Arlington Cemetery and Russian Treasures

When my family came to visit last summer, we visited Arlington National Cemetery and the Hillwood Museum (both on my list of 101 Things to Do).

First, we visited my grandfather and grandmother's graves in Arlington Cemetery. Grandpa Jack also served in WWII, although he decided not to list it on his tombstone. If you have family buried here, you are allowed to drive onto the property to visit w/ a special visitor's pass - after a little searching we managed to find the spot. Even if you don't have family buried there,

I highly recommend visiting; there are some very interesting tombstones, especially those near the old Lee House. The entire cemetery used to be the homestead for Robert E. Lee, but when he became the general for the Confederate army in the Civil War, the Union confiscated his lands and decided to turn them into a National Cemetery for the armed forces.

Thus, even after the war, the land could not be reclaimed by the family.

We also visited the Hillwood Museum, which is located north of Georgetown. The home was owned by the Post family (yes, the cereal company). Marjorie Merriweather Post was married to an ambassador to Russia when they were selling off old Russian treasures. She managed to preserve the largest collection of Russian treasures in North America, most of which is on display at the Hillwood Museum. I was truly impressed. There are even gardens to walk through and a cafe that serves high tea, should you find yourself with nothing to day on a lovely day :)