Fall Tree Walk at the Historic Bellefontaine Cemetery

Bellefontaine Cemetery is hosting a Fall Tree Walk on Wednesday, October 28, from 9 AM to 11 AM. It's a two-hour guided tour through the Wildwood Valley Garden, led by a horticulturist, with the focus on the fall colors. The walk is free, with a suggested donation of $5.

If you've spent any time at Bellefontaine, you know it's more than just a cemetery. It was founded in 1849 by a group of prominent St. Louis men, and the grounds were laid out by Almerin Hotchkiss, an associate of Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed New York's Central Park. Hotchkiss became friends with Henry Shaw, and together they helped the estate grow into one of the finest tree collections in the St. Louis area. Today, it's Missouri's first ArbNet Level III Accredited Arboretum, home to about 10,000 trees and shrubs representing nearly 600 distinct species, selections, and varieties—everything from golden ginkgoes to crimson maples.

Beyond the botany, the site is an open-air museum of architecture and cemetery art, and the final resting place of figures like Adolphus Busch of Anheuser-Busch, explorer William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and engineer James Eads. Because the tour is led by a horticulturist, it's a chance to see the arboretum with someone who knows the plants. Every tour is unique and may cover different species, so you'll see something different depending on when you go.

The walk runs from 9 AM to 11 AM on Wednesday, October 28, at Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum, 4947 West Florissant Ave, St. Louis, MO 63115. It's free, with a suggested donation of $5.