Laurel Hill Cemetery – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Atlas Obscura
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Laurel Hill Cemetery

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

This Philly cemetery is the eternal home of many famous area residents, including Rocky Balboa's wife. 

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One of America’s earliest Rural Garden Cemeteries, Laurel Hill serves the city of Philadelphia as one city’s most historic burial grounds.

Opened in 1836, the cemetery hugs the banks of the Schuylkill River in what is now Northern Philadelphia. It is a sculpture garden, park, and a Historic National Landmark that covers 78 acres.

Many Philadelphians, short on space to grow plants, will enroll in a program to take care of a dead individual’s plot, using historically accurate plants that were commonly used in the Victorian era.

Tens of thousands of graves hold statesmen, civil war veterans (both union and confederate), local celebrities, and even the fictional grave of Rocky Balboa’s wife, Adrian Balboa. A comprehensive audio tour is available via your mobile phone.

Know Before You Go

Take the 61 bus from Market and 9th in Center City to the Clearfield Street stop.

memento mori catacombs and crypts
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