Arlington National Cemetery is the DC attraction that requires the most walking. The extensive grounds are rich with history, beautiful landmarks, and meaningful sights. Your tour guide knows every inch of them and where to find their most inspiring spots. A tour guide may, for instance, point out some of the unique gravestones with intricate detail. Visitors expect to only see the slim, white stones for which Arlington is best known. Certainly, this is a favorite familiarity to the grounds and a symbol that those buried there lay down their rank and status in Arlington. However, before an ordinance put this similarity in place, the gravestones could be as unique as any family wished.
Over four million people visit Arlington every year, some to pay personal respects, others to tour the many highlights, such as the Arlington mansion that belonged to Robert E. Lee. This mansion has a long history in our American heritage. Your guide will share this history, which includes an interesting beginning to this national cemetery.
Most Arlington visitors also look forward to the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Rain or shine, members of our military perform the special assignment of guarding the tomb in thirty-minute shifts, twenty-four hours a day. The guard paces and watches the tomb in a pattern centered around the number 21, a nod to the 21-gun salute. At the end of each shift, the changing of the guard is meticulously performed in a moving ceremony.
Around the corner from the steps where you can view this ceremony, you’ll find the shaded benches beneath the beautiful Memorial Amphitheater. It’s a good place for your guide to share more details about the Tomb of the Unknown soldier and what it means. You’ll find this a great place to regroup during educational tours.
As with the changing of the guard, Arlington National Cemetery takes great care to appropriately honor those who’ve served in our military. Several funerals take place there on any given day, and flags fly at half-staff when they do. You’ll want to visit some of the more famous grave sites in Arlington, including that of President John F. Kennedy with its famous eternal flame. Though maps are provided in the visitors center that mark these Arlington highlights, you’ll certainly be grateful for a guide for this purpose.
Guided DC tours won’t be complete without a visit to this beautiful cemetery. Whether group tours or family travel, it’s a meaningful experience for all.