Audio Guide: Arlington National Cemetery Tour (Self Guided), Washington D.C.

“The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example,” a distinguished politician of the 19th century once said. Few places embody that thought more deeply than Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

Established during the Civil War in 1864, this historic military cemetery is the final resting place for many of America’s heroes, whose service and commitment have earned the nation’s lasting gratitude. Set just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., Arlington spans more than 624 acres of rolling hills, tree-lined avenues, and carefully kept lawns. It is both a national shrine and a powerful symbol of honor, sacrifice, and remembrance.

One of its most iconic landmarks is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, dedicated to unidentified American servicemen from World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Guarded around the clock by the Sentinels of the U.S. Army, the tomb bears the solemn inscription: “Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but to God.” Nearby, Arlington Memorial Amphitheater provides a grand ceremonial setting for national observances, military funerals, and moments of public mourning.

The cemetery also includes the Women in Military Service for America Memorial, built into the ceremonial entrance to Arlington. Through exhibits, personal stories, and commemorative spaces, it honors the generations of women who have served in the United States Armed Forces, often without the recognition they deserved in their own time.

On the hillside above the graves stands Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial. Once the home of Confederate General Robert E. Lee and his family, the mansion predates the cemetery itself and offers sweeping views toward Washington, D.C. During the Civil War, the surrounding estate was transformed into burial grounds for Union soldiers, giving the site a layered meaning tied to conflict, loss, memory, and national reconciliation.

Arlington is also the burial place of many notable figures, including President John F. Kennedy, whose Eternal Flame continues to draw visitors from around the world. The cemetery further honors the crews of the Space Shuttles Challenger and Columbia, victims of the 9/11 Pentagon attack, decorated military leaders, astronauts, Supreme Court justices, and countless servicemen and women whose names may not be widely known, but whose sacrifice remains part of the country’s story.

“The brave die never, though they sleep in dust: their courage nerves a thousand living men.” Take this self-guided walk through Arlington National Cemetery, stand among its endless rows of white headstones, and experience one of America’s most solemn places of remembrance firsthand.