The county's best-known attraction is the somber final resting place for more than 400,000 military personnel and their dependents, with veterans of every US war from the Revolution to Iraq. The cemetery is spread over 612 hilly acres. Departing from the visitor center, bus tours are a handy way to visit the cemetery's memorials.
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 unidentified 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. The Women in Military Service for America Memorial honors the two million women who have served in America's armed forces. Other points of interest include the Pan Am Flight 103 cairn and the Space Shuttle Challenger Memorial.
Just north of the cemetery, the Marine Corps Memorial depicts six soldiers raising the American flag on Iwo Jima. The Felix de Weldon–designed sculpture is based on an iconic photo by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal.
