May 2026
May 2nd, 10:00am. Discover Cedar Hill
Free – Reservations Encouraged
Explore Hartford’s rural cemetery with Cedar Hill Cemetery Foundation Director Beverly Lucas. The highlight tour showcases the art, history, and natural beauty that makes this urban oasis so special. After the tour, enjoy light refreshments. And a chance to win Cedar Hill-related books.
The tour is part of Jane’s Walk, a global initiative to explore cities while connecting with neighbors.
Admission to the program is free. Advance reservations are recommended and may be made online at www.cedarhillfoundation.org.
No pets allowed, except for service animals.
May 9th, 6:30am.Bird Walk
Free – Reservations Encouraged
Join Jay Kaplan from Roaring Brook Nature Center for his annual bird walk at Cedar Hill Cemetery. Jay will lead participants through the ornamental foreground in search of resident and migratory birds. Appropriate hiking shoes and binoculars are strongly recommended.
Admission to the program is free. Advance reservations are recommended and may be made online at www.cedarhillfoundation.org.
No pets allowed, except for service animals.
May 16th, 10:00am Arts & Letters
Admission: $10.00; Members Free – Reservations Encouraged
Discover Cedar Hill Cemetery’s creative residents including its most distinguished artists, actors, and authors. Learn about the noteworthy artist William Glackens, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Wallace Stevens, and legendary actress Katharine Hepburn. And meet lesser-known personalities such as actress Fern Andra and sculptor Frances Wadsworth. Michael Albano leads this walking tour of the historic cemetery.
Advance reservations are recommended and may be made online at www.cedarhillfoundation.org.
No pets allowed, except for service animals.
May 20th, 10:00 am. A Monumental Man: The Art of James Batterson
Admission: $10.00; Members Free – Reservations Encouraged
Monuments attributed to James Batterson’s prolific granite company are scattered
throughout Cedar Hill Cemetery. Andrius Banevicius highlights some of the company’s most extraordinary work including the Colt, Heublein, and Keney memorials on this tour of the historic cemetery.
Advance reservations are recommended and may be made online at www.cedarhillfoundation.org.
No pets allowed, except for service animals.
June 2026
June 6th, 10:00 am. Tree Walk
Free – Reservations Encouraged
Join arborist John Kehoe on this walk featuring Cedar Hill Cemetery’s rare and notable trees. The tour, through the ornamental foreground and historic memorial sections, will highlight trees such as the beautiful European Weeping Beech, the unusual (for the Northeast) Umbrella Magnolia, and the Huss Hemlock named for a resident of Cedar Hill.
The Tree Walk is part of Connecticut Forest & Park Association’s Trails Day Weekend. A nationwide initiative, Trails Day encourages the public to explore the great outdoors.
Admission to the program is free. Advance reservations are recommended and may be made online at www.cedarhillfoundation.org.
No pets allowed, except for service animals.
June 11th, 6:30 pmHartford in the Gilded Age
Admission: $10.00; Members Free – Reservations Encouraged
Learn about Hartford in the Gilded Age, a time when the city saw extraordinary
economic, industrial, and population growth. The walking tour, led by Foundation Director Beverly Lucas, explores topics such as industrialization, immigration, materialism, and philanthropy. Hear about the prominent Morgan and Goodwin families, Nook Farm residents John & Isabella Hooker, German immigrant Cuno Helfricht and more.
Advance reservations are recommended and may be made online at
www.cedarhillfoundation.org.
No pets allowed, except for service animals.
June 17th, 10:00 am. Planes, Trains & Automobiles
Admission: $10.00; Members Free – Reservations Encouraged
Hear stories of planes, trains, and automobiles on this transportation-themed tour led by Bill MacDonnell. Meet a famed barnstormer, pioneering train engineer, early auto enthusiast, railroad tycoon and more.
Advance reservations are recommended and may be made online at www.cedarhillfoundation.org.
No pets allowed, except for service animals.
June 20th, 10:00 am. The Streets of Hartford
Admission: $10.00; Members Free – Reservations Encouraged
Ever wondered how Hartford streets got their names? Debbie Alter leads this tour highlighting Cedar Hill Cemetery residents whose names grace the capital city streets. From Brainard Road to Jewell Street and Fairfield Avenue, learn about the people who have been immortalized on the streets of Hartford.
Advance reservations are recommended and may be made online at www.cedarhillfoundation.org.
