Arlington House

Arlington House is a beautiful and historic spot overlooking Washington, D.C. Once home to Robert E. Lee, it’s full of rich history and offers a thoughtful look at the past, including the lives of those who were enslaved there. The views are amazing, and the house is well-preserved with informative exhibits. A quiet, meaningful stop if you’re visiting Arlington National Cemetery. Recommend it!

A truly beautiful place to take a picture. I could just imagine how pristine and calming the view was when the area wasn't developed and the European settlers just arrived. A very advantageous overlooking view. The house itself is a museum and they tell a good enough story. It is just a 15 minute walk from the entrance place so unless you really want to pay ~$20 for the trolley ride (45min, 3 stops Kennedy Grave -> Tomb of Unknown Soldier -> Arlington House) then I suggest you can walk it instead. Came on a Monday and there was a lot of people, especially school children on some sort of field trip.

The best view of Washington, DC is from this location. And then there is the impressive structure itself. The slave quarters in the back of the building brings a little reminder of who actually did a lot - or most of the construction.

Arlington House is the historic mansion built by George Washington Parke Custis from 1803–1818 as a memorial to George Washington. It is open to the public and visitors are able to do a self guided tour. No admissions ticket is required. Currently maintained by the National Park Service, it is located in the U.S. Army's Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia The mansion is beautifully maintained with original paintings adorning the walls. There is also period furniture abd other artefacts throughout the home which has been beautifully maintained. There are also staff at the home who are very helpful in explaining the history of the property. The house also overlooks the grave of president John F. Kennedy and his family. It is located on the hilltop which overlooks the entire cemetery as well as beautiful panoramic views of the Lincoln memorial, capital building, Jefferson memorial as well other sites in Washington DC- absolutely amazing views!

The former home of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. The house was closed since it was at the end of the day, but it was enormous and grand. It overlooks the Capital area and the grounds are hallowed.

Enjoyed the history. The views are great from the house. The museum in the back was cool and the gift shop was nice.

Very cool to walk through this house that is straight out of the 1800s. Cool history on the place.

M Visiting Arlington House and Arlington National Cemetery is a profound and moving experience. The well-preserved Arlington House offers a glimpse into the life of Robert E. Lee, with informative tours and beautiful gardens. The adjacent cemetery is a place of solemn reflection, honoring the service of countless individuals. Key sites like the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and JFK's gravesite are particularly poignant. This visit is a powerful reminder of the sacrifices made for our freedoms and provides a deeply respectful space for contemplation. Highly recommended for history enthusiasts and those wishing to pay respects.

We were on a brief trolley tour of Arlington Cemetery and saw views of Arlington House from below when standing at the JFK gravesite and again soon thereafter when the bus stopped for those having time to access it from the upper entrance for a tour. Since we were limited on time, we had to forgo touring it further during this trip, but will look forward to future visits and take the opportunity to explore further.

The former home of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. The house was closed since it was at the end of the day, but it was enormous and grand. It overlooks the Capital area and the grounds are hallowed.

Prepare yourself for a hike to this place. Unless you took the easy way out and booked a tram ride. Getting here doesn't sound too bad, but lord, all those stairs really kick your behind and you wish to give up halfway up, but you trudge on until you reach the top. I was a bit confused as to why this was here, in fact, I had no idea it was here when I visited. Good thing about historic sites, they educate you to fill in that void you have in that particular area. I'll be honest, I kind of breezed my way through here as I ended up getting an important phone call. What I do remember is the outdoor garden area where they actually grow food. I also made my way into one of the buildings that showed you how living quarters were. I viewed the exteriors of most buildings as I was on my phone (away from people of course). With the heat the day I was here, this was a nice escape when you had the chance to go inside a building that had air conditioning. My next visit here, I will make sure to take in this place a bit more to allow me to understand it a bit more.

This house is located inside the Arlington cemetery. This is a former home of the confederate general Robert E. Lee. It is now a museum. It's an interesting place to visit.

