Arlington National Cemetery

Over four million people a year visit Arlington National Cemetery. It’s a beautiful and moving experience for many of them, and its various parts are perfect for group travel to D.C. 

Arlington Mansion and its grounds make up the famous military cemetery with its white gravestones, remarkable because of their unvarying similarity. The visitor’s center gives you a guide so you can find the gravesites you’re particularly interested in, such as the tombs of the presidents buried in Arlington, including Kennedy’s eternal flame. Some other monuments and memorials exist here besides the plain white gravestones, and the visitor’s guide can help you discover and understand them. Arlington Mansion belonged to Robert E. Lee and his family and is now set up as a tribute to him, a general who won respect during the Civil War.

The Memorial Amphitheater hosts several military ceremonies throughout the year, including annual services at Easter, Memorial Day, and Veteran’s Day. It houses a chapel beneath its stage and the inscriptions of U.S. battles and U.S. generals as well. Between it and the Tomb of the Unknowns, you’ll find plaques and tributes to the service members buried there.

The Tomb of the Unknowns is a moving exhibit in Arlington. Those buried there represent all members of service who remain unidentified at their deaths. The tomb is guarded day and night, and the changing of the guard is a ceremony witnessed several times every day by Arlington visitors. Each movement of the guards holds significant meaning and is intended to honor the members of service who died and the country they served.