Forest Lawn

Forest Lawn is such a place of beauty that it is as much a place for the living as it is for the deceased. There are runners and cyclists, families and tourists. There is a fair share of deer and Canadian geese too! I love to walk or bike through the cemetery’s winding and rolling paths, looking at the grave stones and mausoleums.
Who could ever be forgotten in a place so beloved by the community?
I would strongly suggest picking up a map, available by the Delaware and Delevan entrance. The map is good partly to know where you are but also to identify interesting people buried there such as Millard Fillmore, Red Jacket, RICK JAMES B****, and many others.
The grave stones and markers are works of art, from classic style to more modern pieces. One of my favorite places is the Field of Valor where veterans are buried.
Even when passing by my eyes are drawn to things such as the bronze stag or the sundial. Forest Lawn seems to ever invite me in.

Been around since I can remember. I have some friends and family members buried here. Nice, up kept, respectful place. I even learned how to drive a little in here when I was younger. I do admire how management upholds the integrity of this cemetery. Very commendable.

Forest Lawn is certainly the most impressive cemetery in Buffalo, not just for the famous inhabitants, but for the striking memorials as well. It’s very easy to drive around and spot something intriguing, and incredibly fun to admire the scenery. Though Forest Lawn is usually praised for honoring Millard Filmore and his family, Rick James, Darwin Martin, and various former Buffalo mayors, there are also dozens of other impressive monuments that have some interesting stories behind them. They’re all as worth looking into as much as the famous ones are.
A majority of the graves have death dates dating back to the late 1800’s. Understandable with an old cemetery, some of the gravestones have been corroded to the point where you can barely read what’s on them. Others remain incredibly vague, with a simple ‘Father’ or ‘Mother’ engraved on a small headstone. Some face perpendicular to one another.
Often you can spot runners exercising throughout the cemetery, and I would wage that it’s a great place to exercise if you’re looking for something scenic. Ducks, geese, squirrels, and deer live in the cemetery as well.
If you’re the type of person who isn’t all that good with directions, and perhaps wants to get the full experience of all that the cemetery has to offer, then I might suggest taking one of the bus tours that the cemetery offers during the summer. However, if you’re like me – you prefer to pave your own path, to do exactly what you want to do, then it really wouldn’t be too hard to self-​guide your own tour. The bigger, more expensive/​popular memorials definitely have information that you could easily check out online; not to mention it’s free to explore on your own anyway!

Came here on Sunday with Bradley to explore. Some people may think a day date at a cemetery would be creepy, but I’m not those people. It was my first time here and Bradley said he hasn’t come since he was in elementary school.
It was great to just explore. So much history and beautiful sculptures and art. It was very peaceful. We parked at the mausoleums and just walked the whole way. We came across a pond with benches and sat there and relaxed for a while.
It was all kept so clean and tidy too. No overgrown grass or weeds, I didn’t see any trash.
It was a great day. I would definitely recommend exploring and seeing a different history and a different side of Buffalo.

If you’re looking for an unusual place to take a nap, then they don’t call it «Forest Yawn» for nothing. Actually they don’t call it that at all, and I don’t recommend napping in Graveyards, generally speaking.
I’ve only been in here once or twice, but each time it made a huge impression. It’s stunning. It’s a beautiful place just to walk or drive past, but when you walk through it, it’s haunting and stunning. I wouldn’t mind this being my final resting place if I am honest.
I have to thank Maria B, because I never thought to walk through this cemetery, but after reading her review I was compelled to (while waiting for a haircut, no less), and it was one of the loveliest walks in town, easily.
This is *the* Buffalo cemetary. It’s enormous, it’s beautiful, it’s filled with bittersweet imagery and secluded little corners. If someone spent their life or their best years in Buffalo, I would imagine they would want to be buried here. I know people that are buried here, and know people that plan to be buried here.
It’s one of my favourite cemetaries in the country and is a credit to the lovely city of Buffalo. Here is hoping that none of you reading ever end up here until you are ready. If only life worked that way.

This cemetery is amazingly beautiful for walks, runs, bike rides, and strolls. The tours are fascinating, the views are spectacular. One of the best places in buffalo to visit!

When I saw that a cemetery was number 3 on Trip Advisor, I couldn’t believe it. What’s so great about a cemetery? However, my fiancé and I rode some bikes out there and we could see the allure. There’s a pond and great paths that you could get lost in. It was interesting reading some of the monuments and headstones. I would recommend a stroll or bike ride there. If you have Rollerblades, you could do that too. We saw many people rollerblading around the park.

