Cave Hill Cemetery Co

It’s a bit odd reviewing a cemetery, but I’m a frequent visitor to Cave Hill so I thought I’d give it a go. In addition to being the final resting place for my grandparents, Cave Hill is a beautiful and historic park-​like setting. I’ve spent many afternoons wandering down by the pond or through the ornate buildings. The old section dates back to the mid 19^th century.
It’s a national cemetery that contains hundreds, if not a thousand plus, of those who fought in our country’s Civil War. The sheer number of small, white headstones is a powerful reminder of how many were lost in those four years.
Cave Hill is also filled with the who’s who of Louisville and KY politicians, business folk, and celebrities. For KFC fans, the Colonel rests here.
If you are interested in local history or are looking for a serene place to walk or meditate, Cave Hill’s one of the best spots in the Highlands/​Phoenix Hill area.

We went to visit Cave Hill Cemetery and were pleasantly suprise day how well it is taken care of, and how beautiful the place is.
The monuments people have made for their loved ones are really something else.
We strolled through looking for some historic and famous people as there is a lot of history there. We saw the Clark families plot. As well as the Colonel, as in Fried Chicken.
The cemetery is very large and we didn’t see everything we wanted to see, but when the weather is nice we will go back.

What a beautiful cemetery — is that weird? It was so serene. We took a drive through after seeing recommendations on Unilocal.We stopped at grave sites for Colonel Sanders and Harry Leon Collins (close to each other, area 33). I imagine this to be unbelievable in the Fall when colors are changing. These were some of the most immaculate sites (including small houses) I have ever seen! Download the map — it’s hard to navigate without it because of so many small winding roads off the main road.

This is my favorite cemetery! I come here on walks sometimes. The architecture is BEAUTIFUL. Some tombstones date back to the 1700’s. It’s a great spot for photography or just for walks. It’s huge.

Colonel Sanders is buried here. Someone left fried chicken on his grave. This was expected, but amazing nonetheless.
The cemetery is beautiful. After visiting the colonel, drive or walk around the huge property. if you’re going to visit any other graves, make sure to check out Harry Leon Collins. His life-​size monument is creepy but impressive. It’s probably the cemetery’s best grave.

Such an amazing and beautiful cemetery. I highly recommend going by and driving through and going for a walk. If you’re into horticulture and trees, there is are many different types of trees and shrubs, which makes the landscape beautiful. The sections are marked off, and they give you a map when you go in, so you can find any of the sections with ease, such as where Col. Sanders is buried. The U.S. Military section is breathtaking, and certainly worth a look.

I had no idea there was so much to explore inside a cemetery but this place is massive. We also did some geocaching inside and found out the history of the place. Take a drive in and be amazed by what you may find. Col. Sanders from KFC is here as well as some great statues and memorials.

We have one of the most beautiful cemeteries tucked inside our city. My husband and I visited on Labor Day. There is incredible artwork among the tombstones and monuments. We found tombstones going back into the 1800s and Col. Sanders grave. The layout and plants are so peaceful and beautiful. This is a wonderful place to walk and enjoy the quiet and history.

August 1, 2014, My hubby Tony and I, along with my daughter, Noël decided to visit the Cave Hill Cemetery. it was such a lovely cemetery. My daughter and I enjoy going the cemeteries and Tony goes along with us. He enjoys the lovely statues and artwork of the tombstones, but he mainly goes a long for the ride.
I enjoy the artwork of the statues and the monuments. It has always been such a passion of mine. I remember when I was 15, I wrote a paper on the older cemeries and the tombstones.
We found the gravestone of Col Sanders. I was please with the lay out of the cemetery and it was so well maintained.
I would have to say that Cave Hill is easily up there with the most beautiful cemeteries that I have ever been to see personally. It is so easy to get lost in the cemetery and we spent several hours in the cemetery walking around enjoying the statues and the monuments. We didn’t have a map so we just wandered around the cemetery enjoying the sights… but it wasn’t a big deal without the map. we had a great time.
It is located downtown and it is in a bad part of town. It wasn’t a bad part of town back then but with the time changes the neighborhoods have went down hill. This cemetery is on the National Register of Historical Places .so it hard to believe a lovely place really exists like this in Louisville, but to also be FREE… it is a lovely lovely cemetery. I will definitely go back again and again…
We enjoyed our visit and will definitely go there again!!!

Stopped by to see the grave site of Colonel Harland Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame.
Cave Hill Cemetery is full of beautiful monuments and gravestones in a wooded, hilly setting. George Rogers Clark is also buried here, as are the man who founded the Kentucky Derby and the woman who wrote the «Happy Birthday» song.
The cemetery is only a few minutes from downtown and worth stopping by if you have some spare time. It’s listed in the National Register of Historic Places, so if you’re a history buff, there is plenty to see here.

Wow I had no idea a place like this exists in Louisville! Very beautiful cemetery. Rivals some of the better cemeteries I’ve seen around the world like Pere Lachaise in Paris. We of course had to look for Col Sanders of KFC fame. and took a selfie LOL. He’s way at the end of the cemetery. Other than that, plan to spend a few hours here and just admire the beauty.

Cave Hill is easily up there as one of the most beautiful cemeteries I have ever seen, filled with countless thought-​provoking headstones and memorials and fascinating Civil War history.
It’s easy to lose yourself here. I spent 2 hours and walked 5 miles throughout and still didn’t finish exploring… I didn’t have a map, but I like to wander around aimlessly, so that wasn’t a big deal for me. I did manage to visit Col. Sanders before I left, which was pretty neat (and I did not smell KFC chicken at any point, color me a little disappointed).
If you love cemeteries like I do (which might be weird, but I’m ok with that), this is a must-​see.

