Mount Hope Cemetery — Attraction in City of Rochester

I've always loved this cemetery for its history and beauty. It wasn't until yesterday, though, when we laid my mom to rest there that I was able to fully appreciate the service that Mt Hope provides. We scattered mom's ashes in the scattering garden, and leading up to that ceremony we had a wonderful experience with Lydia, the woman in the office. She was supportive and knowledgeable and made the whole thing so easy (which is saying a lit when you're dealing with the untimely death of a parent). On the morning of the service, the man who met us in scattering garden was very kind and allowed us to customize the ceremony as we needed. I feel a much stronger pull to visit Mt Hope now that I know the folks working behind the scenes are just as wonderful as the ambiance of the cemetery. And my family was so impressed with our experience that several of us are considering making arranges with Mt Hope ahead of time for our own cemetery needs. I highly recommend this cemetery both as a stunningly beautiful and well-maintained historical park, and as a wonderful and easy-to-access organization to help deal with the hardships of burial...

Paved roads and cobblestone trails cover almost 200 acres of hilly and flat terrain, making it a wonderfully interesting place to walk year-round. Two entrances from Mt. Hope Ave, the northern one enters the oldest part of the cemetery, but the southern entrance is the main gate where you can stop in the office to pick up a map if you're looking for specific graves (Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass among he most well-known). The third entrance, off Elmwood Ave. opposite Strong Hospital, enters the flat & newer section. If you're not in a rush, a slow amble through will reward you with peaceful vistas & new discoveries of wildlife & carved memorials. There are almost always walkers, runners, and grounds crew about, giving it a livelier atmosphere than you...

The guided tour through the cemetery was very informative and beautiful. There were many stops to talk about different people and their contributions to Rochester. The tour had some "off path" areas, but much of it was on a gravel path and easy to navigate. The Friends of Mount Hope Cemetery is a wonderful nonprofit organization to help restore the cemetery and maintain the stones. The tour was 90 minutes and costs $15. They have various tours throughout the season and we are themed! Worth checking out! Sarah our tour guide was very nice and informative, she kept it interesting and kept everyone engaged.

The cemetery is open daily for walking through to enjoy nature. There are paved paths throughout that would be easy to navigate with strollers or...