Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Saquon Barkley Plaque
Kirkkasik Bedesten inside
Kirkkasik Bedesten
Someshwar Temple
Someshwar Temple
Grilled cheese and tomato soup are soulmates.
The Palisades Restaurant
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The local catch is delicious fried as well.
Terry's of Charlevoix
Carlson’s Fishery is a Great Lakes institution.
Carlson’s Fishery
The Cathedral Café maintains the building’s original church exterior.
Cathedral Café
Exterior of the historic Dyffryn Arms pub.
Dyffryn Arms
Most of what’s on the menu here comes from Michigan.
The Glenwood
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Siegfried Tieber specializes in sleight-of-hand magic using small objects, as well as mentalism, which gives the illusion of reading minds.
Does a Magician Really Never Reveal Their Tricks? AO Wants to Know.
11 days ago
Decoy’s wines reflect the terroir of California.
How a Wooden Duck Migrated From the California Wetlands to a Wine Label
14 days ago
There’s more to the French capital than the Eiffel Tower.
Dear Atlas: What Are Some Non-Touristy Things to Do in Paris?
18 days ago
The plants around Liz Dauncey in this photo are not poisonous, but many common garden and houseplants are.
Are Some of Your Favorite Houseplants Poisonous? AO Wants to Know.
25 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Georgia Atlanta Westview Cemetery

Westview Cemetery

The largest cemetery in the American Southeast is a hidden gem near the heart of Atlanta.

Atlanta, Georgia

Added By
Bonnie Heath
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
East side of “The Abbey” mausoleum at Westview Cemetery.   Bonnie J Heath / Atlas Obscura User
East side of “The Abbey” mausoleum at Westview Cemetery.   Bonnie J Heath / Atlas Obscura User
Tomb of the owner of King Hardware stores in Atlanta.   Carsonmc/cc by-sa 4.0
Gravestones in the cemetery.   Carsonmc/cc by-sa 4.0
Front façade of beautiful Westview Abbey.   Carsonmc/cc by-sa 4.0
Cemetery grounds.   Carsonmc/cc by-sa 4.0
Inside the mausoleum at Westview Cemetery.   Bonnie J Heath / Atlas Obscura User
A courtyard outside of the Abbey at Westview Cemetery.   Bonnie J Heath / Atlas Obscura User
Tower at Westview Cemetery.   Bonnie J Heath / Atlas Obscura User
Tower at Westview Cemetery.   Bonnie J Heath / Atlas Obscura User
Beautiful detailed stonework within the mausoleum.   Bonnie J Heath / Atlas Obscura User
A chapel within the the mausoleum at Westview Cemetery.   Bonnie J Heath / Atlas Obscura User
The grounds at Westview Cemetery.   Bonnie J Heath / Atlas Obscura User
Westview mausoleum   Undecidedmike / Atlas Obscura User
Westview Abbey   Undecidedmike / Atlas Obscura User
  Rachel Preskitt / Atlas Obscura User
  Rachel Preskitt / Atlas Obscura User
  Rachel Preskitt / Atlas Obscura User
  Rachel Preskitt / Atlas Obscura User
  Rachel Preskitt / Atlas Obscura User
  wolfnotes / Atlas Obscura User
  wolfnotes / Atlas Obscura User
  wolfnotes / Atlas Obscura User
Engraved Atlanta crest   jessemiers / Atlas Obscura User
peeling paint and cool mosaics   AKAnderswo / Atlas Obscura User
check out the statuary on the headstones   AKAnderswo / Atlas Obscura User
  mmwoodruff / Atlas Obscura User
  mmwoodruff / Atlas Obscura User
  mmwoodruff / Atlas Obscura User
  mmwoodruff / Atlas Obscura User
  flynnoak / Atlas Obscura User
view inside the mausoleum   AKAnderswo / Atlas Obscura User
  wolfnotes / Atlas Obscura User
  Rachel Preskitt / Atlas Obscura User
  Undecidedmike / Atlas Obscura User
  Undecidedmike / Atlas Obscura User
Westview mausoleum interior   Undecidedmike / Atlas Obscura User
  thegenxjourney / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
God’s Acre   ski queen / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  mmwoodruff / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  thegenxjourney / Atlas Obscura User
  thegenxjourney / Atlas Obscura User
A weathervane tops the Westview mausoleum   Undecidedmike / Atlas Obscura User
The third floor of Westview mausoleum was never completed and mostly remains boarded up.   Undecidedmike / Atlas Obscura User
The third floor of Westview mausoleum was never completed and mostly remains boarded up.   Undecidedmike / Atlas Obscura User
  Undecidedmike / Atlas Obscura User
Westview was originally built to include a mortuary. The facility was completed but never operated due to legislation. A caretaker’s apartment exists in this part of the building.   Undecidedmike / Atlas Obscura User
Receiving vault   Undecidedmike / Atlas Obscura User
  Undecidedmike / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

