Live oaks arch over winding roads, their branches hung with Spanish moss that filters light into gray-green dimness. The Wilmington River slides past the eastern edge. Victorian monuments rise among magnolias and azaleas: angels, obelisks, draped urns, weeping figures, mausoleums in every Classical style. The landscape was designed as pleasure grounds before it became a cemetery; the pathways invite wandering. The effect is deliberately romantic - nature and death harmonized into something approaching paradise. The beauty is calculated but real. Bonaventure was designed to make the living envy the dead.

John Mullryne established Bonaventure plantation in the 1760s. The mansion burned during a dinner party, according to legend, while guests continued their meal on the lawn watching flames consume the house. The ruins became atmospheric. Peter Wiltberger purchased the property from Commodore Josiah Tattnall III in 1846 and developed it as a private cemetery; the city of Savannah acquired it in 1907. Notable burials include poet Conrad Aiken (who requested his grave face the river), songwriter Johnny Mercer, and various Savannah aristocrats whose monuments compete for attention. The cemetery remains active; modern burials continue alongside Victorian monuments.

John Berendt's 1994 book 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil' featured Bonaventure prominently, using the Bird Girl statue on its cover. The book spent four years on the bestseller list. Visitors flooded Savannah seeking the locations described, and Bonaventure became overwhelmed. The Bird Girl moved to the Telfair Academy for protection. The cemetery remains famous, attracting visitors who may not have read the book but know the image. Bonaventure has become part of Savannah's tourism industry - ghost tours, photography workshops, history walks. The dead have become an attraction.

Bonaventure is essentially an outdoor sculpture museum. Victorian mourning culture produced elaborate funerary art: angels representing salvation, draped urns symbolizing the veil between life and death, broken columns indicating lives cut short, anchors signifying hope. The craftsmanship is exceptional - marble carved with sensitivity, bronze cast with detail. Gracie Watson's monument, featuring a life-sized marble statue of a six-year-old girl who died in 1889, is particularly affecting. The art reflects a culture that confronted death directly, memorializing the departed with effort and expense that modern practice rarely matches.

Bonaventure Cemetery is located roughly 4 miles east of downtown Savannah, accessible by car via Bonaventure Road. The cemetery is open daily during daylight hours; admission is free. Maps and visitor information are available at the entrance. Walking tours are offered by various companies; some focus on history, others on ghosts. The grounds are extensive; allow 2-3 hours for thorough exploration. Photography is permitted; the lighting is best in early morning or late afternoon when moss-filtered sun creates atmosphere. Respect the graves and mourners. The Bird Girl is at Telfair Academy downtown; Bonaventure no longer has her. Downtown Savannah has extensive lodging and dining.