*Flagged Content: 8/29/21 Edited and reposted for Yelp* 5/26/23 Arlington House...I honestly do not remember it being called this back in 1994-1995. This is when I was a sophomore at The Gow School.  This was also around the time Martin Page came out with the song In House Of Stone And Light.  The song was stuck in my head the whole time I was visiting Robert E. Lee's house.  The song In The House Of Stone And Light had a catchy turn to it. It is why Robert E. Lee stays in my mind when I think of Arlington Cemetery.  Funny how music can mark events in your life that are hard to forget.  Speaking about forgetting stuff, it amazed me that I had forgotten General Robert E. Lee had slaves on his estate.  How could I have forgotten that?  Slavery was very popular back in those times.  Hell, it goes farther back then the 1800's.    Nevertheless,  the working conditions were not good.  The Summertime was hot and the Wintertimes were probably worse?   If one got the privilege to work in the Lee House, your  clothing atire looked 2 steps above what the other slaves had to wear. I just read a large segment about how George Washington Parke Custis  had slaves, and how they were to be set free after his wife's death.  However,  they...no...how did he put it?... oh, "While those enslaved to George Washington were emancipated by Martha in 1801, when she died in 1802, those enslaved to the Custis estate went to the Custis heirs, namely, Martha Washington's grandchildren, including Nelly Custis Lewis at Woodlawn plantation in Fairfax County, Virginia; Martha Parke Custis Peter at Tudor Place in Washington, DC; and George Washington Parke Custis at Arlington House." Yeah, I don't see Custis's  grandchildren freeing their slaves.   In short, George Washington Parke Custis wanted his slaves freed, but only after his grand children were taken care of and fees were paid off. Sounds like a F.U you to the people who have been enslaved all their life.    As a slave, knowing that your freedom is coming,  but then being told you will have to wait for the fees to be paid up first probably...NO, definitely didn't sit well with them.  It didn't take much to be punished if you were a "negro" back then.  (One of the words used back then) So running away from your owners (as the law saw it back then) meant harsh punishments would be coming.  Robert E. Lee had three slaves whipped for running away.   Other slave owners might have done much worse...  Freedom came to the house of Custis, because of the civil war.  Some slaves got away during this war, but others stayed on the plantation. When the Civil  War ended in 1862, Robert E. Lee freed the slaves to honor the wishes of his father-in-law. I took five years to do this, but it was finally done. Today, I saw Robert E. Lee in a different light.  The statue I saw near the gift shop has the former General Robert E. Lee looking like a former shadow of himself.  To me, the figure looked sad, ashamed of choices he made.   Judge him?, I don't like the way slaves were treated, but those were the times Lee was living in and not everyone felt the same like 2021...hell we still have issues that come up at least once a day, but I digress.  Lee/Custis house did not have that warm and inviting feel this time around.  Especially after visiting Lee's stone statue  house.   I will say the renovation of the estate looks good.  The park guard I spoke with said the house/estate has gone through a number of renovations.  I like how the house looks pink even from a distance.  I was told the painting was matched to how the house looked when it was built.   Nicely done.  When I was here last, the Lee house was going to be going under another renovation.   I saw there were two more floors and a basement that were blocked off to visitors.  I wondered how the upstairs actually looked? I also wondered if they will ever have visitors be able to see the other floors and basement?  Guess this might happen next to never. After seeing the slave quarters  and could not imagine the living conditions.   I know I would have the right temperament if I were to find myself back in those times. Nevertheless,  I found this experience to be more educational than the last time I was there.  I look forward to coming back some day.  The view from the top of the hill is breathtaking.   It is one thing I would have loved to see coming out of the house. Maybe even in the 1800's. ....To Be Concluded  in The Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier.

Amazing piece of history and if you are in Arlington National Cemetery, you should stop by and enjoy this nice piece of history.

Arlington House is located in the cemetery. It often is closed. Many years it's being renovated. Check ahead if you have plans. The view from the hill is one of the best of Washington. Go up the hill after Kennedy's gravesite. It's a pretty big hill. The other option is to take a tram tour and get off. A lot of history about this house. The land used to be owned by General Lee. He lived in this house. The house and land was acquired by the National Parks and turned into the cemetery it is today. It may be interesting looking around. Of course the best thing about this is the view from the hill. This is a good stop to hop off on the tours.

Last time I came this house was undergoing a large restoration, so it was empty at the time. I was interested in coming back, and it's a great history at such a revered site. Right now the house is free but advanced time tickets are needed. You have to go through security to get into the cemetery, and the house is quite a trek from the visitor's center uphill, so leave time to park and get there. The house is now furnished, and right now it's mostly self-guided, but there were some park rangers around to answer questions. Next door there is a small museum with more Civil War artifacts, some recreation slave quarters, and a gift shop. This is actually a nice presentation in the middle of everything else to provide good context on the site itself. Beautiful view to DC. Arlington Cemetery is vast, but this is definitely a good stop to make, so mark your maps.

This is the the former home of Confederate general Robert E. Lee and is now preserved as a museum. You will see how their kitchen, bedroom, living room, etc. looked like back then. We did not expect this to inside of Arlington Cemetery and stumbled upon it randomly, but there it is. The place itself was interesting just to get a look at how life was inside a home from the 1800s. The best part of being here is that it located on a hill where you will get nice views of Washington DC .

This house was really cool and so informational. I learned some things about Robert E. Lee and the history of the house and the slaves that were part of the property and their decendants. This is a MUST stop when visiting Arlington 100%!!

