Staycation: Arlington National Cemetery

Some of my Washington, DC staycation visits have been to museums, many more have been to national parks and green spaces. There was even one previously to a cemetery.

But nowhere is quite like Arlington National Cemetery.

Originally the home of George Washington’s grandson, then passed down to Robert E. Lee before being confiscated by the Union Army and becoming a military graveyard, Arlington Cemetery is filled with history. From presidents and ambassadors to Marines, pilots and soldiers, more than 300,000 people are buried here.

This includes two U.S. presidents (John F. Kennedy — along with wife Jacqueline and brothers Robert and Teddy — and William Howard Taft), Arctic explorer Robert E. Peary, DC architect Charles L’Enfant, four Supreme Court Chief Justices and too many politicians to name.

Entrance is free and a sloping walk to the highest point of the cemetery — where Arlington House sits — rewards you with one of the best views in the area.

The house itself is certainly impressive…

but what really makes it extraordinary is the view? Can you imagine looking out your front windows and seeing this? Obviously the view was very different 150 years ago, but it’s still an impressive sight to look down on the city below.

Inside the house, exhibits document the home’s transformation from a private residence to a military cemetery. After the Lees evacuated the home and Virginia seceded, Union troops crossed the Potomac River and seized the grounds. By the time the Civil War was over, thousands of soldiers were buried on the property; years later, the Lee family was compensated for losing their home, but they never again lived in Arlington.

wikimedia.org

While Arlington National Cemetery has plenty of history, the present cannot be forgotten. More than 27 funerals are held every day and the cemetery strives to find a balance between tourism and a place of respect and remembrance.

Like so much of Washington, Arlington National Cemetery is a place created for the public: to reflect, to remember, to be thankful.

Have you been to Arlington National Cemetery?