HONOLULU (KHON2) — Hawaiʻi claimed three places on a new ranking of the 100 most beautiful cemeteries in the United States. Even more striking is that those three landed in the top five.
The survey, completed in September 2025, asked more than 3,000 people across the country to vote on hidden gem cemeteries.
Results show that Hawaiʻi’s landscapes, history and cultural traditions leave a lasting impression.
Three in the top five
Holualoa Japanese Cemetery on the Hawaiʻi Island took the #3 spot. Built on terraces carved from lava rock, it overlooks the Pacific while honoring Japanese immigrants. The site’s engraved boulders, obelisks and fresh tributes create a setting where memory and nature are woven together.
At #4, Molokaʻi’s Kalaupapa Settlement Cemetery tells a solemn story. The graves of patients from Hawaiʻi’s leprosy colony rest beneath steep sea cliffs. Rows of white crosses reflect both the hardships endured and the resilience of those who lived there.
Oʻahu Cemetery in Honolulu ranked #5. As the state’s oldest public cemetery, it lies under wide monkeypod trees and looks out toward Nuʻuanu Valley. The grounds hold Victorian monuments, Chinese shrines and royal burials that together form a vivid record of the islands’ past.
A different way to see cemeteries
The findings highlight that cemeteries can hold more than grief. They can offer beauty, reflection and connection across generations. In Hawaiʻi, these sacred spaces often blend history with the natural landscape.
Towering trees, ocean views and mountain backdrops turn them into places of peace as well as remembrance. Many cemeteries also tell the stories of immigrant communities, Native Hawaiian aliʻi and everyday families whose lives shaped the islands.
Visiting these grounds is like stepping into a living history book, where culture and memory meet. Instead of being hidden away, cemeteries here can serve as open-air museums and reminders of heritage, sacrifice and resilience.
You can click here to read the full listing and report.
Hawaiʻi’s balance of nature, culture and history helps explain why Hawaiʻi stands out so strongly in a nationwide ranking of beautiful cemeteries.