Swan Point Cemetery

This has to be the weirdest review I ever wrote. How do you rate a cemetery?! Especially if you have never been there for the actual service that is provides. However, I spend a particularly large amount of time at this specific place. So let me tell you what I know…
Swan Point Cemetery is one of the most lovely places on the East Side to go for a quiet stroll. The scenery, next to the river, with its impressive trees and landscaping, is only enhanced by the truly fascinating grave markers. (Told you this was going to be a weird review.) Since it is only open from dawn to dusk (NOT at night), it doesn’t feel creepy or macabre.
I used to go here quite often for quiet walks, but now I find myself there for a totally different reason. (OK, now I am moving on from weird to sacrilegious…) This is the best place on the east side to bring young kids to learn how to ride their bicycle. Nice smooth pavement, flat surfaces, minimal to no cars to worry about. It is a parent’s dream! Now that my kid has the hang of cycling, but still not the hang of riding her bike on the neighborhood streets or on the Blackstone Blvd Speedway, Swan Point continues to be a great place for her to zoom around with little risk.

Gorgeous cemetery. Definitely worth a peek. You can also find HP Lovecraft’s family plot in here.

Beautiful cemetery but confusing!
We went to see grave stones for grandparents/​great gandparents that we had not been to in years so no one could remember how to get to them. The map was not a huge help and the roads are confusing in their turns and name changes.
Very well maintained in that leaves are cleaned up and the grass is cut often (so i think…)

Well, as far as cemeteries in Rhode Island go they’re pretty good. The landscaping is tasteful and they’ve got H.P. Lovecraft and a politician or two, but they’re no North Burial Ground. The North Burial Ground used to have Roger Williams!

Beautiful urban cemetery; came here to visit Lovecraft.

I’ve been here a few times, after a friend of mine recommended it to me as a nice place to go walking. My ONLY complaint is that I can’t bring my pup there for a walk, but I understand that restriction. The view is stunning, wherever you are– the headstones (I find the old ones fascinating, and there is everything from simple stones to ornate statuary), the views of the river, the landscaping; it’s all beautiful. If you are looking for a nice, quiet place for a walk or a run, this is an amazing place to go; it’s now my go-​to place for a long, quiet, uninterrupted walk.

Like many others, my husband and I visited Swan Point to see H.P. Lovecraft’s grave. Sadly there have been issues with vandalism, so the grave is protected by a security guard. He didn’t give us any problems, however. We were respectful and so was he.

To find Lovecraft’s grave:
Enter through the front gates of the cemetery and drive straight ahead; at the Barnaby monument, turn left onto Junction Avenue and then bear right at the Daniels grave marker onto Pond Avenue; go as straight as you can until you reach a «T» intersection with Avenue B; the Phillips family plot is directly in front of you and Lovecraft’s stone is behind the family monument. (courtesy of
)
This is a cemetery, please be respectful. Photographs are against cemetery policy.

Swan Point is a beautiful cemetery and it’s amazing the size of this place. It’s easy to get a bit lost walking around the winding pathways. Make sure to walk down the river, it’s pretty down there as well. Lots of pathways and you can even see wildlife. Saw a massive turtle just ambling along by the walk. Very peaceful and a great place a for a jog (during their specified hours) or an ambling bicycle ride.

What a great place! You would think it would be depressing but it is actually peaceful! The grounds are complex & well kept. The history & beautiful statues are what draws me (as a photographer & history buff). Just when you think the blackstone blvd. Is a beautiful place you stumble into this cemetery and find yourself immersed in art, history ect. A must see for cyclists/​walkers/​runners/​photographers!!! Also if you drive down to the water you will see ducks and swans. If you visit the lippet park farmers market (opening in may) be sure to check it out afterwards!

Perhaps it’s a bit strange… to be writing a review on a cemetery. I was scrolling through reviews in the Providence area and was surprised that Swan Point was even on the list… but that being said, here I am, writing a review.
Swan Point Cemetery is gaaaaaorgeous. I mean really, beautifully stunning. It’s massive in size, 200 acres to be exact. There are so many small and windy, twisty roads that lead to thousands and thousands of headstones (big and small,) mausoleums and statues. Also, some of those roads and steep bands lead you to the rivers side.
Tons of flowers, plants and trees are planted all around. The cemetery grounds are more like a historical site rather than a resting place for the dead.
Also, H.P. Lovecraft is buried here — «I am Providence.» I’ve yet to find his grave, but I will one of these days!

A Providence highlight.
Blackstone Boulevard is a lovely walking spot, but compared to Swan Point?! — there is no comparison, so let it lead the way to the cemetery…
With a walking companion or solo, when feeling meditative or in the mood to explore, in any season, I love to be here. Every time I visit I take a different network of paths and notice something new and interesting, or striking, or touching. The hills, stairways and trees keep a little mystery just beyond what can be spotted in the distance. And so. very. quiet.

