Arlington National Cemetery; Virginia
By TKDDad onMy wife and I always have wanted to visit Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. On our trip to we decided to take the Metro transportation, which was so much easier then driving.
This cemetery is a beautiful place. The landscape was very well taken care of. We did the audio tour, which I feel is a must. It really brings the history of the Cemetery and those who rest there, alive.
I was moved while watching the changing of the Guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider. Please be respectful though, I had two ladies that kept talking loudly to each other when everyone was quiet. I could tell I was not the only person bothered by these two.
Of course John F. Kennedy's resting spot is a must. I was not born when Kennedy was killed but seeing the gravesite and the Eternal Flame, along with the audio playing of the gun shot that killed Kennedy (through the audio tour), made me realize how the Country must have felt the day.
There is also a Space Shuttle Challenger Memorial and all 7 crew members are buried here. Which I did not know until I saw it on the map.
Take your time to just walk around the cemetery. My wife and I went to all the well known grave sites but we also enjoyed just walking along the lesser known ones too.
This place is peaceful and beautiful. It is a big place so wear some comfortable walking shoes. I feel everyone should visit this place at least once in their lifetime.
I agree that this is a great place to visit, I look forward to going again with my kids the next time we are there.
I visited the Washington DC area many years ago. The Arlington National Cemetery is a beautiful place. Every American should visit this place sometime!
This is a must see for my family. Through your words I now have a much better grasp on the sheer beauty and poignancy of Arlington National Cemetary.
Arlington really is a beautiful and moving place. It's too bad part of your experience was marred by a couple of inconsiderate people.
Wow, this is a place that sounds very interesting that I would have never thought to go visit.
I am not far from there and I would love to see it. I think that is somewhere that everyone needs to visit. I also didn't know that about the Challenger crew, very interesting. Thanks for the great details!
We visited DC for a long weekend and never did get to visit Arlington National Cemetery. There is just so much to do and see and we did not want to be rushed through anything. We have driven through the area a few times since and we really do need to make an effort to plan to actually stop the next time we are going through there for a couple of more days.
This is truly one of the most amazing and emotional places I've ever been. I hope to go back someday. Every American should visit Arlington.