Thanks to Kristin D., Paul L., Donna P., and Melissa D., no one will ever have to wonder what the Forest Lawn cemetery looks like. They have posted pictures from every possible angle and have literally covered it all. Just take a minute to look through the Forest Lawn photographs and you will get an idea what the property is all about. It’s beautiful. We had some time to kill between wedding festivities while visiting Buffalo, NY. We stumbled upon this cemetery and spent a good 20 minutes driving through, checking everything out. It’s a really neat place. I wouldn’t go out of your way to visit, but if you are in the area or have a half hour to kill while being a tourist, we suggest taking a peak.

I know this might sound odd but out of all the cemetery’s I have been to this is by far my favorite one, It is great for running and biking if you do not want to go out on the streets and risk you life in Buffalo with all the drives. It is appealing to the eye and a great place to train for a race with all the hills. Has drinking fountains all over the place. Nice place for a fall or spring walk too. Never crowd do to the size.

People Are Dieing To Come Here… Cheap joke I know, but seriously it is so beautiful, the layout of a park as a cemetery is an idea that just makes sense. The history of this place is amazing, so many important people in buffalo’s history. Yet at the same time even the average joe’s of Buffalo history. I love reading the gravestones that have a little background on a person, like their job what they loved their favorite pet, etc… It gives Buffalo a history thats relateable.
in all this, this place is not a place of death, it’s a place full of Life!!!

One of my favorite places to relax and unwind in Buffalo. Just watch out for the geese, they are mean and in your face. I love biking around and looking/​visiting people of my past. The most beautiful cemetery around. We are very lucky to have such a gem in Buffalo. In the next 12 years they will be planting 4,000 trees in Forest Lawn to get back to the original street/​landscape from 1901. Great things to be happening.

Forest Lawn has always been a special place to me. I have photographed a couple of weddings there and have done substantial work covering many of the graves.
My most recent visit however was to visit a dear old friend who passed away last year at the age of forty some odd years old. It took me a few moments to find it, but I was amazed to see one of my photographs of him was used for the stone. It immediately brought tears to my eyes and thinking of it now is quite something, but it was wonderful to be near him and to know I will never forget him and how much he and his wife meant to me.
As far as the cemetery goes, it must be seen. There are extremely old huge stones and even a Frank Lloyd Wright stone set that I admit to using for a couple of folks’ photos.

Whether you’re looking for a quiet stroll, to go for a run or just a change of scenery, Forest Lawn is a good place for just about anything! I know, I know it’s a cemetery… but did you know that it’s an arboretum? Did you know that Rick James is buried here, along with Millard Filmore? It’s a fantastic place to read a book, draw & paint, or just to view the cherry blossoms in bloom during Spring time or even the leaves change color in the Fall. If you’re never been, I’d highly recommend it all year round!

Forest Lawn is absolutely beautiful and haunting. Whenever I need to clear my mind I take a really long walk though the cemetery. It is so peaceful. My favorite time of year there is the fall when all the leaves change, but it is lovely all year round.
It isn’t a place where you should be loud, it is a place for quiet reflection and reverence. Some people forget that it is a cemetery and that you need to respect the dead, but if you remeber that it is a perfect place to get lost in the beauty.
It’s also really interesting to see all the old grave, some going back well over 100 years.

I’ve been enjoying strolls through this lovely, peaceful place since I went to college. So much history there. Take the tour. you’ll get so much more out of your visit.

I’m June 17^th I went to the Twilight or held at the cemetery ironically happy birthday yes I’m a nerd and spent my birthday at the cemetery. I highly recommend the store the guys are very knowledgeable and there’s just so much history with in the city within a city I can’t wait to go back again

