At the top of Arlington Cemetery is Arlington House which is managed and owned by the National Parks Service. The house is free to enter and has exhibits from the early 19th century. There are also outbuildings dedicated to slave accommodation and a small museum. There are fantastic views of the cemetery and Washington DC from the house. The house opens at 9.30am.

One of our stops in the Arlington National Cemetery was the beautiful Arlington House, which had been owned by General Robert E. Lee before the Civil War. The home has been restored as a memorial to General Lee. It stand on the top of a hill in the cemetery, overlooking the cemetery as well as providing stunning views of the city of Washington DC. We went on a tour inside the home, which was interesting and contained portrayals of life there in the middle 1800s. This would be of interest to anyone that enjoys this type of history, and is an added historical aspect of the cemetery itself.

Arlington House was one of the three stops on the Arlington National Cemetery shuttle tour. While it is called the home of Robert E. Lee, Lee never actually owned the house. Arlington House was once called The Custis Mansion. Mary Custis, Robert E. Lee's wife, had the right to live in the house until her death. At that time, it was to pass to her oldest son. At the beginning of the Civil War, Mary and family abandoned the house and it was taken over by the US Army. Eventually, the Army started burying Civil War dead on the property. They wanted to make sure that the Lees would never want to live there again. The house is operated by the National Park Service, and they had a major renovation not too long ago. The house tour is not formal--you just wander around to look into the various rooms. There are informational signs to tell you what you are looking at. Not only are there many items that belonged to the Lees, but also items that once belonged to George and Martha Washington. Mary Lee was Martha's granddaughter. You are not allowed on the second floor, but they do have an interactive board that gives you a virtual tour of the rooms on the second floor, including Robert and Mary's bed chamber. There are outbuildings to see including slave rooms. In the front of the house, the view into Washington DC is just spectacular! Unfortunately, I was hoping to purchase some items in the gift shop, which was closed! I was there at 12:20 PM. It certainly seemed like a normal day. Also, the bathrooms nearby were atrocious. I have smelled outhouses that weren't as offensive.