Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, is not a cemetery - it's an experience. Founded in 1906 and reimagined by Hubert Eaton in 1917, Forest Lawn pioneered the 'memorial park' concept: no upright headstones, no morbid imagery, just rolling lawns and inspirational art. The park contains full-size replicas of European churches, including Michelangelo's Florence baptistry doors. The Hall of the Crucifixion houses the world's largest religious painting. And somewhere on the 300-acre grounds lie Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor, Walt Disney, Humphrey Bogart, and countless other celebrities - their exact locations mostly secret, protected by a privacy policy that makes Forest Lawn Hollywood's preferred final resting place. The park receives two million visitors annually, more than many national parks. It's part cemetery, part museum, part theme park for death - Disneyland for the departed.
Hubert Eaton took over Forest Lawn in 1917 and declared war on traditional cemeteries. 'I believe in a happy eternal life,' he wrote. 'I shall try to build Forest Lawn as unlike other cemeteries as sunshine is unlike darkness.' He banned upright headstones, replacing them with bronze plaques flush with the ground. He imported European art and architecture. He hired landscapers to create park-like grounds. He invented the 'before-need' sales model, convincing people to buy plots while still alive. Eaton's vision was influential: the memorial park concept spread nationwide, and Forest Lawn became the model for modern American cemeteries.
Forest Lawn's art collection would be impressive in any museum. The park contains three churches: the Little Church of the Flowers, the Wee Kirk o' the Heather, and the Church of the Recessional, all used for weddings and services. The Great Mausoleum houses a stained-glass reproduction of da Vinci's Last Supper. The Hall of the Crucifixion contains Jan Styka's 195-foot-wide painting of the Crucifixion, unveiled daily with theatrical lighting and music. Full-size replicas of Michelangelo's Florentine sculptures stand throughout the grounds. The art ranges from genuinely impressive to kitsch, unified by Eaton's vision of death as beautiful.
Forest Lawn's celebrity section reads like a Hollywood history book. Walt Disney is buried in a private garden; his exact location was secret until fairly recently. Michael Jackson's location remains undisclosed - his family chose Forest Lawn specifically for its privacy. Elizabeth Taylor, Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, Nat King Cole, Jean Harlow, and dozens of other Golden Age stars rest here. More recent arrivals include Brittany Murphy, Paul Walker, and Debbie Reynolds (beside daughter Carrie Fisher at a different Forest Lawn). The celebrity locations are not on maps; staff are trained not to give directions. The mystery is part of the appeal.
Forest Lawn revolutionized the funeral industry. Eaton's 'before-need' sales approach - selling plots and services to living people - became industry standard. The company expanded to six Southern California locations. It offers 'package' deals combining burial, cremation, memorial services, and flowers. Critics have called Forest Lawn commercial and manipulative, preying on grief and fear. The park's defenders argue it demystified death and made planning easier. Either way, Forest Lawn's business model reshaped American attitudes toward death. The company remains privately held and profitable. Death, in America, is big business.
Forest Lawn Memorial Park is located at 1712 South Glendale Avenue in Glendale, California, just north of Los Angeles. The park is open daily and free to enter. The churches, museum, and art installations are accessible without appointment. The Hall of the Crucifixion presents the painting at scheduled times. Maps are available but do not show celebrity locations. Photography is permitted in public areas but restricted in some sections. The park is genuinely beautiful - worth visiting for the art and landscape regardless of celebrity interest. Burbank's Bob Hope Airport is 5 miles north; LAX is 20 miles south. Forest Lawn is accessible from the 134 or 2 freeways. Allow at least two hours.
Located at 34.13°N, 118.26°W in Glendale, California, in the hills above the Los Angeles basin. From altitude, Forest Lawn appears as a large green expanse - 300 acres of lawns and landscaping amid the urban sprawl. The San Gabriel Mountains rise to the north. Downtown Los Angeles is visible to the south. The 134 freeway curves around the park's northern edge. Bob Hope Airport is visible in Burbank to the northwest. The park's green contrasts with the surrounding development - an oasis of manicured lawn in a city of concrete.