Search for star quality at Hollywood Cemetery

A woman draped in cloth over her head is contrasted by fresh and cheerful spearmint-colored leaves. She is behind a bronze statue of Jefferson Davis, who overlooks the James River in contemplation.

Just a couple of blocks away from campus, Hollywood Cemetery in Oregon Hill is one of Richmond’s must-see attractions. It is an example of a philosophy of dying, when the living and deceased can exist together.

Its mood changes under different skies and draws people in to experience its extraordinary features and curving paths. If you only could see one place in all of Richmond, this would have to be it.

Unlike the barren and flat plains with which we have today, the burial grounds were designed more like a park, in which people were meant to stroll.

Attention to detail is shown in the bounty of expressive stone angels, carved urns covered in drapery and intricate columns which support headstones. Many VCU students find inspiration in the solemn mood and macabre atmosphere that the cemetery offers.

An entire section is dedicated to the fallen soldiers of the Confederacy, with a massive granite pyramid, quarried from the nearby James River.

Other interesting sights include a cast-iron dog and the graves of Presidents Monroe and Tyler, although Monroe got the upper hand with his elaborate cast-iron tomb.

Lewis Ginter, a prominent tobacco entrepreneur, has the most remarkable tomb which includes Tiffany glass.

The capital of the Old South continues to be a great destination for people who are interested in the Civil War and life during the 19th century. Richmond is full of museums-both surrounding and on campus-but Hollywood Cemetery remains one of the few places where history can be experienced in the present.