Feeling touristy and frugal? Want to hang out by the water without getting your orange on? Or just want to escape the hustle and bustle of downtown Providence (ha! jk)?
I can’t think of a more peaceful spot on the East Side to walk around on a sunny day (except maybe the nearby Butler Hospital grounds… but that would be related to psychotropic medications). All of Providence’s founding families seem to be buried here with relatively well-​preserved 18^th and 19^th century headstones and (dare I say?) spacious plots. Not exactly the vaults of Buenos Aires’ Cementerio de la Recoleta, but enough obelisks and altars to satisfy one with a discerning marble tooth.
My favorite part are the graves on the Eastern edge of the plot, which seem just about to fall off the cliff into the Seekonk River. Creepiest grave: a statue of two children snuggling together for their eternal rest. Gives a whole new meaning to the prayer «If I should die before I wake/​I pray the Lord my soul to take» and reminds me that not so long ago surviving childhood was a privilege not a guarantee.
It can be a scavenger hunt to find H.P. Lovecraft or Ambrose Burnside’s grave, but it’s there are many gems along the way. Obviously this is a cemetery not a boardwalk, so you have to be a little bit somber and respectful, i.e. no inappropriate workout gear or hot weiners plz.

A beautifully laid-​out, historic cemetery.
I used to hang out here when I was a teenager… and it’s still nice to visit, as we did last weekend.
One innovation since Many Years Ago — they now have a computer at the front office where you can look up any grave and print out a map with directions to it. Very nifty!
(because H.P. Lovecraft’s grave isn’t that easy to find, without one.)
In addition to Mr. «I Am Providence,» some of my relatives are here, as well as most of the deceased folks who lived on Power St.
Which means lots of nice statuary and crypts!

Historic, charming, creepy, and cool. Swan Point Cemetery is all of these things and more. It is a fantastic place to walk or ride your bike (slowly) around and take in all of the rich history of Providence’s predecessors. A lot of the graves date back to the seventeen and eighteen hundreds. There are tons of gorgeous trees, bushes and flowers that make it feel like a lovely park, rather than a morbid resting ground for the Providence dead.
I am a big fan of wandering around New England’s historic cemetery’s. Not because I revel in the macabre, but because I find them to be so peaceful, non-​touristy, and this one in particular is beautifully manicured and well kept.
One highlight, which I’m sure that most horror and sci fi fans know, is that the legendary author, H.P. Lovecraft and his family rest in this cemetery. From what I hear, you aren’t supposed to take pictures, but I cheated and snuck in a few quick photos.
The fact that I live just down the block from this historic and amazing place is the icing on the cake. I almost feel as if I am a neighbor to some of Providence’s most interesting VIPs.

People may look at you strange when you tell them you spent an afternoon walking around a cemetery but it really is a beautiful place. Plus H. P Lovecraft is in here. So there’s that.

Before you go judging me and thinking I’m a goth or Wiccan, let me just tell you that Swan Point Cemetery is freakin’ stunning. More like a historical park or public garden, this is an East Side treasure that may be one of the most beautiful places in New England. Preach.
On any given day, you’ll find people strolling through, taking in the peace and quiet it provides. It’s a great spot to go for a long, undisturbed run as the roads loop around and everything leads to the main gate so you can’t get lost. It’s well kept with very little of the creepy factor (which, contrary to your snap judgment, I DO feel in most cemeteries).
If you’re from an old New England family, chances are you’ll find some of your relatives interred here. I had no idea that the Angell’s of my own line were here until I came across them. It’s worth checking the listings at the main gate to see if you’re ancestors are among them, because lemme tell ya, it was a feeling like I’ve never had before: it gave me a sense of connectedness to the place I live more than actually living here!
On a beautiful, sunny day when the Boulevard Walking Path is crowded and you don’t feel like shopping on Wickenden Street, do yourself a favor and come here. Don’t be scared, kids!

This is without a doubt, one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the country –and I’ve visited a LOT of cemeteries. (no pun intended) Seriously though, I’ve been coming to this place, this ultra green oasis on the north-​eastern edge of the city for years and years. In our youths my friends and I would come here at night because, well, we fancied ourselves «goth» and that was the thing to do. This was a destination for us the way Scarborough beach might be a «must go» for Guidos. Tons of us went, and I’m sure we weren’t the first generation to do so. We’d go to drink, to dance, to smoke, to fuck and in general act young and foolish. One thing we never did was vandalize, or even leave trash behind. This place was, after-​all, a sacred place. And everyone I’ve ever known has treated it that way. Into adulthood I’d always lived around the east side, countless apartments for over a decade, and I always ended up back in Swan Point (although mainly in the daylight hours) If I started a walk or a bike ride on a spring day I’d inevitably end up here. If that seems strange, keep in mind that in the days before public parks EVERYONE did this. Weekends in the 19^th century would find local grave yards swarming with folks at play, as well as those at «rest».
A few years back my best friend was cremated here. We waited as his remains were rendered. And we sat in the early spring sunshine and drank ourselves silly. And sometimes I go back. Sit. Think. Remember.
And there’s not really a better place in which to do this.
(I can’t believe I’m the fist person to review this place…)