The DC Traveler

For the past 40 years, before each Memorial Day, army soldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry (The Old Guard) honor America’s servicemen killed or wounded in action that are buried at Arlington National Cemetery by placing an American flag on each gravestone.

This tradition, called “flags in ” has been an annual activity since 1948. Flags are placed on more than 260,000 gravesites at Arlington for Memorial Day. After the three-day weekend, the flags are removed.

At the Tomb of the Unknowns you can watch one of the most dramatic and moving military ceremonies, the Changing of the Guard . Guards or sentinels change every half hour on the hour from April 1st through September 30th (hourly October 1st through March 31).

You can take a self-guided tour of Arlington or take an open-air narrated Tourmobile (recommended) which starts at the Arlington Cemetery Visitors Center and makes stops near the John F and Robert Kennedy Gravesites, Tomb of the Unknowns (Changing of the Guard) and Arlington House, the Robert E. Lee Memorial. You can board and reboard Tourmobiles at any of the stops.

Tourmobile tours of Arlington - Cost $7.50 for adults, $1.00 less for seniors and kids 3-11 are $3.50. TourMobiles run 8:30 a.m.- 6:30 p.m. April thru September and 8:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. October thru March.

Arlington National Cemetery
1000 North Memorial Drive, at he Memorial Bridge (Virginia side)
Arlington, VA 22211

Tickets - None required and admission to Arlington National Cemetery is free.

Cemetery Days and Hours - Daily from 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m. April 1st to September 30th.

Nearest Metro subway station - Arlington Cemetery - Blue line

Parking - Ample paid parking ($1.25 for the first three hour, then $2.00 per hour thereafter.

Photos: Flickr

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