Los Angeles, 1877: a sleepy village of 10,000 souls on the cusp of a wild real estate boom. In the budding Eastside suburb of Boyle Heights, a group of civic minded citizens establish a 67 acre cemetery with room to grow for the city to come: Evergreen!

Join Esotouric for an immersive time travel trip from the cemetery’s founding through the present day, revealing the colorful characters who helped shape the ethnically mixed, non-denominational cemetery and the city, including prominent families like Lankershim, Hollenbeck, Van Nuys, Bixby and Workman, and other fascinating figures who rest forever among 300,000 souls. You’ll see beautiful early monuments crafted by local stonemasons and a rare signed memorial, spot the lucky lizard, the hidden maiden and the prancing pink tiger, descend into the Chinese Shrine and visit the shores of the lost Crystal Lake.

This walking tour draws on newly discovered, unpublished documents to tell the forgotten early history of L.A.’s oldest cemetery, and is illustrated with rare photos you can view on your smartphone.

MEETING INSTRUCTIONS:

Tour begins at 10:30am sharp, with check-in time 10am just inside the main cemetery gate. Please arrive on time and proceed to the check in table to get signed in and logged in to the smartphone slideshow. Scroll down for tour rules and recommendations.

TOUR RULES & RECOMMENDATIONS:

BE PREPARED: This is a walking hour lasting 2 1/2 to 3 hours, over level ground moving at a casual pace. Wear comfortable walking shoes, sunscreen and a hat. Bring your smartphone so you can view the tour slide show. We will have a cooler with cold water, and you’re encouraged to bring a full water bottle. A restroom will be available at the start and end of the tour. If you need more information about what to expect, please email us.

COVID SAFETY: At this time, we no longer require that masks be worn on walking tours.

CAMERA POLICY: No video- or audio-taping unless it has been pre-cleared with us, please. Still cameras and sketchbooks are fine.

PARKING & PUBLIC TRANSIT:

There is plenty of parking inside the cemetery along the main roads. Please do not use the stalls in front of the office or park close to the chapel. The nearest Gold Line station is Indiana. If using public transit, this link can help you plan your trip.

CONTACTING US ON OR BEFORE TOUR DAY:

Emailing is the best way to communicate with us, but after 8am on tour day you can call or text Richard on his mobile phone, 213-915-8687.

CANCELLATION / REFUND POLICY:

If you feel like you’re getting sick, if you test positive for Covid-19, or if you have knowingly been in contact with a positive case of Covid-19 in the last 7 days, please do not attend the tour. Let us know not to expect you. If notified at least 72 hours before tour departure, we can refund or reschedule your booking. If notified at least 24 hours before departure, we can honor the booking on a future date. You may also gift your ticket to someone else—we will need their name, email address and phone number to make this switch.