No pets allowed, except for service animals.
July 11th, 10:00am. Mark Twain’s Companions & Cohorts
Admission: $10.00; Cedar Hill & Mark Twain Museum Members Free – Reservations Encouraged
While Samuel Clemens, a.k.a. Mark Twain, is laid to rest in Elmira, New York, many of his Hartford companions and cohorts are interred at Cedar Hill Cemetery. Learn about Twain’s life and his many Nook Farm friends, neighbors, and colleagues during this tour led by Steve Courtney.
Advance reservations are recommended and may be made online at www.cedarhillfoundation.org.
No pets allowed, except for service animals.
July 2026
July 15th, 10:00am. Angels Among Us
Admission: $10.00; Members Free – Reservations Encouraged
Learn about the angelic figures that grace the landscape of Cedar Hill Cemetery. Connie Robinson will acquaint you with the Angels of Mercy, Life, Peace, and more on this tour of the historic cemetery.
Advance reservations are recommended and may be made online at www.cedarhillfoundation.org.
No pets allowed, except for service animals.
July 18th, 10:00 am. A Civil War Soldier
Admission: $10.00; Members Free – Reservations Encouraged
Hear poignant stories of Civil War soldiers laid to rest at Cedar Hill on this new tour of the historic cemetery. Beverly Lucas will share the stories of men who died in service as well as those who made it safely home. The tour offers a moving glimpse into courage, loss, survival, and remembrance.
Advance reservations are recommended and may be made online at www.cedarhillfoundation.org.
No pets allowed, except for service animals.
July 23, 6:00 pm. Music Among the Memorials
Free for All; (Rain Date: Friday, July 24, 6:00 pm)
Enjoy an evening of music with The Midnight Anthem. The country-inspired Americana group is made up of Catherine, Sophia and Grace…cousins by birth, but sisters at heart. Backed by a rhythm section, The Midnight Anthem will perform an entertaining blend of originals and popular tunes in a mix of country, folk, rock and Americana. Performing together since 2021, The Midnight Anthem won the New England Music Award for Rising Star in Connecticut in 2023 and was nominated for Best Live Act in 2024.
Bring blankets, chairs, and picnic dinners for a night to remember. The concert will be held on the sprawling lawn between the Garden and Cedar Mausoleums.
No pets allowed, except for service animals.
August 2026
August 6th, 6:30pm. Sunset Notables
Admission: $10.00; Members Free – Reservations Encouraged
Discover the history and beauty of Cedar Hill Cemetery on this tour showcasing some of its most celebrated residents and renowned monuments. Learn about General Griffin Stedman, John Pierpont Morgan, Katharine Hepburn and more. Participants will enjoy watching the sun set during the walk.
Advance reservations are recommended and may be made online at www.cedarhillfoundation.org
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No pets allowed, except for service animals.
August 8th, 10:00am. Patent Pending: Inventors of Cedar Hill
Admission: $10.00; Members Free – Reservations Encouraged
Meet Cedar Hill’s ingenious inventors. Hear about Gallaudet’s airplane, Colt’s revolver, Gray’s pay telephone and more creative inventions. Foundation Director Beverly Lucas leads this new tour of the historic cemetery.
Advance reservations are recommended and may be made online at www.cedarhillfoundation.org.
No pets allowed, except for service animals.
August 19th, 10:00am. The Plot Thickens
Admission: $10.00; Members Free – Reservations Encouraged
Hear stories that sound like film scripts – leaving you to wonder who should star in the movie – a Communist spy, a runaway Prince, an infamous gambler, and more. Wendi Vance leads this intriguing tour of Cedar Hill Cemetery.
Advance reservations are recommended and may be made online at www.cedarhillfoundation.org.
No pets allowed, except for service animals.
August 20th, 7:30pm. Cinema at the Cemetery: Adam’s Rib
Free for All; (Rain Date: Thursday, August 27, 7:30 pm)
Join us for the romantic comedy, Adam’s Rib, starring Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy and Judy Holliday. In this popular Hepburn-Tracy pairing, tensions mount when married lawyers find themselves on opposite sides of a high-profile court case.
Bring a blanket or chair and your favorite candy for a movie under the stars. The movie will be shown on an outdoor screen on the sprawling lawn between the Garden and Cedar Mausoleums.
No pets allowed, except for service animals.
August 22nd, 10:00am. Mushroom Hunt
Admission: $10.00; Members Free – Reservations Encouraged
Join Joe Lenoce of Connecticut Valley Mycological Society in search of mushrooms at Cedar Hill Cemetery. Joe will discuss the basic types of fungi, where to find them, and proper methods of collecting. Participants will then head out to search for mushrooms in the ornamental foreground.
The program concludes with Joe reviewing documentation resources while identifying any fungi collected. Appropriate shoes and basket or paper bag for collecting recommended.
Advance reservations are recommended and may be made online at www.cedarhillfoundation.org.
No pets allowed, except for service animals.
September 2026
September 12th, 10:00am – 12:00pm. Mystery Scavenger Hunt
Admission: $10.00 per person, Reservations Required
Explore Cedar Hill Cemetery while deciphering creative clues that direct you around the historic sections of the cemetery. Teams of up to four people each compete in the hunt. Once teams have collected all the clues, it’s time to solve the mystery. It’s a race to the finish, as prizes (and bragging rights) will be awarded to teams who solve the mystery the fastest.
Advance reservations are required and may be made online at www.cedarhillfoundation.org.
No pets allowed, except for service animals.
September 15th, 7:30pm. Stargazing at Cedar Hill
Admission: $10.00; Cedar Hill & ASGH Members Free – Reservations Encouraged
Explore the night sky at Cedar Hill Cemetery with the Astronomical Society of Greater Hartford. Learn about telescopes and astronomy while viewing prominent objects such as the moon, globular clusters, planets, nebula, or galaxies.
Advance reservations are recommended and may be made online at www.cedarhillfoundation.org.
No pets allowed, except for service animals.
September 16th, 10:00am. Eternal Homes of Cedar Hill
Admission: $10.00; Members Free – Reservations Encouraged
Learn about the private mausoleums that grace the grounds of Cedar Hill Cemetery. Andrius Banevicius discusses the art and architecture of these magnificent structures on this tour of the historic cemetery.
Advance reservations are recommended and may be made online at www.cedarhillfoundation.org.
No pets allowed, except for service animals.
September 19th, 10:00am. What a Way to Go!
Admission: $10.00; Members Free – Reservations Encouraged
Mayhem, murder, and the hazards of everyday life are the subjects of this tour led by Evelyn Bollert. Transportation with a mind of its own, constricting corsets, exploding boilers,odorless gases, melancholia, mysticism, mysteries and more. Cedar Hill residents tell tales of the dangers of daily living in the late-19th and early-20th centuries.
Advance reservations are recommended and may be made online at www.cedarhillfoundation.org.
No pets allowed, except for service animals.
October 2026
October 3rd, 10:00am. Stories in Stone
Admission: $10.00; Members Free – Reservations Encouraged
Learn about monument styles often found in 19th-century cemeteries such as Cedar Hill Cemetery. From the sarcophagus to the obelisk, Celtic cross, pyramid and more, Ann Mione highlights the origin and significance of popular monument styles. And will share information about the lot owners who selected these magnificent memorials.
Advance reservations are recommended and may be made online at www.cedarhillfoundation.org.
No pets allowed, except for service animals.
October 17th, 10:00am. Fall Foliage Tour
Admission: $10.00; Members Free – Reservations Encouraged
More than 2,000 trees representing 100 species and varieties grace the grounds of Cedar Hill Cemetery. John Kehoe leads this autumn walk highlighting a colorful sampling of the remarkable collection including maples, cherries, beeches, pines, cedars and more.
Advance reservations are recommended and may be made online at www.cedarhillfoundation.org.
No pets allowed, except for service animals.
October 21st, 10:00am. The Prosecution Rests
Admission: $10.00; Members Free – Reservations Encouraged
From the assassination of President Garfield to the crimes that inspired the movie Arsenic and Old Lace, Foundation Director Beverly Lucas shares intriguing stories of sensational trials, tragic crimes, and even one unsolved mystery, all of which gripped the imagination of Connecticut residents.
Advance reservations are recommended and may be made online at www.cedarhillfoundation.org.
No pets allowed, except for service animals.
October 30th, 6:00pm – 9:00pm. Hallowed History Lantern Tour
Admission: $20.00; Reservations Required
History comes alive on this lantern-led tour of the historic cemetery. Character actors will share tantalizing true stories from some of Cedar Hill’s notable and not-so-notable residents.
Advance reservations are required and may be made online at www.cedarhillfoundation.org. Tickets go on sale September 1st.