Public Tours

We welcome you to discover, explore, and experience historic Crown Hill Cemetery on our award-winning tours! Led by knowledgeable guides, our tours allow you to enjoy Crown Hill and experience nature at its finest as you learn about the history and heritage of our country’s third-largest cemetery. With over 220,000+ stories to tell, we’re just getting started!

Tour group sizes are limited based on the tour and all tickets must be purchased online in advance. There will be no tour tickets sold at the gate. Please get your tickets early!

For larger groups, we also offer Private Group Tours.

Also, be sure to stay up to date with the Crown Hill Foundation tours and events, and learn more about Crown Hill by subscribing to our newsletter HERE

Dillinger and the Eastside Notables Tour

This very popular walking tour includes the sections just north of the Waiting Station, which is a part of the cemetery not regularly covered on other walking tours. Bank robber John Dillinger’s grave will, of course, be one of our destinations. We will also stop at the graves of many other interesting and important people, and others – although unknown – have memorialized themselves with some rather unique monuments.
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This very popular walking tour includes the sections just north of the Waiting Station, which is a part of the cemetery not regularly covered on other walking tours. Bank robber John Dillinger’s grave will, of course, be one of our destinations. We will also stop at the graves of many other interesting and important people, and others – although unknown – have memorialized themselves with some rather unique monuments.

Tour Tickets:
- $10 per person (children under 5 free)
- No gate sales, tickets must be purchased online
- Ticket sales limited to 35 people
Where to meet: Inside 34th St. Gate in front of the Waiting Station at 3400 Boulevard Place. Arrive 10-15 min. early.

All children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
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Saturday, August 3

Iconic Architectural Gems of Crown Hill Cemetery

Whether it is the Gothic Gates or the Art Deco Community Mausoleum, the architecture of the cemetery adds to the beauty of the site. Led by Jeannie Regan-Dinius, our Director of Historic Preservation, explore the Gothic Chapel, Waiting Station, and other gems of this National Register-listed site.
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Whether it is the Gothic Gates or the Art Deco Community Mausoleum, the architecture of the cemetery adds to the beauty of the site. Led by Jeannie Regan-Dinius, our Director of Historic Preservation, explore the Gothic Chapel, Waiting Station, and other gems of this National Register-listed site.

Tour Tickets:
- $10 per person (children under 5 free)
- No gate sales, tickets must be purchased online
- Ticket sales limited to 35 people
Where to meet: Inside 34th St. Gate in front of the Waiting Station at 3400 Boulevard Place. Arrive 10-15 min. early.

This 2-hour tour is a combination walking and driving tour.

All children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
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Thursday, August 15

Stories in Stone Symbolism Tour

We’ll explore some of the interesting examples of both Victorian and contemporary symbolism on monuments and markers found throughout Crown Hill.
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We’ll explore some of the interesting examples of both Victorian and contemporary symbolism on monuments and markers found throughout Crown Hill. If you’ve ever wondered about unique tree trunk monuments and common symbols such as flowers, ferns, weeping willows, stars, anchors, chains, draped flags, lambs, sun disks, serpents, angels, crosses, open books, and wreaths, then this tour is for you! We’ll also contrast these with more contemporary monuments and markers which often feature engravings of literal representations or quotes that reveal the life of the deceased.

Tour Tickets
- $10 per person (children under 5 free)
- No gate sales, tickets must be purchased online
- Ticket sales limited to 35 people
Walking tour! This is a walking tour that will cover about a mile at a comfortable pace for most.

Where to meet: Inside 34th St. Gate in front of the Waiting Station at 3400 Boulevard Place. Arrive 10-15 min. early.

All children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
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Saturday, September 7

Civil War Tour

Crown Hill and the Civil War – did you know that Crown Hill Cemetery was founded in 1863 because of and during the Civil War? The original city cemetery, Greenlawn, became full due to the many Civil War soldiers being buried there. The Civil War was still being fought when Crown Hill opened its gates in June 1864, and the first burial was for Lucy Ann Seaton, the young wife of a Civil War Union Captain.
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Did you know that Crown Hill Cemetery was founded in 1863 because of and during the Civil War? The original city cemetery, Greenlawn, became full due to the many Civil War soldiers being buried there. The Civil War was still being fought when Crown Hill opened its gates in June 1864, and the first burial was for Lucy Ann Seaton, the young wife of a Civil War Union Captain. On our Civil War tour, we’ll examine the lives of the many brave soldiers and generals who took part in the War Between the States, and of the politicians, journalists, and even household servants whose lives influenced and were influenced by our country’s great conflict. Included on this tour is Civil War Union Gen. Jefferson C. Davis, the highest-ranking military officer buried at Crown Hill. (He’s not to be confused with Confederate President Jefferson Davis), General Benjamin Harrison (who would become the 23rd President of US), and Edward Black (the youngest soldier drummer boy at 8 1/2 years old).

