Arlington National Cemetery Visitors Guide

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. See a Map

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