Four good reasons to visit Arlington House, not necessarily in order of importance: 1. The views of Washington are terrific. 2. It's surrounded by an interesting and notable cemetery. 3. The curators have done a yeoman's job in aiming to offer a sober perspective on antebellum plantation life in Virginia. 4. Arlington Cemetery is so much more than a resting place for American soldiers. It's a big ole middle finger to the Robert E. Lee family. Come see for yourself! In the meantime, here's a summary. The legendary general of the Confederate army had a mansion in the Greek revival style (O Democracy!), whose veranda overlooked the nation's capital, and he had extensive slave quarters behind the house. Union troops not only seized the plantation during the war, they turned the flower garden into the nation's most celebrated burial ground for pro-Union soldiers. Could fiction do better than this story? Of course not. Is that not enough for you? Here's more: a year after Brown vs. Board of Education, Congress deemed it to be a permanent memorial to Robert E. Lee. It has been a political football ever since, and it wasn't until the 21st century before significant archaeological excavations were done to investigate the slave quarters. The National Parks Service has done a great job with keeping this centuries-old building in solid shape, sharing artefacts and portraits in the process. Most visitors will be too dazzled by the surrounding cemetery, and that's fine too. But history nerds should feel encouraged to engage with the tour guides here, who are all to happy to offer details on the deep and contentious history that accompanies this otherwise unremarkable building. Please do make a point of visiting the slave quarters as well. And pay close attention to the Custis paitings that adorn the interior walls. These were interesting people, and they lived in a very interesting age.

It is important to understand how Arlington House came to be and the history behind it. President George Washington's adopted son and Martha Washington's grandson, George Washington Parker Custis, built Arlington House. George Custis had a daughter, Mary Anna Randolph Custis, that became the sole owner of the 1,100 acre Arlington plantation when her father died in 1857. Mary Custis married Robert E. Lee in 1831 and they made their home at Arlington House until the troubles of the War Between the States arose. Mary Custis Lee had grown up, gotten married, raised seven children and buried her parents at Arlington House. Suddenly on an afternoon in May of 1861 a young Union Army officer, Lt. Orton Williams (who also happened to be Mary Lee's cousin, a suitor to her daughter Agnes and private secretary to the Union Army's General in Chief Winfield Scott) arrived at Arlington House and warned Mary Lee that she needed to pack up immediately and abandon Arlington as it was to be seized by the Union. Arlington was occupied by Union troops on May 24th 1861 and it would never be the same again. Much of what was left inside of Arlington House was looted by Union troops (including many George Washington heirlooms) and the surrounding land was quickly transformed in preparation for war. As the ongoing death toll of the war began to overwhelm the capacity of cemeteries in the area Brigadier General Montgomery C. Meigs, Quartermaster General of the Union Army, authorized military burials at Arlington and on May 13th of 1864 Private William Christman was the first soldier buried at Arlington. On June 15th 1864 the Union Army officially designated 200 acres of Arlington to be a military cemetery. Burials continued until 1874 when George Washington Custis Lee, the oldest son of Robert E. Lee and Mary Lee, sued the U.S. Government for the return of Arlington claiming it had been illegally confiscated. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in George Lee's favor in December of 1882. Several months later in March of 1863 the Federal Government purchased Arlington from George Lee for $150,000 and Arlington National Cemetery has continued its mission as a burial ground for U.S. service members and their families since. My video that includes a tour of Arlington House is here: https://youtu.be/lRE2_JmhTbs

Just a glimpse from the front porch to the stunning views makes it quite clear why someone would want to build a house here. Arlington House perches high up on a hill in what is now Arlington National Cemetery. The house itself is open to tour on the first floor, and if you go around the back, there are also some rooms in the basement to view. Signage is available, and there were also some friendly rangers and volunteers who were happy to answer questions. As far as a historical context, the house was built in the early 1800s and has ties to Martha Washington's descendants and to Robert E. Lee. I wasn't sure how to feel about the fact that it was also stylized as the Robert E. Lee Memorial, and it's clear that that was taken into consideration - there is a whole separate museum space nearby that is dedicated to discussing all aspects of the man's life. There is also no sugarcoating of the fact that this was a slave-owning plantation, and we spent quite a bit of time in the North and South Slave Quarters and the nearby gardens, which featured information about the Freedman's Village that was built nearby in the 1860s. The National Park Service interviewed descendants of the Parks, Syphax, Branham, and Gray families, who had ancestors who were enslaved persons here. There is a particularly powerful film available to hear from several of these descendants. There is also a bookshop on site, which is where you can find the passport stamps, and restrooms nearby. This site offers a Junior Ranger program. You do need to be prepared to follow all guidelines and entry information for the Arlington National Cemetery, as it is situated near the middle of it.

