Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. kicked off Bronx Week 2021 last week, and during the opening ceremony, he  announced that The Woodlawn Cemetery & Conservancy will receive the Tourism Award from The Bronx Tourism Council on Saturday, May 15th at Orchard Beach.

“Woodlawn Cemetery is one of our most important cultural institutions and is a rich source of information on people who helped shape our city and country,” said Diaz Jr. “In The Bronx, we all know how special Woodlawn Cemetery is, and The Bronx Tourism award recognizes the work and commitment they have contributed to our borough.”

Woodlawn Cemetery is an active 400-acre, non-sectarian cemetery, opened in 1863. A National Historic Landmark, Woodlawn’s celebrated lot owners comprise artists and writers, civic leaders, business moguls, entertainers, jazz musicians, suffragists and more. In addition, the Level II Arboretum contains over 3,500 trees, representing 392 variety of species.

Mitch Rose, president & CEO of the conservancy said the Woodlawn team is proud to have created innovative programming and events that support the community at large, and added that it was a great honor to be the recipient of the prestigious Tourism Award. “By bringing people to Woodlawn through tours and events which highlight the rich history and beauty of The Bronx, we hope that visitors will then go on to eat and shop at Bronx establishments, falling in love with the borough we call home,” he said.

Each year, Woodlawn hosts both walking and trolley tours of the conservancy, webcasts and lectures, as well as educational programs for all ages which highlight the lives of the notable people who have chosen Woodlawn as their final resting place. Another such trolley tour will take place on Wednesday, May 12, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. to coincide with Bronx Week 2021.

Recent community events at the cemetery have included Woodlawn’s popular Earth Day celebration for families featuring arts and crafts for kids, tree planting and pruning workshops and a tree-carving chainsaw artist; the Celia Cruz Exhibit and Concert which highlighted the life of the “Queen of Salsa” by displaying memorabilia, costumes, wigs, and culminating with a salsa concert on the lawn; and the Tour de Bronx which wound through the beautiful roads of Woodlawn. The conservancy hosts more than 100,000 visitors from around the world, annually.

“Visiting Woodlawn is the most fun I’ve ever had in a cemetery,” says Olga Luz Tirado, executive director of The Bronx Tourism Council. “I always learn something new about our country’s history.” Both in-person tours and events, and self-guided, themed tours are available on the Woodlawn website, www.woodlawntours.org.