Walking Tour: Trees of Forest Home

This tour provides a walk through the magnificent Forest Home Cemetery Arboretum. Using clues such as leaf identification, bark texture, seed type, and tree shape, we will identify some of the very special trees within the Forest Home Cemetery. Conifers and deciduous trees! Acorns and pods! Strangely shaped leaves? Let's see what we can find both on the trees and on the ground! 

Our guides will lead you through winding paths, sharing the unique characteristics and significance of various species. Did you know that some of our trees predate the cemetery? Additionally, we'll stop to admire some fascinating stones with a nod to trees and conclude our trip to the site of a Native American burial mound. 

Whether a nature enthusiast, history buff or simply someone seeking solace in the midst of greenery, our tour offers a fun escape into the embrace of Mother Nature.

PLEASE READ

This 1.5-mile walking tour moves at a brisk pace over uneven cemetery roads and grounds. Please wear comfortable footwear and watch your step! Our tour guides have a lot to share but are on a tight timeline, so please try to stick together.

This tour will run rain or shine and will only be canceled in the event of a dangerous weather event. Tickets are non-refundable.

Please arrive about 10 minutes before your tour. Meet under the canopy outside Halls of History (next to the main office inside the Lincoln Avenue entrance.

Parking is free and available throughout the cemetery; however, the spots in front of the office are reserved for cemetery business Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. and 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Saturday. There is ample parking around the chapel, in front of and to the side of Halls of History. Sundays you may park wherever you like.

After your tour, please take a moment to review us on TripAdvisor.

Proceeds from all tours and events help preserve and enhance the historical and natural elements of the cemetery.

ABOUT FOREST HOME CEMETERY & ARBORETUM

Established in 1850, Forest Home Cemetery is Milwaukee’s oldest operating cemetery, open to all since its inception. Forest Home Cemetery is on the National Registry of Historic Places and is the finest example of a Victorian-era rural garden cemetery in the Upper Midwest.

In 2021, Forest Home became the city’s first accredited arboretum, Milwaukee’s largest green space with more 2,600 trees on nearly 200 acres.

Our 189 acres are open daily to the public. Leashed dogs, jogging, strollers and bicycles are welcome. Each year, we host public and private historical and nature-based tours and wellness events, birding opportunities, Doors Open, a Memorial Day event, a Dia de los Muertos 5K and festival and our new Spirits of the Silent City after-dark historical tours. Sign up for our newsletter on the website and follow us on Facebook and Instagram (use #foresthomecemetery) so you don’t miss any of our tours and events!

If you enjoy our beautiful space, stay longer! Stop in the office Monday-Friday 8-4:30 and Saturday 10-3:30 or call a counselor (414) 645-2632 to find out about our many burial options.

About Your Guide:

Sally Kubly is a guide with a passion for trees. With a Master Gardener Certification, board service with the Boerner Botanical Gardens and membership with a local garden club, she enjoys tree identification and has a special fondness for Forest Home, with numerous family member burials here. She has a background in Clinical Social Work and currently works as a Career Coach in private practice. Past professional work includes serving as an Adjunct Professor at the Milwaukee School of Engineering. 

Host or Publisher Forest Home Historic Preservation Assoc.