Arlington House - The Robert E. Lee Memorial
Arlington House - The Robert E. Lee Memorial
Arlington House - The Robert E. Lee Memorial
4.5
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Monday
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Tuesday
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Wednesday
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Thursday
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Friday
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Saturday
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Sunday
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
About
The pre-Civil War residence of legendary Confederate general Robert E. Lee, this Greek revival mansion was taken over by Union troops, and the estate was used to bury the war dead. Overlooking the Potomac and the grounds of what is now Arlington National Cemetery, the home has been restored as a memorial to Lee.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
884 reviews
Excellent
443
Very good
300
Average
128
Poor
10
Terrible
3
Kimberly B
3 contributions
Sep 2023 • Solo
I did not go into the house, but the gardens around the house and the view of DC from the top is completely worth the hike!
Written 21 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Raintree_Thailand
Bangkok, Thailand3,760 contributions
Sep 2023 • Solo
Arlington House was the home of Robert E. Lee's family before the Civil War. Lee vacated the house to assume leadership of the Confederate troops at the start of the Civil War. Eventually, Union forces began burying fallen soldiers in the fields surrounding Arlington House, including as close to the house as possible to dissuade the Lees from ever returning.
Written 10 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
anderson213
Hannibal, MO808 contributions
May 2023 • Family
There's a lot of good information here. There's material about his career and I had not realized that Gerald Ford officially restored citizenship and pardoned him in 1975.
Lee has become a controversial figure in recent years. It's nice to see more of than man than a symbol of the Confederacy. There are slave quarters and some slave stories mentioned on the property. I only wish that the Burkes would have had a more prominent place, which would have showed an even more humanly and compassionate figure.
Lee has become a controversial figure in recent years. It's nice to see more of than man than a symbol of the Confederacy. There are slave quarters and some slave stories mentioned on the property. I only wish that the Burkes would have had a more prominent place, which would have showed an even more humanly and compassionate figure.
Written 13 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
dbinhou7511
Houston, TX1,563 contributions
Mar 2023
Part of the original history of the cemetery. Interesting house to tour. It doesn't take long. Has a great view of Washington.
Written 15 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lynn S
League City, TX619 contributions
Mar 2023
This mansion is where Gen. Robert E. Lee lived before the Civil War began. As retribution for Lee choosing to lead the Southern troops, war dead were buried all around the mansion to discourage Lee's return and thus was the beginning of Arlington National Cemetery. The hop on hop off tram drops you off near the house. The ground are beautiful and the views of the city of Washington DC are nothing short of spectacular. You can go inside and tour the house. There are slave quarters behind the home which you can also tour as well as a small museum. There's no charge for any of it unless you want to buy something at the small gift shop. I miss this on my first trip to Arlington, but I didn't on the next two!
Written 24 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Leonhkny
Hong Kong, China14,191 contributions
Dec 2022
The residence of Confederate general Robert E. Lee is a typical Southern plantation. Occupying a prime focal point across the Potomac River, Arlington House is a recreation of Lee's time in the house. While the details of the house is well preserved and illustrated, the view of Washington DC outside the place is impressive.
Written 17 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
tawny1956
Millsboro, DE529 contributions
Jun 2022
Absolutely a must see if you are at the National Cemetery! It is full of history, beautiful architecture and absolutely wonderful views of the National Mall!
Written 22 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
embeyfar
Salt Lake City, UT78 contributions
Apr 2022
I love learning about this time in history. I love the story of the house and how the Union Soldiers took it over. It looks so big on the front, but it's actually not very deep! You'll have to see that for yourself! Out back you can see the slave quarters, which my kids were super fascinated by. The guides at the house were very nice and knowledgeable.
Written 30 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DLP
New Jersey1,926 contributions
Feb 2022 • Family
I had no idea that Robert E Lee lived on the grounds of what would become Arlington National Cemetery. There is a lot of interesting and not well known history to learn at the Arlington house. Aside from the house itself there are also the slave quarters to explore and the views from the front porch should not be missed. Highly recommend a stop at this location.
Written 26 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lottelli
Wirral, UK2,465 contributions
Mar 2022 • Couples
Inside the house is done up as it would have been. It tells you the goings on in the house including in the building used to house the slaves who work at the house.
The history of the house is interesting and it is also interesting this is a tribute to Lee. At the front there are amazing views over DC
The history of the house is interesting and it is also interesting this is a tribute to Lee. At the front there are amazing views over DC
Written 7 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Timothy S
Raymore2 contributions
How long does it take to tour the house?
Can the house, cemetery, and the tomb of the unknown soldier be done in a day?
SeniorTravelerTF
Fort Atkinson1,199 contributions
Easily. Of course, it depends on how many historic graves you want to visit in Arlington. But we did the tour, read all the exhibits in the visitor center, saw the changing of the guard and the Lee house and it probably took five hours. One way you can save time is getting a map (available online) of "famous" graves and mark a route to follow when you get there.
BostonFamilyof5
BostonFamilyof541 contributions
Thanks so much for the information. Could you tell me how I go about booking a ranger-led tour?
Sandy F
Wilmington, DE375 contributions
I would contact the visitors center directly. I am not sure how you would go about booking a ranger-led tour.
sakflva
Arlington, VA676 contributions
Are they park rangers there that can verify the junior ranger program?
HavingFunNow61
Boise, Idaho64 contributions
There was a number of rangers on site and one of them gave the tour to a group of adults and children. I saw some Junior ranger material at the Arlington House.
349Charles25
Alexandria, VA984 contributions
The easiest way to visit Arlington National Cemetery/ the Robert E. Lee Mansion/ the Tomb of the Unknown/ Women's Memorial...is by subway. The Arlington Cemetery Metro station is only a short walk away from the visitor's cemetery and the main gate to the cemetery. There is no avoiding walking, but the grounds were designed for this, so, visit on a nice day and enjoy.
eddiec937
Lake Providence, LA293 contributions
It is a beautiful house that overlooks the DC skyline. The house shows how the people lived during that time period. You get to tour both the first floor and second floor of the house. You first meet under the front porch of the house, then you tour the house. I really enjoyed the tour of the house. It takes less then 30 minutes, depending on how long you linger. One of the better places to tour. In fact, I liked touring this house instead of the White House.
Geoff W
Sydney, Australia9 contributions
We would like to visit Arlington House. Won't have much time and have visited the cemetery before (many years ago). Is parking available reasonably close to the house? Are there guided tours? Are they expensive?
Scott W
Bloomington-Normal, IL267 contributions
I don't think the general public can drive around the cemetery. Check the link for National Park Service to the site ~ there is no fee to enter the home. There is a shuttle service for the cemetery and we recommend it as the home sits at the highest part. The shuttle site is Trolley Tours Arlington. Sorry Trip Advisor does not allow Internet links.
Short answer: if you have limited time, walking to and from or riding the shuttle are both time consuming. And to do the site justice you should take the ranger tour. It could be done in a short span of time but would require disciplined logistics and timing to make it work.
Hope this helps.
Enjoy
mbg8785
Alexandria, VA
We have a large group (12) and want to go just to the Lee House. Walking uphill is not an option for several of us. How to we get to the house without taking the entire tour? Is there public transportation that puts us fairly close?
Shorty F
Gettysburg, PA35 contributions
Arlington Cemetery offers a hop on hop off bus system that takes you around the cemetery stopping at several major points of interest including Arlington house, so you can ride along to the house hop off visit the house then hop back on and ride it back to the visitors center ( Arlington house was one of our major points of interest when we visited!) Please have a good time and make sure to check out the view, Lee was a man to be envied with his view of DC.
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