The cemetery is beautiful and we were invited to a family and friends day... why was a over zealous salesman kept talking about his personnel ministry instead of talking about the organization he WORKS for which is WOODLAWN. This effects your future clients when over zealous people and he kept boasting about him being a Minister of the Gospel. I have been at my Aunts funeral the staff was gracious but this Person did not work there at the time. just thought this should be brought to your attention....Our family was honored at that time Really disappointed I the salesmanship of this person. read more

I was a guest at an inurnment and the care and consideration that was given to the family and guests was excellent. It was a bit dicey due to a goose nest near the mausoleum, but the staff had extra personnel there to shoo the aggressive goose away without hurting him. The Rosa Parks Chapel is a beautiful, peaceful building. A very touching building to have a brief prayer before the inurnment. And the Detroit history is remarkable. read more

Historic cemetery filled with notable Detroiters bearing such names as Ford, Dodge, Hudson, Sanders, Aretha, and Rosa Parks as well as numerous Motown stars, sports celebrities, politicians, automotive executives, businessmen, and more. A beautiful park setting with rolling hills and a pond, this cemetery features beautiful mausoleums replete with stunning stained glass and architecture by some well-known names. On a beautiful day, you can walk and walk and walk, and never tire of the beautiful monuments. "Back in the day" this was THE place to be buried. . It is still a lovely place for a peaceful drive or walk. A huge cemetery with 71,000 people interred here, it boasts one of the largest numbers of private mausoleums anywhere. A quick google search will give you a list of names of Michigan famous people who are buried here. Very nicely paved roads and most areas have mature shady trees. As with most other cemeteries in this area of Michigan, there are gates surrounding the entire cemetery, and they are closed and locked at sundown (often earlier -- hours are posted). It is still possible for the average person to buy a plot in this cemetery. Peaceful, despite being at the very north edge of the city of Detroit. read more

Looking out on the morning rain I used to feel so uninspired And when I knew I had to face another day Lord, it made me feel so tired Before the day I met you... Life was so unkind But you're the key to my peace of mind 'Cause you make me feel You make me feel You make me feel like A natural woman (woman)... You sing it, Ree. Jamie W. and I were in Detroit last weekend to visit his parents during a semi-bitter cold snap. We were on the city's main thoroughfare, the M-1, Woodward Avenue, on our way to some Coney Island dogs downtown since we had to settle the Lafayette vs. American battle ourselves. He pointed out this cemetery as we approached 8 Mile and said that was where Aretha was buried. Say what? Turn around! We have to pay our respects... R-E-S-P-E-C-T, take care, T-C-B. We're talkin' about the Queen of Soul. All hail the Queen. The cemetery is spread across 140 acres and has been in operation since 1896. I rifled through my iPhone to find out where exactly she was entombed and read that she was in the main mausoleum which required us to make quite a few turns on winding lanes lined with huge tombstones. We just figured she would be prominently spotlighted, but no, the building was filled with room after room of marble crypts. Jamie and I tried to figure out if we could find it from the online photos. Just as we were about to give up, I took another look at the Detroit Free Press article. Through the grace of someone, I finally saw a footnote that stated she was on the bottom floor of the mausoleum in Rooms 185-188. There you are, Ree (photo: http://bit.ly/2Tgjp0F). Who's zoomin' who. She's on the top tier next to an empty crypt and sadly, even though it's been only 2-1/2 months since her death, there was not a single flower in sight. On the upside, her father was just three crypts away (photo: http://bit.ly/2Q0k07F). I only realized much later that Rosa Parks was in a nearby mausoleum. Otherwise I would have paid my respects. Magically we saw a deer run through the cemetery as we were leaving. She stopped when she saw us and stared. Nice to see you, Ree. You better think (think) Think about what you're trying to do to me Yeah, think (think, think) Let your mind go, let yourself be free Oh, freedom (freedom), freedom (freedom) Oh, freedom, yeah, freedom Freedom (freedom), oh oh freedom (freedom) Freedom, oh freedom... RELATED - Are you coming to Detroit? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: bit.ly/2TghclT read more

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Woodlawn is where Aretha Franklin is interred. When I needed help locating her, the woman in the office gave me a map, highlighted the map, and gave me step by step directions. She even told me which door of the main mausoleum to use and where to park the car so it was easy to park and would not in the way of ongoing graveside services. The entire cemetery is in impeccable condition. Grass mowed and trimmed. No dead flowers piled anywhere. Great signage to help you get where you need to go if you know the section and plot location information. A browse of their prices showed average prices for cemetery services and plots. My family member who has family in that cemetery also quoted reasonably good prices. And it depends on what you want. Plot, family mausoleum, main mausoleum, size of grave marker, etc. If I was from Detroit and wanted to be buried somewhere nice and where it would be welcoming for those I leave behind, I would have no issues choosing Woodlawn. read more

My mother was buried there in a mausoleum almost 20 years ago. Yesterday we carried my father there and his casket did not fit in the crypt. The casket was a standard size. As a family this was devastating to see. . The cemetery did not want to take any blame for what occurred. My mothers casket was larger than 28 inches and fit fine. Now Woodlawn claims that my dad's casket has to be 28 inches exactly.  Woodlawn fails to recognize that the ground does shift and all they can do, is say "I'm sorry". This does nothing for the family of the deceased that had to witness this ordeal. My father still has not been put to rest. This cemetery used to be known as a repeatable organization. I no longer feel this way. Just horrible. read more

We arrived at the cemetery immediately after the funeral at our "appointment time" only to find the plot partially cleared, the vault was not in the ground, no tent, no chairs, or anything set up in preparation for our arrival. Family members & friends waited and stood by as we watched a truck drive across the lawn to finish digging the plot, lifting the vault, bringing it over to the grave site, lifting the casket, laying it in the ground and covering it with dirt. While the truck was digging, a representative from the cemetery asked could they "just place the casket in the vault" and carry it over to hole that was still being dug up. In our time of grief, this was the LAST thing we needed to deal with. It is unacceptable and offensive to think that this treatment was satisfactory. I have never experienced or witnessed such blatant disregard, insensitivity or unprofessionalism by a business during such an emotional & difficult time. read more

This really is a beautiful old cemetery and I have many family members buried here back to my 3rd great grandparents. It's very quiet and quaint most of the time with deer and geese roaming all over. The main old mausoleum in the back definitely seems to have progressed in the last couple of years with the cleanliness and smell. Many of the lights aren't working. However I still find it so disappointing as to how many letters and numbers are missing on the mausoleum fronts that people paid large amounts of money for. This is not something that would take long to fix at all! I would even volunteer to help with anything! I can't seem to reach anyone to discuss any volunteering opportunities possible. read more

It may seem strange writing a review about a cemetery, but speaking from recent experience, it would have been helpful to have more reviews on one. Part 1 describes our experience with the staff, then part 2 with the cemetery itself. Part 1: recently, I accompanied my husband and his family to this cemetery to discuss our headstone options for his father who had passed away in the 1980s; (apparently, my father-in-law's grave had only been marked by a small, circular bronze marker number all these years). The staff in general were very friendly. We first met with a junior sales rep (Alicia) who did not answer our questions with direct answers, giving me the impression that she was trying to up-sale us. When I clarified that we were looking for our cheapest headstone option, she could not hide her disappointment. She was also slightly unorganized and was not as familiar with the products, which I attributed to her junior rep status. I also got the impression that staff here are not super comfortable with computers, but at least most of their paper references were in order. Our really good experience was due to the senior customer rep (Janet?) who was very knowledgeable on the headstone options knowing our limited budget. She showed us all the material options (granite, bronze, colored bronze, flat, upright) and all of the included hidden costs. (Interesting fact: a grave in 1980 cost $325, today it costs close to $4000!) A few comparative notes: flat headstones (that lie flat on the ground) can be bronze or granite; those materials last through the years. Between the two, bronze is more expensive since it doesn't chip as granite can, but it will patina (oxidize to blue) over time so it will need to be cleaned periodically if that does not interest you. Secondly, flat headstones will eventually sink into the ground just by the nature of the weather and grass overgrowth, so over time, it will be more difficult to see. Family members will need to maintain this headstone periodically. There is no charge for this installation. The cost of the bronze flat was around $5000, the granite flat I don't know. Surprisingly, the cheapest upright headstone was less expensive than the flat options: around $2000; (prices go up when you change the stone material and if you add any embellishments to the headstone). There is a $750 installation fee because a concrete foundation needs to be poured to be the base of the headstone which also prevents sinking. All headstones include grounds maintenance for perpetuity. If the headstone was bought at the cemetery and gets damaged, the cemetery will replace it for free. In the end, we opted for the most basic, cheapest option: upright headstone, granite stone, in color "Star Blue" (which actually looks gray) that covers both graves (headstones that cover two graves are called "companion headstones" are are wider in the base.) We expect to pay around $3000 which includes extra fees and sales tax. Suggestion: this experience has taught me that it is best to buy one's grave, and significant other's grave, sooner than later as prices go up significantly over the years AND space location may be limited later; (the cemetery staff told us we were lucky our graves were located in a part of the cemetery that could accommodate upright headstones). It's best not to leave this cost to family members who may not be able to afford it down the road. Part 2: the cemetery itself is a beautiful, peaceful place which unsurprisingly hosts many famous celebrities like the Diana Ross family, the 4 Tops, and the most amazing: Rosa Parks. Alicia graciously gave us the building code so that we could pay our respects to an amazing woman and major historical figure. Overall, great experience. I gave this place 4 stars only because of the slight disorganization with some staff early on in our meeting, but in general they were great to work with. Highly recommend this place. read more

I got to visit the graves of family members as well as those of Rosa Parks and Aretha Franklin. Helen was a great help for finding my way around. read more

This was the worst experience ever! I asked for assistance finding my dads burial site the lady gave me a map and looked like she was confused herself as to where it was exactly. She was too busy GOSSIPING with the other employees In the office about the guests. Then before I left the office I asked about buying flowers in which they informed me that they sold fake dollar tree flowers for $30. Once I started looking for my dads grave I realized there was dog feces everywhere and all of the head stone markers were so overgrown with weeds and dirt you could barely tell it was a marker there at all! There was feces on my dads headstone and we had to request for it to be dug up again!! read more