Events
Visitors are welcome to step back into history and experience eighty acres of stately trees and statuary in the beautiful blend of nature and art that is Elmwood Cemetery.
Please come by the Victorian Carpenter Gothic Cottage which serves as our Visitor Center for maps, audio tours, picnic tables and handicap accessible restrooms. Research assistance is also available in the cottage, and security is on the grounds during business hours.
There is no charge to visit Elmwood.
Voices of Yellow Fever: An Evening Presentation
September 9th is Yellow Fever Memorial Day in the city of Memphis. Visit Elmwood on the evening of September 9th and see the Elmwood players tell the stories of yellow fever. Light appetizers prepared by the staff will be served. This event begins at 6 PM and lasts about 90 minutes. The cost is $20 per person.
Public Docent Walking Tour
For more than a decade, the volunteer Elmwood docents have led tours of the cemetery grounds. These all-walking tours are open to the public. Tours leave the Cottage at 10:30 a.m. and last about 90 minutes. The cost is $10/person and no advance registration is required. We recommend weather-appropriate clothing and sturdy walking shoes for this tour.
Spirits of Elmwood
Enjoy a catered dinner in the Chapel at Elmwood with an hour-long flashlit walking tour of the grounds to follow the meal.
Beverages, including wine, will be served at this event. Vegetarian options will be made available.
The cost per person is $45. Advance registration is required as there is limited seating available at each seating.
This listing is for the 5:30 seating.
Spirits of Elmwood
Enjoy a catered dinner in the Chapel at Elmwood with an hour-long flashlit walking tour of the grounds to follow the meal.
Beverages, including wine, will be served at the event. Vegetarian options will be made available.
The cost per person is $45. Advance registration is required as there is limited seating available at each seating.
This listing is for the 7:00 p.m. seating.
Funeral Folklore & Legends
There are many superstitions that once abounded in the act of burying loved ones. Why did people once stop clocks when a family member passed away? Why were the mirrors covered? Why did mourners once walk in a zig-zag pattern through the cemetery to the grave site? How did the advent of funeral homes change the grieving process? We invite you to join Elmwood's Executive Director Kimberly McCollum as she investigates these strange customs, and more.
Lunch is served with this event. Begins at noon in the Chapel. The cost is $12/person.
Costume Twilight Tour
This all-walking tour through Elmwood has been revamped and is beginning earlier this year! Tours will begin at 3:00 p.m. and the last tour will begin at 6:00 p.m. Tickets for this event are $15 per adult and $5 per child. If you have never visited Elmwood, this tour is the best way to get to know the cemetery and the individuals who rest here. Costumed characters portraying Elmwood residents will introduce you to the history of Memphis' oldest active cemetery.
For our mobility-impaired visitors, we recommend that you call ahead and speak with Jody Schmidt or Kimberly McCollum regarding tour route information.
Pawing Through History: A Dog-Friendly Tour
Bring the pups to Elmwood! We ask that all dogs remain on a leash while a docent takes the group around the cemetery for an all-walking history tour. This tour starts at 1:00 p.m. and will last approximately 90 minutes. Space for this tour is limited to 25 people and advance registration is required. The cost for this tour is $15 per person.
We kindly ask that you leave grumpy pups at home.
Tree Tour of Elmwood
Elmwood is home to almost 1,500 trees. Many of these trees are tagged, but there's so much more to know about a tree than its scientific and common name. Some of the trees that live in Elmwood are older than the cemetery! Join Education Coordinator Linley Schmidt as she leads a tree tour of the cemetery grounds. Cost for the tour is $5 per person. The tour begins at 10:30 a.m.
Generals In Blue & Gray
Volunteer Donald Harrison is a local historian who is well-versed in the knowledge of the Civil War as it is represented at Elmwood Cemetery. Mr. Harrison has spent years learning more about the generals - both Confederate and Union - who rest here. Elmwood invites you to attend this presentation on one of our nation's most important memorial days - Veterans' Day - and learn more about the Civil War and the men who fought in it.
Lunch is served with this event. Begins at noon in the Chapel. The cost is $12/person.
Public Docent Walking Tour
For more than a decade, the volunteer Elmwood docents have led tours of the cemetery grounds. These all-walking tours are open to the public. Tours leave the Cottage at 10:30 a.m. and last about 90 minutes. The cost is $10/person and no advance registration is required. We recommend weather-appropriate clothing and sturdy walking shoes for this tour.