got locked in. If you find yourself in that situation call a security guard as soon as possible. Who knows what lurks around there at night! read more

Mount Hope Cemetery - As a part of the Cornell University family I stopped to glance at these weathered tombs. - Funeral Services & Cemeteries Near Me - Rochester, New York

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My maternal family is buried here from my ggrandparents to my parents and aunts and uncles. All the years I have been going there it has always been well maintained. It was a very good choice. read more

I often visit this cemetery as it's great for walking, sight seeing (sounds macabre) and just plain fascinating to explore. Some of the paths are smooth, flat and straight, while others are curvy, uneven and almost not visible. Also the head stones, crypts, and mausoleums are incredible to read and see. Sometimes I feel very odd that I enjoy walking here so much, but then I see other's doing it, so I must not be too strange. For me it's very peaceful, relaxing, and I enjoy it. read more

I used to come here and jog on the weekends. It's fun to read the epitaphs and there are a few famous residents here, as well. In October, they do a cool Halloween night time tour here. I highly recommend. read more

This is the most beautiful spot in Rochester. That might sound weird and/or creepy, but I honestly believe it. Whenever I visit home, I make sure to take a walk around Mt. Hope. I first went there with an ex for some sort of field trip and tour and have gone back so many times since. There are still plenty of parts of the acreage that I haven't seen. Expansive, rolling hills take you through the endless amounts of beautiful antique gravestones, mausoleums and monuments. Some landmark sites here are Susan B Anthony, Frederick Douglass, Wild Bill Hickock's kids and of course Nathaniel Rochester is buried at the highest point of the cemetery overlooking his namesake. Seriously a treasure to behold and one that is probably overlooked by a majority of the city's residents. read more

When Mount Hope Cemetery was first created it was actually a park for folks to go to and enjoy the weather and to have picnics. There are still picnics taking places at the headstones of family members and there are roads throughout the cemetery where joggers jog and bike riders ride around all enjoying the weather and the scenery. We have quite a few historical people in there from Susan B Anthony was instrumental in helping women get the right to vote, Frederick Douglass who was a social reformer, abolitionist, writer, Frank Gannett, who started one of the local newspapers, Nathaniel Rochester whom the town of Rochester was named after. This is the most beautiful cemetery that I have ever seen.. and I've seen a lot of them! Trees everywhere, a hidden pond roads that wind around with hidden benches scattered through out. I guarantee you will find peace here. read more

not sure I would recommend someone to come and visit this cemetery. yes a lot of famous people are buried here but good luck finding them. I got lost several times. read more

TAKE A TOUR!! You can see from all the other reviews that this is a Remarkable, Beautiful and Historic place. Or, just come and walk around. North Section of the Cemetery is much hillier and (I think) prettier than the South Section. But, beware that it is easy to get lost in the 196 acres that makes up this Cemetery. I walk here often, many times the same route and I always find something interesting. There are tours every Sunday afternoon May through October. And Thursday evening tours during the Summer. And my favorite tours are the Special Tours like: Murder, Mystery & Mayhem, Ice Cream Tour or they do historic tours like: Revolutionary & Civil War Tours. All good. In October they do their Torchlight Tours, always a fun way to see the Cemetery. Check out their website: www.fomh.org and spend a couple hours here! Maybe you'll learn something. Oh, you can even arrange Group Private Tours. read more

Such a beautiful and historic place. I have gone several times just to walk around and get lost. It's amazing I see new things every time I go. It's best in the early fall when the leaves change and there is a breeze to keep you cool. Be careful though sometimes there is no path and can be a little dangerous in certain areas. read more

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Wonderful. No words can describe how wonderful Mt Hope Cemetery is. Mt Hope Cemetery is full of beautiful glacially derived geologic features. These hills and gullies provide a very nice landscape and backdrop. But beyond the geologic history of Mt Hope, there is the anthropological history of these hollowed grounds. The residents of this cemetery range from Bausch and Lomb to the founder of today's Western Union. The plots range from the minimalist granite headstones to ornate sculptures. The older section of the cemetery tells beautiful stories. I would walk through the cemetery each weekend while I was in Rochester just exploring the place and never got tired of it. Head on over to Mt Hope Cemetery when you can! read more