This place is HUGE and GORGEOUS. Being there during the fall color change was a wise choice. It’s really almost too big to walk; we drove and just stopped off here and there to browse. Many really really old graves, family mausoleums as big as small houses. Large section of Civil War graves. I would love to go back and spend more time. LOVE.

We went to Cave Hill during peak Autumn colors, and it was beautiful. I became very excited when I found out Col. Sanders is buried here.
We were both disturbed and intrigued when the roadway to Col. Sanders’ grave smelled exactly like KFC chicken. The smell dissipated after we were finished taking pictures with the Colonel’s gigantic bronze head and drove away.
I’m used to cemeteries smelling like decay and sadness, but this was new. I don’t know what kind of voodoo magic Cave Hill has going on, but if you’re ever in the area then I must suggest you go and smell for yourself.

It might be weird to love going to a cemetery but I love Cavehill. Whenever a friend visits, Cavehill is always one of the places I take them. It’s an absolutely beautiful place. It’s also a great place to feed ducks and geese, although they can be a bit aggressive at times.
I would absolutely recommend this place to anyone.

Beautiful old cemetery with a few local luminaries buried here (Colonel Sanders, George Rogers Clark, etc.). In addition to those, a other few specific must-​see spots: the Satterwhite monument, the Tingley fountain, and the Civil War soldiers section.
The cemetery is also an arboretum with beautiful grounds and many of the trees labeled so it also makes a beautiful nature walk. A few specific tips: this place is HUGE, definitely grab a map as you enter or print out one from the website in advance if you want to have any hope of finding specific sites and I found it worked well to drive to certain sections, walk around and then drive to another section, repeat. Also, the gates close at 4:45pm so plan accordingly.
Overall, a beautiful, peaceful and historic (and free!) spot to spend a morning or afternoon.

I decided to mix up my work scene for a day by hopping in the car early in the morning and spending VDay working in the «‘Ville.» I had two touristy breaks on my agenda for the day: 1.) bourbon and 2.) swing by Colonel Sanders grave and meander through Cave Hill.
I had read a couple different articles noting the gravesite as worth a visit for both the pretty southern style surroundings of the cemetery and the grave covered with KFC packets. Unfortunately, there were not any packets during my visits (wintertime), but the chirping birds, Magnolia trees and peaking daffodils made it totally worth the stop.
Note: When finding the grave — enter through the Grinstead entrance and immediately turn right. Follow the yellow line till it ends at the grave. Easy as pie once you find the Grinstead entrance. The other end of the cemetery (which I accidentally stumbled upon) was a bit of an archaic madhouse with pathways that would drop off in muddy «valleys». My only complaint of the cemetery is that there is little signage both inside and outside the cemetery walls.

It’s easy to forget that this is the final resting place of thousands. The statuary and greenery are awe-​inspiring. This is a part of Louisville history that should not be missed.
On the other hand, this is *not* the place to be during the Zombie Apocalypse. Some of the famous people buried here are (were) industrious and brilliant. You want to be surrounded by dumb zombies.

«A dreaded sunny day, so let’s go where we’re wanted and I’ll meet you at the cemetry gate» sang The Smiths in 1986. For some reason, I’ve always associated Morrissey’s lyric specifically with Cave Hill. Perhaps it’s because the next line is …“Keats and Yeats are on your side, while Wilde is on mine” and I happen to know that John Keats’ brother, George, lived in Louisville and is buried here.
Keats is not the only famous family name herein and locals will recognize instinctively that many names found on monuments here also frequently occupy place, street, and building names across Louisville and Kentucky in general.
Check their site for a fuller list of local luminaries and other useful information but I will note that among them all my favorite is Enid Yandell, a pupil of Rodin who cast both Hogan’s Fountain and Daniel Boone in nearby Cherokee Park. I am a big fan of her work and life story.
Built on a site that incorporates a natural spring (with accompanying cave) and quarry, rolling hills typical of the Highlands and Kentucky in general (at least away from the river plain), this gem is a great example of late 19^th. century landsacpe architecture that is well maintained and as relevant today as the day it was planned and the day it opened in 1846. That this cemetery exists in a city already blessed with one of America’s great park systems only adds to my pleasure in being in Cave Hill.
Cave Hill is also a world-​class arboretum, & one that is spectacular when it’s bright, doleful when it’s not. This is even more so at the height of autumn as on my most recent visit. But Cave Hill also achieves a gloomy pallor that testifies on behalf of the Romantic art movement that undoubtedly inspired the entire rural-​style cemetery of the 19^th century. I recommend you try both gloomy and sunny days to get both sides of Cave Hill (also, please familiarize yourself with the Rules & Regulations on their web site and be respectful of others who may be grieving or absorbing a landscape that invites contemplation).
I spent two afternoons here on Oct 20 and 21, 2012. The first was a dreary October day of overcast and I did some portrait photos with my sister and a friend. The second was a bright, sky-​blue-​sky sort of day that inspires you to get out and about. I was alone parked near the Pope family monument (a.k.a. Temple of Diana) and took around 30 minutes to absorb the overall affect of this Greek pagoda and its inscription taken from Psalms 4:8 before moving along to the walking portion of my visit. I would say I covered several miles with frequent stops.
Both outings were rewarding in their own right and I highly recommend Cave Hill for a walk with friends or a more solitary venture. I have made a mental note to come back soon and try the tours, which were well attended both days I was on the grounds.
P. S. I have posted what I find are pretty spectacular photos taken on my sunny day visit on Oct 21, 2012, a day that now takes the prize as my favorite day spent in Cave Hill.

This cemetery is such a beautiful place to visit. My husband and I have visited a couple times to take photographs (for the Cave Hill Photography Contest) and every time we go we see something new.
If you need a place to go on a nice day and want to be outdoors, give Cave Hill a try! :)