Visiting the Cemetery
VISITORS ARE INVITED to tour at any time to experience the rich textures and treasures of Forest Hills—one of America’s oldest and most beautiful garden cemeteries.
Visitors are always welcome to come and explore the beautiful landscape and our nationally known collection of memorial sculpture by some of the country’s most renowned artists, including works by Daniel Chester French, Martin Milmore, and Thomas Ball.
Garden of Memories, a fascinating guidebook by Susan Wilson, contains five self-guided tours exploring different parts of the Cemetery.
Forest Hills Cemetery by Anthony Mitchell Sammarco, draws on archival photographs from our own and other collections to tell the Cemetery’s history through the past 160 plus years.
Both books are available for purchase at the Cemetery business office; they can also be ordered by mail.
Cemetery Hours
The cemetery grounds are open daily from 7:00 am until 7:00 pm, including Sundays and holidays. Please check back periodically, as the closing time changes as the seasons progress.
The Main Gates close at 7:30 pm, and the Tower Street Gate closes at 7:00 pm.
The Crematory and Columbarium are open
Monday through Friday, from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, and Saturdays from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm.
Annual Scheduled Holiday Hours and Closings — For 2012-13
Saturday, March 17th (St. Patrick’s Day) — Office open; no interments.
Monday, April 16th (Patriots Day) — Office open; no interments.
Monday, May 28th (Memorial Day) — Office open; no interments.
Wednesday, July 4th (Independence Day) — Office is closed; no interments.
Monday, September 3rd (Labor Day) — Office is closed; no interments.
Monday, October 8th (Columbus Day) — Office is closed; no interments.
Wednesday, November 21st (Thanksgiving Eve) – Office closes at 3:00 pm.
Thursday, November 22nd (Thanksgiving Day) – Office is closed; no interments.
Monday, December 24th (Christmas Eve) – Office closes at 1:00 pm.
Tuesday, December 25th (Christmas Day) – Office is closed; no interments.
Monday, December 31st (New Year’s Eve) – Office closes at 3:00 pm.
Tuesday, January 1st, 1213 (New Year’s Day) – Office is closed; no interments.
Click here for a full list of our annual scheduled holiday closings.
Business Office Hours
The Cemetery business office is located next to the main entrance gate, and is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. On Saturdays the office is open from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm.
Please feel free to stop in when the business office is open to inquire about specific grave locations, to pick up a map, or to request information on purchasing a grave, cremation service, or urn.
If you require a consultation, calling ahead to make an appointment is encouraged—we want to make sure we are available to assist you!
Finding Your Way Within the Cemetery
Once you are at the Cemetery, if you wish to visit a specific section, or take a self-guided tour, we can provide you with a map for finding your way. A detailed map of the Cemetery grounds is available to you by stopping in at the Main Office, or you may view or download this map online.
Directions to the Cemetery
Directions via the MBTA — The Orange Line
Take the Orange Line (or various bus lines) to Forest Hills Station. Exit through the Hyde Park exit and use right-hand escalator to reach street level. Cross the avenue and take a few steps to the right. Turn left onto Tower Street (there is a dentist’s office and beauty supply shop at the intersection). Walk one long block to the end and enter Forest Hills’ pedestrian gate. Follow the path as it curves to the left and then turns sharply to the right where you will see the tiled roof of the Forsyth Chapel and Main Office ahead, near greenhouses and a parking area. You are at the back of the building; go through the stone archway to the Main Front Gate and office and chapel entrance.
Directions by Car
There are many possible routes to Forest Hills by car. If you have a preferred route to the Arnold Arboretum or Faulkner Hospital, adapt the last part of the directions below.
From Route 128 / 95 via Route 9 East
Take Exit #20A (Route 9 East, Boston and Brookline). Take Route 9 east for approximately 3 miles. Go past the Atrium Mall and then take the exit for Hammond Pond Parkway (to West Roxbury and Hyde Park), just after a Milton’s and Barnes & Noble on the right.
Take a right at the end of the exit ramp and go 8/10 of a mile on Hammond Park Parkway through one light to a rotary. Go straight through the rotary (3rd exit – Newton Street). Go 1/3 of a mile past the Putterham Golf Club (on your left), and the road will fork. Bear right onto Grove Street. Go up the hill through one set of lights to another rotary. Go 3/4 of the way around and take the 3rd exit at Pond Street. Proceed to the next right, Allandale Road. Take a right onto Allandale. Go 1 mile, past Allandale Farm, to the end of the road at VFW Parkway / Centre Street. Faulkner Hospital will be on your left. Take a left onto Centre Street / VFW Parkway. Go 6/10 of a mile to a rotary; take the first exit off the rotary onto the Arborway – 203 East / Dorchester. Go one mile, passing the Arnold Arboretum Main Entrance (on the right) and proceeding over an overpass. Ignore the sign just before the overpass bridge which says to “exit right for Forest Hills.” After the overpass, go through a final rotary and take the “Route 203 East to Dorchester” exit. Make an immediate right onto Forest Hills Avenue (the cemetery driveway). Continue up the driveway to the main gate and office. You may park along the drive.
From Boston and Cambridge
Take Storrow Drive to the Fenway / Park Drive exit. At the top of the ramp, follow signs to the Riverway / Boylston Street. The ramp will feed you onto Boylston Street. Take Boylston Street (past Fenway Park on the right) through three lights, where Boylston Street flows into Brookline Avenue. Take Brookline Avenue past the hospital district all the way to the Riverway; take a left onto the Riverway. The Riverway will become the Jamaica Way and then the Arborway, and you will pass Jamaica Pond. Stay on the Arborway / Route 203 East and go through a rotary; take the exit marked “Route 203 East to Dorchester.” You will pass the main entrance for the Arnold Arboretum on the right. Continue 1/2 mile past the Arboretum entrance, staying on Rt. 203 across an overpass (Forest Hills Orange Line MBTA-Station will be below you on your right, with a tall clock tower). Ignore the sign just before the overpass that says to “exit right for Forest Hills”). After the overpass, go through a final rotary. Take the “Rt. 203 East to Dorchester” exit and make an immediate right onto Forest Hills Avenue (the cemetery driveway). Continue up the driveway to the main entrance. You may park along the drive.
From the Southeast Expressway / Route 93
From North or South, take Exit #11 (Granite Avenue-Ashmont). Go straight off the exit ramp to the first commercial intersection; a McDonald’s will be on your right, an Irish pub straight ahead. Turn left at that traffic light. You will be on Rt. 203 West-Gallivan Blvd. When you see Norfolk Hardware on your left, Gallivan Blvd. merges into Morton Street (still Rt. 203). Continue straight ahead, across Blue Hill Ave. You will soon see Forest Hills Cemetery on your left. At the traffic light, with cemetery signs on the left, turn left onto Forest Hills Avenue. (If you come to a rotary on Rt. 203, you’ve gone just a few yards too far; continue around the rotary and enter the cemetery drive immediately.) Continue up the driveway to the main entrance. You may park along the drive.