Executive director, David Moore says, “We estimate about 35 thousand people visit Oakland per year” He also says, “there’s a dramatic revitalization that occurring up and down memorial drive that will generate thousands of more people that will want to walk outside to enjoy the 48 acres of historical Atlanta park.” Even with that many people visiting Oakland, it’s still unknown to many Georgians. David says, “people still don’t understand that they can come in here and engage in the history that is here.” Many passersby see it has an historical site that is off limits to the average citizen.
Oakland is national historic site, as well as, an Atlanta public park. That means Oakland is free to the public and open 365 days per year. There are maps available at the visitor’s center for self-guided tours or there are paid tours with professional park guides. What will you find at Oakland? History, beautiful gardens and architecture. Oakland began as public burial ground in 1850. It was designed to be atheistically pleasing and evolved into a rural garden featuring many flowering perennials, trees and …show more content…
shrubs. During the Civil War, the City and the Confederate government added land to Oakland to bury soldiers who died in local hospitals. During the late 19th Century, Oakland was a popular destination for Sunday carriage rides and picnics. Families created an assortment of lovely gardens while tending the plots of loved ones.
As you tour the gardens in Oakland, you will find fine examples of Victorian, Greek Revival, Gothic, Neo-classical, Egyptian and Exotic Revival art and architecture, as well as, several mausoleums which feature stained glass windows from Tiffany Studios. The park has many events throughout the year. The most popular is the Capturing the Spirit of Halloween Tour. Executive director David Moore says, “six thousand people come through here over the course of six nights to listen to the stories of individuals and families to help shaped Atlanta in an interactive, story-telling way.” The event is not for telling ghost stories, “It’s designed to enlighten and not frighten,” says David.
In addition to the many events at Oakland, the cemetery park is home to 70 thousand residents.
Many famous Georgians are buried here. Oakland is home to 27 mayors, six governors, five confederate generals, and many prominent people that helped shaped Georgia. There are also 3,000 unmarked Confederate graves and approximately 7,500 paupers, or people who could not afford to be interred on a private lot, buried in Potter’s Field without markers. David says, “the two most visited celebrity graves are Margert Mitchell and Bobby Jones.” Margaret Mitchell was the author of Gone With The Wind, and Robert T. (Bobby) Jones is a Southern golf
legend.
Parking is free at Oakland and park hours are from 8 am to 8 pm. There are extended hours during special events throughout the year. Bring a picnic lunch, walk your dog, or explore a little history in Atlanta at Oakland.