The transition from July to August is usually a hot topic, pardon the pun, among people chatting about the weather.  Here in Southern California, we experience some of the highest temperatures of the year within a short span of unusually high humidity, making our usually perfect weather less than perfect.

Millions of people head to the beaches or the mountains to get away and cool off.  Well, we’d like to offer another option that won’t be quite as crowded and will keep you cool and intellectually engaged.

Forest Lawn-Glendale is offering free art tours of the Great Mausoleum. For those who have never visited, the Great Mausoleum is a magnificent architectural structure which not only has some of the most exquisite indoor memorial property in the world, but also is adorned with some of the world’s most best loved art.

Inside, there’s a collection of Michelangelo’s greatest statuary works— “La Pieta,” “Moses,” “Night and Day,” and “Twilight and Dawn.” A magnificent stained glass reproduction of Leonard da Vinci’s “Last Supper” graces the majestic Court of Honor. There are also many other examples of spectacular stained glass, including the “Poet’s Windows” and several from the famous Connick studios.

The tours are held every Friday and Saturday at 1 pm.

There’s also a special Director’s Tour which is offered at 11 am on the first Sunday of the month.  It’s a 45 minute tour led by Museum Director James Fishburne and is followed by a question and answer session. It’s perfect for art lovers, artists, students, church groups or anyone who admires great art in many different mediums.

These tours are also offered in Spanish. If you’re interested in learning more about these free tours, please email museum@forestlawn.com. We’d love to hear from you!