Fresh Finds Walking Tour at the Historic Bellefontaine Cemetery

Bellefontaine Cemetery is hosting a Fresh Finds Walking Tour on Thursday, October 29, from 1:30 to 3:30 PM. It's a two-hour walk led by the cemetery's chronicler, and it starts at the Willow Gate House. The tour runs about a mile and a half and goes rain or shine, so you'll want to dress for the weather regardless of the forecast.

If you've never spent much time there, Bellefontaine is one of St. Louis's oldest landmarks, founded in 1849 by a group of the city's prominent men. The grounds were laid out by Almerin Hotchkiss, an associate of Frederick Law Olmsted—the man who designed New York's Central Park. Hotchkiss became friends with Henry Shaw, and together they helped the cemetery grow one of the finest tree collections in the St. Louis area. Beyond the landscape, the site is known for its architecture and cemetery art, and for the final resting places of figures like Adolphus Busch of Anheuser-Busch, explorer William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and James Eads, whose bridge still spans the Mississippi.

This particular walk is just one of the many the cemetery offers throughout the year; they run private and public trolley, walking, and themed tours in addition to the daily grounds hours, which are 8 AM to 5 PM, with extended hours in the summer. The tour is free, though donations are appreciated, and reservations are required. It kicks off at 1:30 PM at the Willow Gate House.