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Approximately 300,000 people are buried on these grounds, marked by unadorned graves, arranged in regular grids, spread across the lawns. Although only a small percentage of America’s war dead lie here, the expanse gives a tangible picture of the human cost of war.

This solemn monument is guarded 24 hours a day by The Old Guard. Unknown soldiers of World Wars I and II and the Korean War are entombed here. A Vietnam soldier was interred here, but he was later identified.

The setting for the Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies (see Top 10 One-Day Events).

This impressive mansion was conceived as a memorial to George Washington, built by his step-grandson.

Although the cemetery is popularly thought to be only for Union soldiers, 482 Confederate soldiers are buried here as well, in circular rows around a central memorial.

The eternal flame was lit by Jacqueline Kennedy on the day of the assassinated president’s funeral. In 1994 she was buried beside him.

Honoring the designer of the city grid of Washington (see Layout and Design), L’Enfant’s monument shows the plan of the city within a circle.

A bronze construction worker pauses to make friends with a young child. The Seabees – so called from the initials of their name, the Construction Battalion (CB) – performed daring feats in building the military bases needed to win World War II.

This memorial honors the astronauts who died in the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger in 1986. A memorial to the 2003 Columbia space shuttle tragedy is nearby.

This dark granite memorial displays the insignia of the First US Volunteer Cavalry (the “Rough Riders”) and the battles they took part in during the Spanish-American War.