No visit to Arlington is complete without going to see Arlington House. We've toured it before and the volunteers do a marvelous job at the home of giving you a brief history of Robert E. Lee and the Civil War. They also do a nice job of describing the various rooms and what they were used for during the time. Unfortunately, it was closed temporarily this time but, you can still go on the grounds and see the views of Washington, JFK Grave and the cemetery which are spectacular.

It is not hard to understand why this house has historic importance. Glad to have visited it!

Located within the Arlington National Cemetery, self guided tour of the inside is available on weekend. I came to the Arlington National Cemetery without knowing it's here, just walking around, decided to go inside while there. It's currently managed by the National Park Service, staff is very friendly and knowledgeable, here to answer any questions you may have. They've done well restoring what it was like during the Civil War time was, enjoyed learning the history. They have two slave quarters outside and displays what was a life of slaves might have back then. They also have a first family tree displayed, only grandson of Martha Washington, I really didn't study too much about them back when I was in school, after I came home I re-read my history book on civil war to learn more about them. It's fairly small, if you happen to be visiting the Arlington National Cemetery, stop by here, you may learn something new as I did

Interesting spot, came here to walk around on a late morning weekday. Arlington House apparently used to be a plantation but doesn't really have any talk about slaves on the information panels inside there. Each room is nicely made, has some panels with info, a story-ish through audio as well for each room. Nice place to visit, wish they did justice for talking more about slavery.

LOVED IT!! I'm totally intrigued with Robert E. Lee and all the folklore surrounding his lineage so this was a real treat. Visiting this place makes you feel like history is not that far away from us today, folks. It's easy to navigate the grounds including the gardens and old slave quarters. The tall columns at the front entrance are gorgeous. In contrast, the inside has quite a bit of dust and scuffs, and transition wood floors while they renovate the historic home. You know what though? I actually really liked the dusty, dirty feel in here. Let me explain. It's not a dirty feel like ugly filth..more like...it feels aged, authentic, and natural. Snap pics of the famous Lee portrait and feel like a proud Virginian. The home's ownership and all of it's good, bad, and ugly history throughout the Civil War timeline serves as an iconic reminder of many different things. A note: Take a moment to stand at the footsteps and linger. Snap pics. Catch a breeze. Look out at the horizon. The views are great. No wonder the house was built here. Duh.

It has an amazing view! You can see a few rooms. If you are lucky, their basement too. Admission: Free. Donation box near exit. Tip: Check the family tree near exit. Interesting! Parking: Free. You can't drive close tho.

It is one of the stops offered at Arlington Cemetery's Hop-On, Hop-off tour. Tour tickets can be bought at the Arlington Cemetery Visitor Center with the buses leaving right outside the visitor center. The guides give you a lot of commentary. The buses have air-conditioning and frankly Arlington Cemetery is just to big to walk around. If you do not take the tour bus and just walk it, it is free. The tour bus costs $12 adults and $9 for veterans and seniors. The Arlington House tour is conducted by a park ranger and is also free. It's a Greek Revival building first constructed in 1802 and was intended as a memorial to George Washington.The building can be seen from the J.F.K. grave site. The plantation was owned by the Custis family but was confiscated by the Federal Government when Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee (married to Robert E. Lee) failed to pay in person taxes levied against the Arlington Estate Jan. 11, 1864. Mary Anna Randolph Lee was the granddaughter of Martha Custis Washington. George Washington's wife. The name Arlington came from the Custis family ancestral estate in the Virginia tidewater area. In 1864 Edwin Stanton, Secretary of War, set aside 200 acres of Arlington Plantation as a cemetery, and thus Arlington Cemetery began. In 1882 the U.S, Supreme court in a 5-4 decision returned the property to George Washington Lee Custis, grandson of Martha and George Washington. He then sold the property March 3, 1863 for $150,000 back to Congress.. One of the original plots is a cement and stone burial vault which holds 2,111 Union Army casualties. Today there is a small museum to Robert E. Lee near the house. A few feet from the front of the house is the tomb of E'Enfant, the civil engineer behind the design of Washington D.C.. There are terrific views of the Memorial Bridge and D.C. from the front of the house. Inside the house are fully furnished rooms with original pieces. The Park Rangers are well informed and quite willing to share information. While at Arlington do not forget to pick up 2 stamps for your National Park Service Passport Collection

I really wanted to visit the Arlington House/Robert E. Lee Memorial. Not because I wanted to uphold General Lee as a progressive Confederate or anything like that. I heard that the best views of D.C. were to be had from the front porch. Walking up the hill on the way to Arlington House I was pleasantly surprised to see John F. Kennedy's grave. I really wanted to see the Eternal Flame as a youngn. I saw JFK on VHS from Blockbuster, both cassettes all by my lonesome in '92. That said, I was in a good mood even with the actually house undergoing a renovation. Because of that, all of the furniture is in storage. 85 per cent of the Arlington House is original. This current renovation is the latest of many. The first being in the 1920s. From the 1860s to the 1920s the house served as the Cemetery's headquarters. Then it began it's life as a historic home. I can't say much about the house itself but I did like the placards they still have up. A lot of valuable information on them so that was another plus for me. Great views. The people weren't lying about that. I am rating my my visit 3 Stars. Don't let that rating deter you from visiting. I am looking forward to returning once the renovations are complete, then I will revisit my current review.

