Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond is the South's grandest garden cemetery and a quietly superb free stop for history buffs with a taste for the uncanny. Laid out in the late 1840s on rolling, wooded hills above the James River rapids, it was named for the holly trees on the site, and its winding lanes lead past the graves of two American presidents, James Monroe (in a Gothic iron cage of a tomb) and John Tyler, plus Confederate president Jefferson Davis and generals including J.E.B. Stuart and George Pickett. The cemetery's most startling monument is a 90-foot granite pyramid raised over the graves of thousands of Confederate soldiers, a structure that dominates its hillside; it is Lost Cause history to be read critically, not admired uncritically. The ghost lore is pure Richmond: the legend of the Richmond Vampire attaches to a mausoleum built into the hillside, a story that grew out of the 1925 Church Hill Tunnel collapse and decades of local retelling, and visitors seek out the tomb and the iron dog statue that guards a child's grave. The grounds are open daily from 8am to late afternoon (later during daylight saving time) and free to walk, with self-guided maps, virtual tours and paid group tours available. Fit: history buffs, couples who like a riverside walk with views, and families with older kids interested in presidents and legends.
The history
Hollywood was designed in the rural garden cemetery tradition that began at Mount Auburn in Cambridge, intended as a park for the living as much as a resting place, and its plan follows the terrain rather than a grid. Monroe was reinterred here from New York in 1858 as a statement of Virginia pride, Tyler followed, and after the Civil War the cemetery became central to Lost Cause memorialization, which is why the Confederate monuments loom so large.
Reading the grounds now means holding several histories at once, and the best visits do. The cemetery was designed by the Philadelphia architect John Notman, the pyramid was completed in 1869 over roughly 18,000 Confederate enlisted dead, and Monroe's ornate cast-iron tomb, nicknamed the birdcage, is one of the most photographed funerary monuments in Virginia.
The novelist Ellen Glasgow is buried here too. The vampire story in full: when the Church Hill Tunnel collapsed on a work train in 1925, a badly burned man was said to have fled the wreck toward the cemetery and vanished into the W.W. Pool mausoleum.
The real man was a railroad fireman who died of his injuries, and the locomotive itself remains sealed inside the tunnel. The cast-iron dog that guards a little girl's grave has its own legend, said to have been hidden during the Civil War so it would not be melted down for bullets.
Visiting well
Download or pick up the self-guided map, drive or walk between sections (the hills are steep), and plan stops at Presidents Circle, the pyramid, the James River overlooks and the vampire tomb, which is easy to find with a map. The cemetery asks visitors, including children, not to wear costumes, and it remains an active burial ground, so keep a respectful tone. Office hours are weekdays, and the grounds close at 5pm outside daylight saving time.
Building the day
Pair the cemetery with Richmond's riverfront and the Oregon Hill neighborhood next door, then the city's museums. Washington, DC is two hours north for a ghost walk, and Gettysburg further on extends the battlefield-and-ghost-tour circuit.
What to expect
The experience
A free self-guided walk or drive through a hilly 19th-century garden cemetery with presidential graves, a granite pyramid, river overlooks and the Richmond Vampire tomb; virtual and group tours available.
Best time
Spring and autumn mornings for color and cool walking; the grounds stay open later during daylight saving time.
How long
Ninety minutes to two hours.
Tips
Use the self-guided map, wear walking shoes for the steep hills, skip costumes as the cemetery requests, and be mindful of active services.
Quick picks
- Best for
- Presidential history and Southern Gothic legend in one free walk.
- Families
- Older kids enjoy the presidents, the pyramid and the guardian dog statue.
- Couples
- A riverside cemetery walk with James River views, then dinner in Richmond.
- Pair with
- A Washington DC ghost walk two hours north and Gettysburg for the battlefield circuit.
- Time needed
- A morning.
Good questions
Is Hollywood Cemetery free?+
Walking the grounds is free during visiting hours. Some guided group tours are paid. Self-guided maps and virtual tours on the cemetery's website let you plan a route before you go.
Which presidents are buried there?+
James Monroe and John Tyler, along with Confederate president Jefferson Davis. Monroe's cast-iron tomb, nicknamed the birdcage, and Tyler's grave are both at Presidents Circle.
What is the Richmond Vampire?+
A local legend attached to a hillside mausoleum, which grew out of stories about the 1925 Church Hill Tunnel collapse and a burned survivor said to have fled into the tomb. The real survivor was a railroad fireman who died of his burns. It is folklore, but the tomb is a popular stop.
What are the hours?+
Daily from 8am to 5pm, or until 6pm during daylight saving time.
Can I wear a costume for photos?+
No. The cemetery asks visitors, including children, not to wear costumes.