While Atlanta’s historic Oakland Cemetery is more celebrated, Westview Cemetery is a beautiful gem within the city. It's the largest cemetery in the entire Southeastern United States and an under-appreciated American necropolis.

Founded in 1884, the sprawling cemetery takes up roughly 600 acres and contains more than 108,000 dead bodies, including such famous residents as Coca-Cola founder Asa Candler and rapper Dolla. Drive through the cemetery grounds, and you’ll encounter beautiful obelisks, graves, vaults, fountains, and a curious water tower topped with crenulated battlements.

Of particular note is the West View Abbey Mausoleum, constructed in the 1940s and still in operation today. Open to the public, its aged halls contain thousands of tombs, and it is, according to the Westview website, “the largest structure of its kind ever built under one roof.”

A morning’s visit during the summer, without lighting and air conditioning, is likely to lead visitors on a somber walk past Christian mosaics and indistinct paintings, through a chapel, and down twisting staircases into the dark, leaky crypt-like halls of its lower floor.

Related Tags

Cemeteries Graveyards Mausoleums History Architecture

Know Before You Go

The mausoleum is open the public 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Please be respectful of those visiting deceased loved ones.

Community Contributors

Added By

Bonnie J Heath

Edited By

erjeffery, thegenxjourney, Meg, jessemiers...

  • erjeffery
  • thegenxjourney
  • Meg
  • jessemiers
  • flynnoak
  • AKAnderswo
  • mmwoodruff
  • Collector of Experiences
  • ski queen
  • Rachel Preskitt
  • Undecidedmike
  • wolfnotes

Published

July 17, 2018

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Westview Cemetery
1680 Westview Dr SW
Atlanta, Georgia
United States
33.747348, -84.431816
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

The Wren’s Nest

Atlanta, Georgia

miles away

Atlanta Black Crackers Practice Field

Atlanta, Georgia

miles away

Trap Music Museum

Atlanta, Georgia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Atlanta

Atlanta

Georgia

Places 64
Stories 9

Nearby Places

The Wren’s Nest

Atlanta, Georgia

miles away

Atlanta Black Crackers Practice Field

Atlanta, Georgia

miles away

Trap Music Museum

Atlanta, Georgia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Atlanta

Atlanta

Georgia

Places 64
Stories 9

Related Places

  • A corridor in the Mountain View Mausoleum.

    Altadena, California

    Mountain View Mortuary and Cemetery

    This magnificent mausoleum is as much a work of art as it is a historic resting place.

  • The memorial mainmast.

    Arlington, Virginia

    Joseph Marthon Memorial Mainmast

    The naval commander’s proudest moment in battle is memorialized in this unique tomb at Arlington Cemetery.

  • Howard pyramid mausoleum at Old Kilbride Cemetery in Arklow.

    Wicklow, Ireland

    Howard Mausoleum Pyramid

    On the Irish coast, 18 members of the Howard family are eternally resting in an Egyptian pyramid.

  • Allinge, Denmark

    The Russian Cemetery in Allinge

    World War II Soviet Russian soldiers were buried on the Danish island after the war had ended.

  • Addolorata Cemetery.

    Raħal Ġdid, Malta

    Addolorata Cemetery

    Malta’s largest cemetery is a Victorian-era architectural masterpiece.

  • Westminster, Vermont

    Grave of William French

    This man's death led (indirectly) to Vermont's independence in 1777.

  • Turvey, England

    Higgins Mausoleum

    A 19th century grave house with a unique message formed by the stone supports to the railing around the walls.

  • Silver City Cemetery Landmark.

    Eureka, Utah

    Silver City Cemetery

    These headstones and a few stone foundations are all that remain of a once-booming mining town.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.