Community Events

Get to know Elmwood's history, art, nature and landscape from the comfort of a charming vintage trolley! We've partnered with Detroit's own Grand Trolley to bring you a delightful ride through our beautiful and historic 86-acre cemetery led by an expert guide. Tours will last about two hours. There will be some hop-off stops with a little bit of walking, but all stops are optional; just cruise and enjoy the scenery if you prefer! Tickets are $20 with a limited capacity of 24 people per tour. Sign up here for the trolley tour on Thursday, June 26 at 11 a.m. 

The first person to drive a motor car on the streets of Detroit? Buried at Elmwood. The first person to die in a car crash in Detroit? Also buried at Elmwood. On this tour we'll meet inventors, engineers, businessmen, bridge builders, labor leaders and the motorists, pilots and train drivers who put Detroit and Michigan on the move.

This free two-hour walking tour is on June 29 at 10 a.m. Sign up here! Photo of Charles Brady King (right) and his nervous-seeming passenger from the Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library.

Get to know Elmwood's history, art, nature and landscape from the comfort of a charming vintage trolley! We've partnered with Detroit's own Grand Trolley to bring you a delightful ride through our beautiful and historic 86-acre cemetery led by an expert guide. Tours will last about two hours. There will be some hop-off stops with a little bit of walking, but all stops are optional; just cruise and enjoy the scenery if you prefer! Tickets are $20 with a limited capacity of 24 people per tour. Sign up here for the trolley tour on Sunday, July 13 at 10 a.m. 

Elmwood Cemetery has been integrated since its founding in 1846, making it one of the oldest integrated cemeteries in the Midwest and a rich site of Detroit’s Black heritage. Join Jamon Jordan, Official Historian for the City of Detroit, for a tour of that heritage on July 19 at 11 a.m. From abolitionists William Lambert and George DeBaptiste to Mayor Coleman Young and Martha Jean “The Queen” Steinberg, we’ll visit notable Black leaders, luminaries, activists, entrepreneurs, artists and more who made Detroit the city it is today. This tour is free, but please sign up here.

See Elmwood in a new light! Join us for a twilight stroll of the cemetery in July. We'll visit the cemetery's historical highlights and wrap up at the gatehouse as the sun sets and the Buck Moon rises. Sign up here for the twilight walk on Sunday, July 27 from 7 to about 9 p.m. 

Join the Detroit Bird Alliance and the Historic Elmwood Foundation for a birding walk at the cemetery! This is a great field trip for birders of all ages and experience levels. We'll walk the grounds to identify the species we see throughout the cemetery and discuss bird migration, habitats and a few Elmwood history highlights. Tours begin at 8:30 a.m. Bring your own binoculars, or Detroit Bird Alliance will have some on-hand to borrow. We will gather in the chapel following the walk for refreshments and discussion. Register with the Detroit Bird Alliance at their Eventbrite.