What a marvelous cemetery and in the middle of the city no less. I’m sure its not allowed anymore, but I used to practice driving here when I had my permit. I cant say I spent much other time here as a child, but more recently I have spent alot of time here.
Its a terrific place to walk around, there are often runners there as well. I see families walking there. There is a stream throughout, and a beautiful pond there as well.
Fall is of course lovely here, many old trees with reds and oranges all around. But then winter is covered in snow, and beautiful as well. IN the summer there is alot of shade, always nice. Really, you can’t loose coming here for a walk or a visit.
From their website — some statues in the Cemetery —
*the Oishei Memorial Bell, which won the gold medal at the Paris Exposition in 1867 and is rung electronically for funeral processions entering the cemetery
*the Three Graces bronze fountain in Mirror Lake, which was designed by sculptor Charles Cary Rumsey in 1909
*a bronze statue of a little girl standing on a small island in Mirror Lake, «The Little Girl» was created in 1914 by sculptor Grace Rumsey Goodyear and stands in memory of all children
*a giant bronze bust of the great Italian composer, Giuseppe Verdi, created by Italian sculptor Antonio Ugo, this sculpture was presented to Forest Lawn by the Federation of Italian American Societies to honor the many Italian craftsmen who chiseled the thousands of magnificent marble and granite monuments in the cemetery
*a multi-​figure composition of eight bronze human figures, called «Celebration,» connected in an ascending arrangement that suggests weightlessness and human interaction, which is the work of Barry Johnston, who cast it in 1989
*a dramatic tall abstract conceptualization of the eternal flame created by Susan Ferrari-​Rowley
*a gigantic sculpture in fiberglass, 16 feet high, of two abstracted figures (an upward-​bearing winged angel lifting a human body) that seem to float above the ground and created in 1998 by John Field.
Below are some of the notable «guests» here — taken from the Forest Lawn website — there are many more, and if you go there is a list of them at the gate, along with location.
Lawrence Bell, founder of Bell Aircraft (first jet to break sound barrier);
Dorothy Goetz Berlin, wife of Irving Berlin;
Millard Fillmore, 13^th president;
Charles Fuqua, actor/​singer, member of the Ink Spots;
Anna Katherine Green, detective novelist;
Kathleen Howard, opera singer and actress;
Rick James, musician

Is it weird to enjoy a Cemetery? Perhaps. But enjoy it me and my companions did. We visited Buffalo in mid-​February on a whim, me and 4 of my friends. We are the type of people who are interested in the unusual, perhaps, and interested in local history and places. The Cemetery is absolutely beautiful at this time of year. The snow blanketed everything, and there were literally acres and acres of untouched layers of it.
There are actually bathrooms right beyond the Cemetery gates, and they’re what is to be expected from bathrooms in an open area. A bit dirty, a bit smelly, but at least the girl’s bathroom was warm (I heard the boys’ was not), and at least there was a decent amount of toilet paper and soap. Maybe it’s weird, but I find myself unintentionally mentioning a lot of bathroom quality in my reviews. Perhaps because so few people do, and almost everyone ends up using the bathrooms at various establishments.
Anyways. We actually walked around this Cemetery for approximately 5 – 6 solid hours. Quite a number of joggers were present, as many people have mentioned. There’s such an expanse of property, that this place seems like an ideal training ground for experienced joggers.
There are a lot of old headstones and above-​ground mausoleums. I think we even found a headstone dating back to around 1790, though it was so weathered and faded, that it was hard to tell. A few mausoleums are so large that they are roughly the size of a small house, and there are even several above-​ground mausoleums. Beautiful architecture, beautiful marble statues, beautiful headstones. I will say, however, that this Cemetery is in need of some TLC. There wasn’t a plot that didn’t have at least one headstone that was broken off. And some of these were new ones, that some rowdy kids probably thought they would find amusement in breaking. A lot were just plain uncared for, covered in weeds and grass beneath the snow that was slowly choking the headstone and covering it completely.
I would also like to note that since a lot of the graves are so old, the amount of surnames that are genuinely unique is staggering. There were German, Greek, Japanese, all sorts of really cool, interesting, (and maybe a little bit weird) last names. Flickenstein was one of my favorites, as was Scherbatow.
All in all, lovely place full of culture and history to spend an evening getting lost in.

With many acres to explore, Forest Lawn is a great place to go relax, discover history, watch wild life at its finest and visit passed loved ones. I personally go running through here and there’s always a buck that comes up and trots behind me, most people call him speedy because I have heard he’s done this before to people.
The same buck every year protects a goose and her eggs and will protect them until they hatch and can move off on their own, it’s quite a spectacular event to witness.
A lot of inventors, writers, and other famous folks are buried here, and can find them just running around looking at things. If you’re looking for one of the most peaceful spots in Buffalo that has rich history to it as well, I wouldn’t pass this opportunity up.
PS: They also have tours and events throughout the year, check it out you will be pleasantly surprised!

Forest Lawn is one of my favorite places in Buffalo. It’s beautiful and full of history. There are always people at Forest Lawn whether they are visiting loved ones at rest there, observing art and nature (more varieties of trees than Delaware Park and a great place for birdwatching,) history buffs (former presidents, pop icons and historical figures,) or are out for their daily run/​walk/​bike ride.
Take the Sunday in the Cemetery tour (by reservation) or a Saturday walk-​up tour (like I did) or even one of the specialty tours. You’ll love it!