How to Visit Arlington National Cemetery
Visiting Arlington National Cemetery can be a somber and emotional experience. Covering more than 200 acres in Arlington, Virginia, this cemetery became a national military cemetery in 1864. Take time to remember those who served our country by planning a visit to Arlington National Cemetery.
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Instructions
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Go to Arlington, Virginia. Located just outside Washington, D.C., Arlington National Cemetery is just a quick drive or subway ride away. The subway has a National Cemetery Metro stop. If taking a car, be aware that parking costs $1.25 for the first 3 hours and then is $2.00 an hour after that. Hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. the first of April through the last of September and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. the rest of the year.
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Stop by the Visitors Center. Here people can pick up a guidebook and a map of the cemetery. There's also information on where graves are located here. There's a bookstore located in the Visitors Center as well as restrooms.
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Pay respects at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Located on top of a hill, this monument gives a spectacular view of part of the grounds below. Watch the Tomb Guard Sentinels perform a changing of the guard at the top of every hour.
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Stop by the memorial and burial site for President John F. Kennedy. An eternal flame marks his grave. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was buried next to her first husband in 1994 and her grave is also marked.
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Walk around the Old Amphitheater. Although no longer used for ceremonies, it is one of the most striking buildings on the grounds. Wander up the hill to check out the Custis-Lee Mansion, once the home of Robert E. Lee.
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Look at the other memorials scattered throughout the cemetery. There is a memorial for the Space Shuttle Challenger, the Persian Gulf War Memorial, the Iwo Jima Memorial and many others. Use a map to find memorials of interest.
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Tips & Warnings
Arlington National Cemetery does not provide strollers or wheelchairs so bring one if needed.
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Comments
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tcbledsoe
Jul 12, 2009
Parking fee is CASH ONLY - no credit cards accepted. Suggest you ask at information desk for tips on finding any particular gravesite: information is available on an automated kiosk, but details are vague (I spent 1/2 hour going through a cemetery section, only to find out afterwards that the site was in the Columbarium. Frustrating). The Women's Memorial has a shop that sells bottled water - you won't find this anywhere else on the grounds. -
john-michael
May 15, 2009
erroneous information - 1)The Iwo Jima Memorial is NOT in Arlington National Cemetery, but lies to the North on the other side of the National Carillon.2)ANC is now over 600 acres with over 300,000 interred
