Acacia Memorial Park

Grand mausoleum with oodles of stained glass

Acacia Memorial Park, just north of Seattle in Lake Forest Park, was founded in 1926 by the Greater Seattle Masonic Lodge. Freemasons consider the acacia tree to be symbolic of the promise of rebirth and eternity, so it was easy to name the cemetery after the tree. Running the cemetery proved more complicated. So just one year later, the lodge sold the business to the Burnaby family, who kept watch until 1999.

Today, more than 70,000 people are interred in the 63-acre cemetery dotted with sequoias, spruce, century-old redwoods, and enough tree varieties to make the site a field trip destination for college horticultural classes. Feel free to walk the carefully manicured grounds and contemplate the meaning of life and, of course, death. Be on the lookout for gravesites of politicians, sports figures, and other notable people, such as Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen, long-time Washington senator Warren Magnuson, and noted test-pilot Edmund “Eddie” Allen.

Do not leave without venturing inside the 3.5-acre Acacia mausoleum. At the entrance, a glass exhibit case displays a hand-carved replica of the Taj Mahal, the mausoleum Mughal emperor Shah Jahan built for his favorite wife in the mid-1600s. It is there, the staff explains, because many people do not understand the mausoleum concept, and the model creates the “aha” connection.

The Acacia mausoleum is no Taj Mahal, but it is grand and surprising. Down corridors with garden-inspired names such as Lilac, Rose, and Azalea are 7,708 crypts for caskets and 9,500 niches holding decorative urns with cremated remains. Natural light illuminates the entire building through leaded-glass skylights and 29 massive, stained-glass windows decorated with geometric designs, flowers, and religious images. A second, newer mausoleum nearby features a center atrium with a Japanese garden, a waterfall, and reflecting pools.

Address 14951 Bothell Way NE, Seattle, WA 98155, +1 (206) 362-5525, www.acaciafuneralhome.com | Getting there Bus 522, 65 to Bothell Way NE & NE 153rd Street | Hours Daily dawn – dusk, mausoleum 8am – 4pm | Tip A few miles northwest, Shoreline Historical Museum digs into the history of the Forest Park neighborhood (18501 Linden Avenue North, www.shorelinehistoricalmuseum.org).