Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Hidden within its suburban sprawl exterior, Northern Virginia (NOVA) mixes small-town
charm with metropolitan chic. Colonial villages and battlefields bump up against sky-
scrapers, shopping malls and world-class arts venues.
You'll discover unexpected green spaces such as
Great Falls National Park
(
703-285-2965;
www.nps.gov/grfa
;
7am-sunset)
. It's a well-maintained forest cut
through by the Potomac River, which surges over a series of white-water rapids.
Arlington
Just across the Potomac River from DC, Arlington County was once part of Washington
until it was returned to Virginia in 1847. In recent years the gentrified neighborhoods of
Arlington have spawned some tempting dining and nightlife options.
Sights
Arlington National Cemetery
HISTORIC SITE
( 877-907-8585;
www.arlingtoncemetery.mil
;
tour bus adult/child $8.75/4.50; 8am-7pm Apr-
Sep, to 5pm Oct-Mar)
This immensely powerful destination is the somber final rest-
ing place for more than 300,000 military personnel and their dependents, with veterans
of every US war from the Revolution to Iraq. The cemetery is spread over 612 hilly
acres. You can travel around via a
tour bus
, which departs continuously from the visitor
center from 8:30am to 4:30pm.
»
The Grounds
Much of the cemetery was built on the grounds of
Arlington House
, the former home of
Robert E Lee and his wife Mary Anna Custis Lee, a descendant of Martha Washington.
When Lee left to lead Virginia's army in the Civil War, Union troops confiscated the
property to bury their dead. The
Tomb of the Unknowns
contains the remains of uniden-
tified American servicemen from both World Wars and the Korean War; military guards
retain a round-the-clock vigil and the changing of the guard (every half-hour March to
September, every hour October to February) is one of Arlington's most moving sights.
An eternal flame marks the
grave of John F Kennedy
, next to those of Jacqueline
Kennedy Onassis and two of her infant children.
»
Marine Corps Memorial
