Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery – Things to Do in LA

If I’d only had the time, I would have included this afternoon’s West Los Angeles attraction in USA Travel Guide’s Halloween coverage. I don’t care who’s buried below, there will always be something creepy about visiting a cemetery for fun.

The creep factor certainly hasn’t kept people away from the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery, though. The famous cemetery in the LA suburb of Westwood (near UCLA) welcomes gaggles of camera-groping gawkers every day. Why do they come? Well, to idolize dead celebrities, of course.

The unassuming and actually quite small cemetery managed to remain of little note for over sixty years before landing, or should we say earthing, one big blonde bombshell that changed the whole scene. Since the burial of Marilyn Monroe at Westwood Village in 1962, a cavalcade of stars has been dying to get one of these coveted plots.*

If this grim star search tickles your interest, head to Westwood Memorial and see the final resting place of some of the biggest film, TV, radio, literature and music personalities of all time. There are more than 150 classic Hollywood names strewn about the grave markers, but on the shortlist of we-all-knows you’ll find Natalie Wood, Roy Orbison, Jack Lemmon, Don Knotts, George C. Scott, Eva Gabor, Bob Crane, Donna Reed and the recently lost Farrah Fawcett. Consult a more complete list.

Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery is located on Glendon Avenue in Westwood, California, near Wilshire Boulevard, but you’ll have to enter from Glendon. It can be a little tricky to find, so consult a map before you go.

If you plan to add Westwood Village to your next LA visit, you can actually stay affordably nearby. We like the new Holiday Inn Express Century City Hotel. A lot of industry types come through the area, so the quality of the accommodations will be a pleasant surprise. Get one of the two-story loft suites for something different (wrought-iron spiral staircase!). About a mile from the cemetery.

Ready to celebrate the celebridead? Have fun!

*Ba dum pshh!

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