We all know the history right? The house is built by George Washington Parke Custis the step-grandson and adopted son of George Washington who also happens to be father-in-law to Robert E. Lee. The north and south wings of the house are finished in 1804 with the center columns and portico taking another thirteen years. Upon George Washington Parke Custis' death in 1857, he leaves the estate to his daughter Mary Custis Lee who was the wife of Robert E. Lee. Contrary to popular belief, Robert E. Lee never owned the Arlington estate. Lee only served as custodian of the property. On May 24, 1861 within hours of Virginia succeeding from The Union the US Army captures the Arlington estate. Some see it as a spite move while others see it as military necessity due to the property's high vantage point of the surrounding area. The federal government then confiscates the property when Mrs. Lee failed to pay, in person, taxes levied against Arlington estate. Offered for public sale on January 11, 1864, a tax commissioner purchased the property for "government use, for war, military, charitable and educational purposes." Brig. Gen. Montgomery C. Meigs, Quartermaster General of the U.S. Army, appropriated the grounds June 15, 1864, for use as a military cemetery. His intention was to render the house uninhabitable should the Lee family ever attempt to return and had the first burials go along the perimeter of Mrs. Lee's rose garden. Neither Robert E. Lee, nor his wife, as title holder, ever attempted to publicly recover control of Arlington House. The couple never returned to the home George Washington Parke Custis built and treasured. After Lee's death in 1870, his son, George Washington Custis Lee, brought an action for ejectment in the Circuit Court of Alexandria (today Arlington) County, Va. Custis Lee, as eldest son of the Lees, claimed the land was illegally confiscated and that, according to his grandfather's will, he was the legal owner. In December 1882, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, returned the property to Custis Lee, stating that confiscation of the property lacked due process. On March 3, 1883, Congress purchased the property from Lee for $150,000 (after a negotiation between Custis Lee and Secretary of War Robert Todd Lincoln). Lee was less interested in obtaining the estate than he was in getting just compensation for it and on March 31st 1883 he signed over the title for the property to the government. If you go: Arlington House is open more or less March-September 9-5 and October-February 9-4:30. Tours which last around 30-40 minutes start in back of the house under the large tree where there are benches and a sign. The day we were at the house there was no sign out in front of the house at the main entrance letting you know where the tour starts so the ranger who was stationed inside the door was getting asked this question repeatedly. If you don't want to take/wait for a tour you can just walk thru the house on your own. There are only three rooms plus the sun room/conservatory to see. Don't expect to spend a ton of time here as there is not a lot to see plus since it is located in Arlington Cemetery the place is perpetually packed with people. There were only two rangers visible the day we were there. One stationed at the front door and another who was giving a tour. Past that it was fend for yourself and figure it out. If you've been to other NPS sites and are expecting a big production with a visitors center, the typical movie about the site and all the bells and whistles it's not here. It's just the house, the North Slave quarters which is now the store, both gardens which look like the NPS has left them "minimally maintained" at best and probably the best parts which are the South Slave Quarters and the museum even though seemingly few people venture over that far. They do have a Junior Ranger Badge for kids which takes maybe around 45 minutes to complete. The books are on site or you can download them from the website even though the ranger we turned them into was surprised as he said it was his understanding they were taken off the website months ago. In terms of getting here it's either drive and park at the cemetery visitor center or take the Blue Line of the Metro subway system. Then you're either taking one of the pay shuttles to the Arlington House stop or you're walking up the hill. One other little detail, the one ranger on site mentioned that if you want to see the house do it now as in the November the house and surrounding buildings will be closed for two years for a full renovation because of the $12.5 million dollar donation from Caryle Group CEO David Rubenstein. Even if you don't do the house, go for the view. It's worth it.

I have mixed feelings about Robert E Lee. He was a brilliant strategist, and great leader. Unfortunately, he chose to be a traitor and fight for the wrong side. But this review isn't about him, it's about his estate. This estate has a lot of history. It belonged to the Washingtons, then to Lee's wife. During the Civil War, it was confiscated by the federal government. It was made into a national cemetery after the war. The house itself sits on a tall hill, overlooking the vast expand of the land once belonging to Lee's family. By modern standards, this is a medium-sized two-story house. Within the house, clothing, furniture, and portraits are beautifully preserved. Outside of the house. there are gardens, former slave houses, and other miscellaneous structures. There is a small souvenir shop in one of the outer buildings. The house is located halfway through the trolley tour. It can also be accessed by foot from the grave of John F Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy at the bottom of the hill.

