With gardens in bloom and lush greenery, Oakland Cemetery is celebrating the season with a free Spring to Life Family Festival on Saturday, April 5. Guests can shop for plants, take tours of the gardens, watch wildlife demonstrations and more. And to keep the fun going, a Run Like Hell 5K will take place in the cemetery after the festival.

The day starts with a Spring Plant Sale offering hard to find plants including special trees, shrubs and perennials. The sale starts at noon and is free, but if you’d like to get first dibs on the plants, you can make a reservation for 9 a.m.-noon for $15, which will be credited to your purchase.

Burst Into Bloom family yoga starts at 10:30 a.m., and animals take the spotlight from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. as AWARE Wildlife Center brings some of its animal ambassadors.

To attract more pollinators to your garden, attend a 1 p.m. session with members of the Georgia Tech Beekeeping Club. Guests will build plant containers filled with dirt in which to grow native pollinator plants.

Take a tour of the mature plants and trees on Oakland Cemetery’s grounds during the Spring to Life Festival. (Courtesy of Oakland Cemetery)

Credit: Photo courtesy of Oakland Cemetery

icon to expand image

Credit: Photo courtesy of Oakland Cemetery

The garden tours will take place at 11 a.m. and 1 and 3 p.m. with guides giving details about plants and trees on the cemetery grounds as well as the animals that depend on them. And starting at 2 p.m., attendees can learn more about metro watersheds and runoff, then compete for prizes in a litter cleaning competition.

The festival wraps up at 5 p.m. and is followed by the 18th annual Run Like Hell 5K, which takes place on paved pathways that wind through the cemetery. Creative running outfits are encouraged. Race registration is $40.

Oakland Cemetery is at 374 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SE, Atlanta. More information: 404-549-8932, oaklandcemetery.com.

About the Author

Keep Reading

The Lantern Parade brings color and fun to Sandy Springs on Saturday, April 5.

(Courtesy of the city of Sandy Springs)

Credit: Steve Eberhardt

Featured

An aerial image shows the Atlanta skyline on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. (Miguel Martinez / AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez