A new survey reveals that Georgia’s quiet burial grounds hold their own against the nation’s most stunning memorial landscapes.
📊 What’s Happening: Choice Mutual surveyed people about the most beautiful hidden gem cemeteries they’ve visited, with three Georgia sites making the national list.
- Myrtle Hill Cemetery in Rome ranked 18th, Memory Hill Cemetery in Milledgeville came in 48th, and Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta placed 55th
- The survey aimed to spotlight lesser-known burial grounds that combine natural beauty with historical significance
🌳 Between the Lines: These aren’t your typical manicured memorial parks. Each Georgia cemetery offers something different from the polished lawns of commercial sites.
- Myrtle Hill rises above Rome’s three rivers with terraced slopes and rare trees, housing graves from First Lady Ellen Axson Wilson to Civil War soldiers
- Memory Hill provides intimate Southern history beneath magnolias, while Oakland Cemetery creates a Victorian garden atmosphere in downtown Atlanta
🗺️ The Big Picture: The survey reveals how smaller, often overlooked cemeteries across America serve as unexpected repositories of local culture and natural beauty. While famous sites like Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester, New York topped the list, Georgia’s entries demonstrate that the South’s burial grounds offer unique combinations of history, architecture, and landscape design that rival better-known destinations.
The Sources: Choice Mutual.
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.