Arlington House is an interesting building to see inside Arlington Cemetery. The house is set atop a hill and overlooks Arlington Cemetery. We stopped here between the Kennedy Grave and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The house belonged to Robert E. Lee, who married a descendant of Martha Washington. There are a few rooms available for viewing. Outside there are also slave quarters to view. This is a quick detour on the way to the more popularized attractions in the cemetery and I highly recommend stopping especially for those who are fellow history buffs like myself.

This place is really neat because I'm not sure a lot of people know about it. The architecture is really neat and it's cool how they painted the plaster to look like sandstone. The guides were funny (especially when talking about the artist who painted the grandchildren - the painting that kind of looks like little alien heads hehehe) and I enjoyed this tour. Because it was freezing (which means we got free reign of the place pretty much) they were nice enough to even take pictures of us at the monument outside.

At the top of the hill overlooking Arlington cemetery is the original house. Some great historical information and even some funny tidbits from the past. Great views of Washington as well. The history of the building and the period it is kept in was nice.

This cemetery was really cool. I wasn't happy about the $15 tour price, but it was one of the first tour prices we landed into, since most everything in Washington is free. The first stop is JFK's grave, very cool, a flame that is always going. The second stop is the changing of the guard of the unknown soldier. It was summer so they changed the guards every thirty minutes. You have to see this in your life. The soldiers are super bad ass. I got a tear in my eye watching it. They take this very seriously. They have taps on their shoes and take 21 steps each way and it is pure pageantry. Very moving. I sat on the steps and thought, "These guys are sitting in 85 degree heat and it has to be rough." The audience was about 500 people because it was Memorial Day Weekend and you would look around and see tears in almost everyone's eyes on how cool it was. We were there when they switched a wreath and the main Sargent led a WW2 guy down there to switch a wreath. I think half the crowd was crying, even the Harley Guys that were in town. It was very emotional. These sentry guys treat their assignment like the highest honor. If you are in D.C., you have to see this. After that, they take you to the Arlington house. It is cool, but you can only see the lower level of the house because of an earthquake they recently had. The view from the garden is fantastic though. It is a perfect view of D.C.

This beautiful mansion is set atop the Arlington cemetery. The front porch offers a few rocking chairs to sit and rest for a bit. Only feet from the front of the house you'll find the tomb for L'Enfant, the civil engineer behind the ingenious design of DC, with a panoramic of his crowning professional achievement. Inside, the carefully restored house gives you a chance to step back in time to pre-civil war era living, where park rangers can give you a historical overview of why this house is sitting in the middle of the cemetery, and some very interesting links between George Washington and General Lee. The self guided tour is free, but they are short on funds, so be sure to leave a donation. Bonus tip: if you walk out back to see the book store and find incredibly clean bathrooms.

Which came first, the Arlington House or the National Cemetery? Well, when Mr. Curtis Lee built this mansion as a tribute to his grandfather- George Washington back in the 1800's there was no way to know that the surrounding grounds would later become a bunch of military grave sites. George Washington Custis Lee was not the only famous person to reside here. Coincidentally another more famous Lee lived in this mansion as well. Robert E. Lee Robert E. Lee and his family lived here just before the Civil War. One of the most familiar aspects of this place are the columns on the entry way. The size of the big columns seem even larger due to the fact that the mansion is on a hill. You can take a tour of the mansion and see the two parlors, a sun room and the living quarters upstairs. Most of the rooms are filled with original items that Robert E Lee and George Washington used.

Arlington House is one of the hidden gems of Arlington Cemetery. Who expects to see a museum in the middle of burial grounds? Arlington House originated as a living quarters for George Washington, who never had the opportunity to occupy the house. The property was passed down through the family and was eventually owned by distant cousin, Robert E. Lee. After the start of the Civil War, Lee's family fled the house and it was seized by the federal government. Arlington Cemetery was founded on the property to render the house uninhabitable should the Lee family ever attempt to return. Inside Arlington House, you can learn about Lee's past, such has how he served in the United States Army before resigning to join the Confederacy. His uniforms from both the Confederacy and Union army are on display. Placards also explain what led up to the start of the Civil War and how Virginia succeeded from the Union. Arlington House is a must-see while you're touring the cemetery. It changes the pace of routine from seeing the gravesites, plus it offers fantastic hilltop views of Washington D.C. You can easily spot Arlington House throughout the cemetery, especially from John F. Kennedy's grave.

Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial, formerly named the Custis-Lee Mansion; sits majestically overlooking Arlington National Cemetery, The National Mall, and the Potomac River. This home was built by George Washington Custis, grandson of Martha Washington by her first marriage to Daniel Park Custis. It was the home of the Confederate General Robert E. Lee in the years leading up to the Civil War. When the house was built, the estate was not intended to be a national cemetery. We, unfortunately, were not able to take the tour when we visited.

Quite a bit of history behind the Arlington House, which can be found within Arlington Cemetery. The self-guided tour takes as little as 10-15 minutes, and flash photography is encouraged at the exhibits inside. Nearby is also a small museum dedicated to Robert E. Lee. The Arlington House is at the very top of the hill, which overlooks the Lincoln Memorial and the rest of the National Mall a short distance away.

A beautifully manicured, pristine area of Arlington. Also a very interesting history with this location.

I don't think too many folks know that the Arlington House is a tour-able NPS historical site. The first 13 years I lived in DC I thought it was like, Arlington Cemetery's mausoleum or something. It perches on the highest point in the Cemetery with the best views of Washington, holding court. And while it's currently undergoing major renovations so there's no furniture inside at the moment, it's still definitely worth checking out. (Sure, it's better with the furniture, I admit.) Built by George Washington Parke Custis, a grandson/son (don't ask) of Gee Dub's, it passed to Robert E. Lee's family when Lee married Custis' only child, daughter Mary. They abandoned the property with the outbreak of the Civil War, and it soon became a command post for the Union. In order to deter Lee from ever returning, Union graves were placed on the property and our nation's military cemetery was born. It's a gorgeous Georgian-style home with wonderful architecture. Inside the NPS restored the home to how it would have looked when Lee and his wife lived there -- the current massive renovations are meant to repair crumbling plaster, support beams, foundations and the like. A guided tour of the home is fascinating -- Park Rangers are not only knowledgeable about the property, but they inject wit and humor into what could be a dull and dry subject. Most locals have never visited, but Arlington House is a great place to get your culture and your history on when you're at the Cemetery!

Just to be honest, half of these reviews for ARHO, as it is called in Park Service lingo, are filled with factual errors. Consider this your go to review of the old place because I used to work there. Arlington House is NOT Robert E. Lee's house. Lee came from a family of debt ridden, incest loving miscreants and was forced into a military career back in a time when there was no tax free housing allowance or cheap groceries at the Commissary. Thus, he chose to marry one of his uglier cousins, Mary Anna Randolph Custis, whose father G.W. P. Custis happened to own an 1,100 acre estate known as Arlington. Lee was so devoted to writing smutty letters to cousins he didn't marry that he never took the time to even buy a modest home for his poor little rich girl, and their brood of 7 morbid Christian fatalists. Perhaps his salary was being squandered on postage. All that aside, the Lee's made Arlington their home from 1831-61, sharing space most of the time with the Custis' whom they booted down to the austere and depressing north wing so they could occupy the grander chambers upstairs. But anyway, in the first half of the 19th century, Arlington was one of the "it" houses in the DC area on account of Mr. Custis devoting his life to being the grandson of Martha Washington from her first marriage. Custis was also notable for dabbling in sheep breeding (no jokes, please), and visiting the slave quarters after the sun had fallen behind the heights of Arlington. The 1860 census showed half the slaves on the property were "mulattoes". He filled Arlington House with what he referred to as the "Washington Treasury", or the personal items of the Washington family that, to his credit, he preserved for posterity in an age when Americans weren't very concerned about hanging onto the past. By 1857, GWP Custis had passed away, and his only child, Mary, wife of the homeless Lee, inherited Arlington. Lee himself was made executor of the estate and spent nearly two years trying to make sense of how one of Virginia's wealthiest landowners was so poor. Arlington House's claim to fame occurred in April 1861, when Lee, (who having thrown off the shackles of living in his in-laws house was now living in his wife's house) then a colonel in the cavalry was offered command of the Union Army being raised to put the South in its place. Lee however said no, and resigned from the US Army at Arlington House, and made the fateful decision to travel to Richmond a couple days later. Within a month the Union had occupied the estate to protect DC, and by 1864 established Arlington Cemetery on the grounds of the estate. The house is normally furnished with original and period items, but right now the rooms are vacant due to restoration work. Also, there was some earthquake damage sustained last week, and sections of the house are presently off limits.

