By Rachel Cooper
Washington, DC Expert, about.com
Arlington National Cemetery serves as a cemetery and a memorial to America's persons of national importance, including presidents, Supreme Court justices and countless military heroes. The Cemetery was established during the Civil War as a final resting place for Union soldiers on approximately 200 acres of Mary Custis Lee’s 1,100 acre Arlington estate. The property was expanded over the years to encompass more than 624 acres of burial grounds of more than 400,000 American servicemen. Each year, more than four million people visit Arlington, attending graveside services and special ceremonies to pay tribute to veterans and historical figures.
How to Get to Arlington National Cemetery: The
Cemetery is located across the Potomac River from Washington DC at the
west end of the Memorial Bridge in Arlington, Virginia.
To get to the cemetery, take Metro to the Arlington National Cemetery Station, take the express bus from the National Mall, or walk in across the Memorial Bridge.
To get to the cemetery, take Metro to the Arlington National Cemetery Station, take the express bus from the National Mall, or walk in across the Memorial Bridge.
The cemetery is also a stop on most Washington, DC sightseeing tours.
There is a a large parking garage with plenty of spaces. Rates are
$1.75 per hour for the first three hours, and $2.50 per hour thereafter.
Hours of Operation
Open
daily including December 25. April through September hours are 8:00
a.m. to 7:00 p.m. October through March hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tours of Arlington National Cemetery
The
Cemetery Visitors Center is a good place to start your visit where you
will find maps, guidebooks, exhibits, a bookstore and restrooms. You may
walk the grounds on your own or take the interpretative tour. Stops
include the Kennedy gravesites, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
(Changing of the Guard) and The Arlington House (Robert E. Lee
Memorial). Cost: $12 per person, $6 for ages 3-11, $9 Seniors. Allow
several hours to explore the grounds and be sure to wear comfortable
walking shoes. Driving into the Cemetery is only allowed for handicapped
visitors and those attending a burial or visiting a private gravesite. A
special permit is required.
What to See and Do at Arlington National Cemetery
- Visit Famous Gravesites - Among the notable Americans buried here are Presidents William Howard Taft and John F. Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and Robert Kennedy.
- See the Monuments and Memorials
- Among dozens of memorials on the property are the Coast Guard
Memorial, the Space Shuttle Challenger Memorial, Spanish-American War
Memorial, the USS Maine Memorial and many more.
- Attend a Special Event - Memorial services are held in the Arlington National Amphitheater
on Easter, Memorial Day and Veterans Day and are sponsored by the U.S.
Army Military District of Washington. Many military organizations
conduct other annual memorial services throughout the year. More than
four million people visit the cemetery each year and approximately 27-30
graveside funerals are held here each day.
- Visit the Women in Military Service for America Memorial
- This is the main entrance, also known as the Memorial Gate, and
houses a visitors center which houses special exhibits that change
periodically.
- Watch the Changing of the Guard - The Tomb of the Unknowns, also known as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,
stands on a hill overlooking Washington, DC. The tomb was dedicated in
1921 and contains the remains of soldiers from WWI, WWII, Korea and
Vietnam. The tomb is guarded 24 hours a day and each hour (each
half-hour in summer) there is a changing of the guard ceremony with a
special march and salute.
- Tour Arlington House - The former home of Robert E. Lee and his family is located atop a hill, providing one of the best views of Washington, DC. George Washington Parke Custis, Lee’s father-in-law, originally built the house as his own home as well as a memorial to George Washington, his step-grandfather. Arlington House is now preserved as a memorial to Robert E. Lee, who helped heal the nation following the Civil War. Arlington House is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Arlington House grounds are open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. between April and September and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. between October and March.
Recent Improvements
In 2013, Arlington
National Cemetery unveiled the first major upgrade to the historical
displays in over 20 years. The new Welcome Center presents information
on Arlington's annual rituals and military tradition that honor our
veterans, help visitors remember the key historical events and encourage
guests to explore the 624 acres of this national shrine. The upgrade
involves six new panel displays that include a cemetery overview, the
history of the Arlington House estate, a Freedman's Village history, the
evolution of becoming the national cemetery depicted in a vertical
glass panel, a retrospect of the JFK procession and a ritual panel
outlining how the military performs funerals. The cornerstone of the new
exhibit, is a life-size a statue of a bugler. Staff Sgt. Jesse Tubb,
who is a bugler in U.S. Army Band, "Pershing's Own," served as the model
for the statue.
Official Website: www.arlingtoncemetery.mil