Tour Tickets:
- $10 per person (children under 5 free)
- No gate sales, tickets must be purchased online
- Ticket sales limited to 35 people
Where to meet: Inside 34th St. Gate in front of the Waiting Station at 3400 Boulevard Place. Arrive 10-15 min. early.

All children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
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Saturday, September 14

Skeletons in the Closet, Part I

On this interesting and very popular sunset walking tour, we’ll learn about some skeletons in the closet! Was it one of his three wives, or another long-time lover, that Skiles Test kept in a glass coffin in his “House of Blue Lights” along Fall Creek? Why does one headstone say simply, “Mother of Rosalind” and not her full name, which would have been “Helen Orr Hufnall Phaff English Wegmann English English Prince Prince”?
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On this interesting and very popular sunset walking tour, we’ll learn about some skeletons in the closet! Was it one of his three wives, or another long-time lover, that Skiles Test kept in a glass coffin in his “House of Blue Lights” along Fall Creek? Why does one headstone say simply, “Mother of Rosalind” and not her full name, which would have been “Helen Orr Hufnall Phaff English Wegmann English English Prince Prince”? He followed in the footsteps of both his father and grandfather to become bank president, building himself a 40,000 square foot mansion on the east side of town, but by the time Stoughton Fletcher died, he’d lost the house, survived his wife’s suicide, a runaway daughter’s mysterious death, and was working as a hotel elevator operator in Los Angeles when his son committed suicide as well. On this tour, we’ll discuss these lives and the lives of others who show us that money does not necessarily bring happiness. (Spoiler alert!)

Note: this is not a creepy tour about ghosts, but a historical tour about some of the people buried at Crown Hill.

This tour will be offered twice:

September 28: 5:00-7:00 pm

October 17: 5:00-7:00 pm

Tour Tickets:
- $10 per person (children under 5 free)
- No gate sales, tickets must be purchased online
- Ticket sales limited to 35 people
Sunset walking tour! This is a walking tour that will cover about a mile at a comfortable pace for most. It will end around sunset at the top of Crown Hill, the highest hill in the county. This amazing vantage point provides a 360-degree panoramic view of the entire city skyline.

Where to meet: Inside 34th St. Gate in front of the Waiting Station at 3400 Boulevard Place. Arrive 10-15 min. early.
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Saturday, September 28 Thursday, October 17

Skeletons in the Closet, Part II Tour

More skeletons! On this tour we’ll learn about the more sensational stories in the Indianapolis news from the 1860s to the 1970s. A few stops will make will be to learn about the infamous Nancy Clem and the Cold Spring Murders; bank robber John Dillinger; the rising executive slain by his mistress in the 1950s; grave robber Hampton West; the 1977 exploits of kidnapper Tony Kirtsis; Dr. Helene Knabe’s brutal unsolved murder in 1911; and the Marjorie Jackson case of 1977.
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More skeletons! On this driving tour, we’ll learn about the more sensational stories in the Indianapolis news from the 1860s to the 1970s. A few stops we’ll make will be to learn about the infamous Nancy Clem and the Cold Spring Murders; bank robber John Dillinger; the rising executive slain by his mistress in the 1950s; grave robber Hampton West; the 1977 exploits of kidnapper Tony Kiritsis; Dr. Helene Knabe’s brutal unsolved murder in 1911; and the Marjorie Jackson case of 1977. Of course, there are many others!

Note: this is not a creepy tour about ghosts, but a historical tour about some of the people buried at Crown Hill.

This tour will be offered twice:

October 12: 5:00-7:00 pm

October 26: 4:00-6:00 pm

Tour Tickets:
- $10 per person (children under 5 free)
- No gate sales, tickets must be purchased online
- Ticket sales limited to 35 people
Where to meet: Inside 34th St. Gate in front of the Waiting Station at 3400 Boulevard Place. Arrive 10-15 min. early.

