Arlington Cemetery
Arlington Cemetery
Arlington Cemetery
From the Visitor Center, you will see a winding sidewalk to head into the
cemetery, past the Welcome to Arlington National Cemetery sign. This is to the
north of the Visitor Center on the opposite side from the parking lot. Cross over
Eisenhower Drive at the pedestrian crosswalk and stop as you enter the burial
grounds.
B Introduction to the Cemetery
Continue up Roosevelt Drive and look to the right to find the grave marker of
William Windrich with what looks like a star underneath his name. His marker is
often honored with a small American flag.
C Staff Sergeant William Windrich
Continue up Roosevelt Drive, just past Weeks Drive on the right to a small
wooded area surrounding the equestrian statue.
D Field Marshall Sir John Dill
Backtrack slightly down Roosevelt Drive and turn left on Weeks Drive. This
dead ends at Sheridan Drive, which you will cross to reach the plaza at the Kennedy
Memorials. Our next stop, Justice Hill, is up the ramp to the right. From here
you will be viewing the backs of the headstones. If you'd like to see them from the
front, walk along Sheridan Drive to the right before entering the plaza.
Stop in front of the large bench-like tombstone for John W. Weeks to view the
front of many of these headstones on Justice Hill.
E Justice Hill
Continue around the granite ramp to the right to make your way to President
John F. Kennedy's memorial. The accessible route for wheelchairs and strollers will
veer off to your right before you approach the stairs. As you climb the three
stairs into the memorial area, the eternal flame will be up another set of stairs
to your right.
F President John F. Kennedy Gravesite
After you've paid respects at JFK's grave, you can exit the memorial area the
opposite way you entered, to the right as you descend the stairs from the eternal
flame. You'll see a long granite wall and sidewalk leading to your right to
reach Senator Robert F. Kennedy's grave, a small wooden headstone to your right.
G Robert F. Kennedy
Continue along the granite sidewalk opposite the side you came in as it
circles back to the road. You will see the next two stops on your right.
H Senator Ted Kennedy
I Joe Kennedy Jr.
As you exit the Kennedy Memorial's granite sidewalk, look up the hill to your
right. At the top of the hill to the left of the house, you'll see a large dark
bullet-shaped headstone in front of the trees.
J General Philip Sheridan
Continue up the hill on Sheridan Drive, shortly after the exit from the
Kennedy Memorials on your right you'll see a reddish headstone next to the road.
K Senator Frank Lautenberg & Robert McNamarra
Continue up the hill on Sheridan Drive as it curves to the right. As you come
to the stairwell that crosses the road, take the stairs to the right up the hill.
When you've reached the top, turn right along the paved sidewalk and follow it
as it curves to the left - be careful as it becomes unpaved here! Stop anywhere
along the flower garden for the next stop.
L Mary Custis Lee Flower Garden
As you're walking along the unpaved walkway along the edge of the hill,
you're surrounded by some of the oldest graves in the cemetery with a view of
Washington, DC through the trees on your right. As the trees end, you'll see a
large table-like sarcophagus to your right next to the flagpole. This is the grave
of Pierre (Peter) L'Enfant.
M Pierre Charles L'Enfant
Across from L'Enfant's sarcophagus to your left, is Arlington House.
N Arlington House - Robert E. Lee Memorial
After you've visited the house and the grounds, make your way behind the
house on the same side as the flower garden. With the house to your right and the
flower garden to your left, you'll see the unpaved sidewalk leads towards Sherman
Drive and the trolley pick up. Before you reach then, under the branches of a large
tree, a paved sidewalk heads to the left through an area of manicured shrubs.
These bushes surround the memorial to the Civil War Unknowns.
O Civil War Unknowns Monument
With your back to the Civil War Unknowns, follow the sidewalk out towards the
white columns of the Old Memorial Amphitheater. You may walk around or inside the
Tanner Amphitheater.
P Old Memorial Amphitheater
From here, you'll want to cross the immediate Sherman Drive and the next
parraell road, Humphreys Drive. Be careful as you cross Sherman Drive here as it's
one of the more active roads in the cemetery. Head right down Humphreys Drive
towards the Old Administration Building and cross where Humphreys Drive circles
back onto itself. Not too far into the headstones on your left you'll see an old
cannon, lately (as of Dec. 2014) surrounded by caution tape.
Q Wallace F. Randolph Cannon
With Randolph's cannon to your back, cross back over the road in front of you
into Section 1. You'll begin veering to the right to find a large white sarcophagus
set atop granite stones that is the headstone for Montgomer Meigs. It is okay to
walk amongst the headstones in this section.
R Montgomery Meigs Grave
In this same section, walk back towards the Old Memorial/Tanner Amphitheater.
You'll see a dark squat obelisk (as if someone shrunk down the Washington
Monument), sometimes marked with a few baseballs, and Doubleday written on the
front.
S Abner Doubleday
There is a short walk to the next stop. With Doubleday behind you, you'll see
the small white Old Chapel across Meigs Avenue, be careful crossing this street as
well to head down the hill on Wilson Avenue. You'll see the second equestrian
statue of Phillip Kearny on your left as you go. As you've reached the valley and
are heading back up the next hill, you'll see a section of small white marble
headstones on the hill to your right. Alton Glenn Miller's memorial headstone is
located in Section MH Grave 464-A.
T Major Alton "Glenn Miller"
Continue up the hill on Wilson Avenue and cross Farragut Drive onto Lawton
Avenue. You'll see the large Canadian Cross to your right and behind it, a set of
three rectangular stones with a sidewalk to your right leading up to it. Follow
the sidewalk to the the viewing area of these memorials.
U Space Shuttle Challenger, Columbia & Iran Rescue Mission Memorials
Exit the viewing area and turn right up the sidewalk to the mizzenmast of the
USS Maine.
V USS Maine Memorial
Return down the sidewalk the way you came to Lawton Avenue, with the mast
behind you and the new Memorial Amphitheater in front. Before you cross the road,
take the sidewalk to your right. The sidewalk will fork off to circle around a
large tree. You'll see one small headstone for Audie Murphy, often covered with
flags and stones.
W Audie Murphy
Walk back across Lawton Avenue to the Memorial Amphitheater. You'll see the
large entrance steps in front of you, facing the USS Maine mast.
X Memorial Amphitheater
We recommend viewing the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and changing of the
guard ceremony from the south side. If you're inside the amphitheater, walk up to
the speakers area and exit the alcove to your right. You'll pass through a small
tunnel and see an opening to your left that leads to the Tomb. You can either walk
straight out to the balcony to view the changing or you can take the set of
stairs that are to your right down one level and around to the left to view the
ceremony. If you take the stairs down two levels heading into the basement,
you'll find the restrooms and the living quarters for the tomb guards. It is from
here they will exit to walk out to the plaza if you want a close up photo - just
don't get in their way as they walk!
Y Tomb of the Unknowns
You'll want to exit the Tomb area by keeping the amphitheater to your right
and then behind you as you head down the hill along the flagstone sidewalks. Before
you reach the set of circular benches, you'll see an additional flagstone
sidewalk to the right and in that corner a tall brown headstone that says Louis on
the back.
Z Joe Louis & Lee Marvin
To exit the cemetery, you'll continue through the circular set of benches to
reach Roosevelt Drive. Turn left and follow this road out of the cemetery. You'll
pass by Sir John Dill and Staff Sergeant William Windrich again before seeing the
Visitor Center ahead.
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