This was the home of the great granddaughter of Martha Custus Washington and step great granddaughter of President George Washington. The relation to Robert E. Lee to this whole scenario is he married the great granddaughter Mary Anna Randolph Custis. One other interesting fact is that they were 3rd cousins. The site is settled in on top of a hill that overlooks Arlington Cemetery. It can be seen from the DC side especially if you're sitting on the back of the Lincoln Memorial right across from the Memorial Bridge that connects Virginia to DC. Generally there are park rangers at the site who are more than willing to answer questions about Arlington House and who provide the rich and devastating history behind the house. Shuttles can be taken up to the site for a little less than $8 a person. This shuttle also can be used throughout the entirety of Arlington National Cemetery with Arlington House being one of the stops. Otherwise, the visit to Arlington National Cemetery and everything it entails is free to the public during business hours. Most times I've been to Arlington National Cemetery, the house has been open for visitors to roam on the inside with a couple of exceptions with it being closed for reasons I am not sure of. It should be noted in 2016 - they will be doing further renovation to the grounds immediately surround and the house which will cause it to be closed to the public for several months. It has already gone through several renovations since the 2011 earthquake that caused quite of bit of structural issues for the nearly 212 year old home. You'll enjoy the visit. It is pretty neat to absorb all the history behind it. If only walls could talk -- I am sure it would certainly have a lot to say.

Enjoyed our time here ....very intriguing .. take the tour ...go downstairs then continue onto each level..even the attic...tour guides are very well informed..

This mansion sits atop Arlighton Cemetery. It has an amazing view of Arlington and the D.C. area. They give tours and let you walk around the building. There is a gift shop as well. It doesn't take long to go through. Def worth a stop when touring Arlington!

We went to Arlington today, my first visit, only to see this house. It is very magnificent. The only negative I have is how run down it looked. I think I have read that they are very short on funds. We only saw the first floor as the Earthquake makes the back hall and second floor unsafe at the moment. It is one of the most beautiful houses I have seen since living in Virginia and will be going again.

Okay if you're an American history buff this place for you. It's kind reminds me of one of those places that going to and one of his "Daughter of the American Revolution" tours in Charleston. What was really cool was I was amazed that Bo Concepts,Pottery Barn,Spiegal and Ikea where around back in the day. I did not know that. Anyway the lines move fast. Either it's well-planned out or people are just bored. QuickTip: get behind a family with whiny kids. The kids will be so bored parents just want to peace out so their little darlings don't though tantrum. I would only saw one kid curse his mom out for not takeing him to Gamestop. It's also a great place to bring seniors. Or you high school history teacher. Either way I live close and I'm easily amused. So yeah I had fun.

A very cool, historic house. However, when we visited in December the house was under a clearly needed renovation project, so much of the furniture and other historic items had been removed. It is still worth seeing and the view of Washington DC from this home's perch is amazing.

Go! Even though the place is stripped down now for extensive renovation. Although don't expect much hospitality from the park rangers. A grimmer bunch I've never seen. But before you do, watch the Ken Burns Civil War episode that talks about how Federal forces occupied the Lee's property soon after the start of the war, and about how in 1864,as the military cemeteries of Washington and Alexandria were filled with Union dead, Quartermaster General Montgomery C. Meigs selected Arlington as the site for a new cemetery. Meigs was a Georgian who had served under Lee in the U.S. Army, and he hated his fellow Southerners who were fighting against the Union. Meigs ordered that graves be placed just outside the front door of the mansion to prevent the Lees from ever returning. Meigs himself supervised the burial of 26 Union soldiers in Mrs. Lee's rose garden. To add to the poignancy, in October 1864 Meigs' own son was killed in the war, and he too was buried at Arlington.

In Arlington cemetry and a little bit of a walk, but lots of history behind this house. It's rightfully placed on top of the hill and overlooking much of the area. The house itself has a tour through it and is nice to get some of the history.

Obviously this home has a tremendous historic value. I appreciate and respect that. Walking up to the Arlington House gives you a great birds eye view of the city. There was about a 10 minute line wait to go through the home. There are some interesting facts given on the very short tour. But if you think about skipping seeing the inside, I would and go straight towards the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and see the Changing of the Guard.

Last weekend I had the opportunity to go to an event put on by the Civil War Preservation Trust which was held at the Arlington House. A very knowledgeable and excited staff in period dress were situated around the house and grounds to talk about the history of the house and its tenants. Though Robert E. Lee only lived here for a short time, he supposedly wrote his resignation letter to the U.S. Army, effectively siding with the Confederacy, while sitting in his bedroom on the second floor. The house has an amazing view of DC from one of the windows on the second floor. If only I had brought my camera!

This place is smack in the middle of Arlington cemetery. This was R.E.Lee's home before he joined the CSA. The Yankees started burying the dead here and Pesto, you've got a cemetery!

Well worth the walk to the top of the hill at Arlington to learn the full history of the Washington-Lee families that lived there. Nice view of DC during a clear DC day! Make sure you head over to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier changing of the guard on the hour.

the house is inside the cemetery. it's amazing how you can actually go inside of a house where people used to live way back when. the house has so much history, it's quite amazing.

I love this place, but it is way under-maintained. THe lack of care given to this wonderful part of our heritage is disgraceful.