A cemetery in New York may not seem like a particularly thrilling attraction, but Green-Wood Cemetery is one of the most beautiful in the country. This 478-acre green space in Brooklyn was the city’s first public park. It’s been designated as a National Historic Landmark and is the final resting place for more than 600,000 people. One of the most unique things about Green-Wood is a small art installation that was put up just a few years ago. The Tomb of Secrets may sound like a destination in a fantasy film, but it’s a real place and it’s hidden within this cemetery in New York.

This obelisk might not seem particularly out of place. After all, it resembles a grave marker and it's in a cemetery where there are hundreds of thousands of grave markers.
Leandro Justen/Creative Time Projects
But the Tomb of Secrets doesn't contain a buried body. Instead, it's got a small opening for visitors to deposit papers that contain their darkest secrets. The obelisk is an art project installed in 2017 by Sophie Calle, a French artist who works with Creative Time Projects.
JMS2X/Google Maps
The Tomb of Secrets will remain in the cemetery for 25 years. Calle will return to the cemetery to remove the secrets from the tomb and cremate them.
Even without taking the Tomb of Secrets into consideration, Green-Wood Cemetery is a spectacularly unique place. The 25th Street entrance is a gorgeous piece of architecture.
Konstantinos Karagiannis/Google Maps

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Some of the monuments here are quite unique.
Viascheslav Zhidkin/Google Maps
It's fun to walk through the tombstones and see evidence of the personalities of the people who are buried there.
Serena Chang/Google Maps
In the 1800s, before parks became common, cemeteries were sometimes one of the few green spaces in cities. They were popular gathering spots for picnics and served as play areas for children.
Anthony Giudice/Google Maps
City design has changed immensely in the last few centuries, and we now have plenty of parks so that people don't have to frolic in graveyards. Still, beautiful cemeteries like Green-Wood can make for a peaceful walk if you like unique surroundings!
Ravi Sachidanadam/Google Maps

For more information about Green-Wood Cemetery and its history, check out the graveyard’s website.

Have you visited this gorgeous cemetery in New York and dropped anything in the Tomb of Secrets? Share your experiences in the comments!

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The Green-Wood Cemetery, 500 25th St, Brooklyn, NY 11232, USA