Driving tour! Participants will drive their vehicles to each stop and then get out to see the markers and monuments. Some walking is involved.

All children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
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Saturday, Oct 12 Saturday, October 26

Spectacular Specimens: Arboretum Bike Tour

Pump up your bicycle tires, grab a helmet, and get ready for the ride of your life. With more than 10,000 inventoried trees and 136 unique species, this massive living museum of trees is the architectural backbone of this beautiful urban green space and historic landscape.
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Crown Hill Cemetery Arboretum Bike Tour with Arboretum Director, Carrie Tauscher:

Pump up your bicycle tires, grab a helmet, and get ready for the ride of your life. With over 10,000 inventoried trees and 136 unique species, this massive living museum of trees is the architectural backbone of this beautiful urban green space and historic landscape. Carrie will take you through the cemetery pointing out interesting specimens, and stopping at some of her favorite trees and vistas to talk more in-depth about trees and the designed landscape that is Crown Hill. This experience will last approximately 1 ½-2 hours and the distance is roughly 3 miles at a slow roll pace.

The tour is limited to ages 13 and up.

Please bring your bike, a helmet, and a reusable water bottle.

Tour Tickets:
- $10 per person (tour is limited to ages 13 and up)
- No gate sales, tickets must be purchased online
- Ticket sales limited to 25 people
Where to meet: Inside 34th St. Gate in front of the Waiting Station at 3400 Boulevard Place. Arrive 10-15 min. early.

All children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
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Saturday, October 12

Fall Trees Tour

Experience fall color compliments of the trees at Crown Hill! On this tour, led by our staff arborist, we will take a closer look at some of the remarkable trees in the cemetery giving attendees a chance to appreciate the views and learn a little more about the physiology behind the season of letting go.
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Experience fall color compliments of the trees at Crown Hill! On this tour, led by our staff arborist, we will take a closer look at some of the remarkable trees in the cemetery giving attendees a chance to appreciate the views and learn a little more about the physiology behind the season of letting go. Participants of all ages will be able to collect leaves from specimens during this tour. Please dress for the weather and off-pavement terrain.

Tour Tickets:
- $10 per person (children under 5 free)
- No gate sales, tickets must be purchased online
- Ticket sales limited to 35 people
Where to meet: Inside 34th St. Gate in front of the Waiting Station at 3400 Boulevard Place. Arrive 10-15 min. early.

All children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
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Saturday, October 12

Heritage Tours

Our most popular tour! The Heritage Tour presents the history of Crown Hill Cemetery while visiting the graves of some of the many interesting people buried here, both the famous and not so famous, recent and long gone. A variety of monuments will be seen, including some of our most recognized statues.
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Our most popular tour! The Heritage Tour presents the history of Crown Hill Cemetery while visiting the graves of some of the many interesting people buried here, both the famous and not-so-famous, recent and long gone. A variety of monuments will be seen, including some of our most recognized statues.

Tour participants will also have an opportunity to enjoy the stunning 360-degree panoramic view of the downtown Indianapolis skyline from the tomb of the famous Hoosier Poet, James Whitcomb Riley, high atop beautiful Crown Hill. This tour captures highlights from many of our other tours and is interesting for all ages. Highly recommended! This is a walking tour that will cover about one mile at a comfortable pace for most.

This tour is offered eight times in 2024:

May 11: 4:00-6:00 pm August 24: 10:00 am-noon

June 1: 11:00 am-1:00 pm September 7: 10:00 am-noon

July 6: 10:00 am- noon September 19: 6:00-8:00 pm (Thursday night)

July 20: 10:00 am- noon October 19: 4:00-6:00 pm

August 10: 10:00 am-noon

Tour Tickets:
- $10 per person (children under 5 free)
- No gate sales, tickets must be purchased online
- Ticket sales limited to 35 people
Walking tour! This walking tour will cover about a mile at a comfortable pace for most.

Where to meet: Inside 34th St. Gate in front of the Waiting Station at 3400 Boulevard Place. Arrive 10-15 min. early.

All children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
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Saturday, May 11 Saturday, June 1 Saturday, July 6 Saturday, July 20 Saturday, August 10 Saturday, August 24 Saturday, September 7 Thursday, September 19 Saturday, October 19