John F. Kennedy Gravesite, Arlington

The John F. Kennedy Gravesite honors the 35th president of the United States and is one of the most visited locations within Arlington National Cemetery. Kennedy was buried there on November 25, 1963, three days after his assassination. His first burial place was temporary; the permanent memorial, designed by architect John Carl Warnecke, was consecrated and opened to the public on March 15, 1967, about 20 feet from the original grave.

The memorial’s central feature is the Eternal Flame, first lit by Jacqueline Kennedy during the funeral ceremony. A specially designed gas burner and electric ignition system relight it if wind, rain, or another interruption extinguishes the flame. Kennedy is buried beside Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and their children, Patrick Bouvier Kennedy and a stillborn daughter marked simply as "Daughter". Their graves are marked by simple gray slate tablets set among irregular pieces of Cape Cod granite, with grass growing between the stones. Visitors approach through a circular walkway leading to an elliptical granite plaza and the grave terrace.

A low granite wall bears quotations from Kennedy’s inaugural address and other speeches. The memorial occupies a landscaped hillside aligned with Arlington House, Memorial Bridge, and the Lincoln Memorial, offering views toward the national capital. It is included in cemetery maps, self-guided routes, and many interpretive tours, while the nearby graves of Robert F. Kennedy and Edward M. Kennedy form a broader Kennedy family memorial area.