Arlington Sights and Landmarks Guide, Virginia

Arlington County is located across the Potomac River from Washington DC. This was a part of District of Columbia before it was given back to Virginia in 1846. It is also considered as the city with the most educated population in 2006 with 35% of its inhabitants having a graduate degree. Considered a place of significant history and importance, a visit in this county will let you experience the America of yesteryears. It is also the site of some popular offices and monuments.

Among the most prominent landmark in Virginia is the Arlington National Cemetery. It is an American national cemetery that was established during the American Civil War. It was established in the home of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, the Arlington House (also popularly known as Custis-Lee Mansion). A lot of veterans from the US history of wars are buried here. All those who fought in different battles from the American Revolution up to soldiers who were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan find their resting place here. A popular site in this cemetery is the “Tomb of the Unknown Soldier” which is situated atop a hill overlooking Washington DC. This tomb contains the remains of unknown soldiers from World War I and II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. This tomb is guarded 24 hours a day all throughout the year by trained soldiers from the 3rd US infantry.

Found nearby is the US Marine Corp Memorial. It is popularly known as the Iwo Jima memorial. Here stands the famous sculpture of US marines raising the US flag in Iwo Jima. This is a depiction of the photo that captured the same event in World War II

You could also take a look at the most popular and visited tomb in the Arlington Memorial Cemetery. It is the tomb of US president John F. Kennedy or the JFK memorial grave. Buried alongside this famous US president are his wife Jackie Kennedy and their 2 children.

The world famous “The Pentagon”, headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, is also located in Arlington. The building is named “The Pentagon” because of its shape. It is home to 23,000 military and civilian personnel and around 3,000 support personnel. It is considered as the world’s biggest office building. It has a snack bar in the center which is jokingly called “The Ground Zero Cafe”. It gained this nickname during the Cold War when the Pentagon was among the first targets of the Soviets nuclear missiles.

Visiting Arlington is really a worthy and historical adventure; enjoy your tour!

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