The Solo Scale:
Washington D.C. has plenty of museum options to explore — with the Smithsonian museums offering free access. That, alone, could take up multiple days. However, if you’re still looking for something to do, you can grab a hop on/hop off bus tour. One great option to see the city is Big Bus Tours with either the Red or Pink Loop. On the Pink Loop, you can visit Washington DC’s memorials. You can continue in the same vein with a chance to explore Arlington Cemetery.
It may feel a little morbid to visit a cemetery, but in specific places in the world, the method which they use to lay the dead to rest or the notoriety of the cemetery itself is often reason enough to visit.
With Arlington, it’s more of the latter.
The Arlington National Cemetery is the country’s largest military cemetery and serves as the final resting place for more than 400,000 military veterans and their immediate family from the fronts of Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as World Wars I and II, the Korean conflict, Vietnam, the Cold War and America’s Civil War.
Within Arlington itself, if you have a family or loved one who served and is laid to rest, you can visit. As a tourist, keep in mind that this is a fairly sombre place and for good reason. It’s the final resting place of so many soldiers who gave their lives for their country. Regardless of when and how, their lives are still worth respect in these final moments.
When you’re there, as you pass through, you can visit the John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame in memory of the former president, located at his gravesite. If you want to visit, this area is open the same as the rest of the cemetery (currently from 8AM to 5PM). JFK is one of two presidents at Arlington. The other is former President Taft, whose grave is designated with a memorial of his own.
Overall, stopping here on a bigger loop of the city is a good way to round out a visit to Washington DC and pay respects to the political history of the town as well as the respects to so many fallen soldiers. Plus, if you’re just intending to walk around, it’s free. That’s a hard price to pass up.
You can get more information about visiting Arlington at their website here.
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