Urban Adventure - Volunteer Park Conservatory & Lakeview Cemetery

Meet at 10 a.m. in front of the Conservatory at the north end of Volunteer Park. There is usually parking near here. We will walk north to adjacent Lake View Cemetery, one of the oldest cemeteries in the city and the location of many wonderful trees. Here are buried many of Seattle's most famous settlers and citizens. Familiar names we may see on grave markers are: Denny, Mercer, Yesler, Chittenden, Colman, Carkeek, Renton, Nordstrom, Maynard and Bell, plus many others. Just north of here is the Grand Army of the Republic Cemetery with 523 graves, mostly of Union soldiers but also a few confederate ones, who fought in the Civil War.

Next we will go back to the Conservatory by where we parked. The conservatory was built in 1912 and modeled after London's Crystal Palace. Inside are rooms housing palms, ferns, cacti, bromeliads, orchids, and many other plants. Admission is $4, and masks and social distancing are required. Bring lunches, and if weather permits, we will find a place to sit and eat in Volunteer Park. For information, contact Sue Hays at sehays@foxinternet.com.