There are 155 national cemeteries in the United States, and a little more than four and a half million Americans rest in them. On Memorial Day weekend, more than a million people will walk those grounds. If you have never been, this is the practical guide. Where to go, when to go, what to bring, what to say, and the quiet rules nobody hands you at the gate.
The short version
- Check cemetery hours, parking, and ceremony schedules before leaving home.
- Bring water, walking shoes, and the section and grave number you need.
- Keep voices low, stay on paths, and give grieving families room.
- Follow local rules before leaving flowers, flags, coins, or other tributes.
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Before You Go
A national cemetery is not a public park, and it is not a tourist site. It is federal ground set aside for the men and women who served, plus their eligible spouses and dependents. The way you act inside the gates matters. The way you plan the visit matters too.
The first thing to know is which cemetery you are visiting. Arlington National Cemetery sits across the river from Washington and is run by the United States Army. Every other major military burial ground in the country is part of the VA National Cemetery Administration. The NCA runs 155 sites in 42 states and Puerto Rico, with names like Riverside, Houston, Calverton, Quantico, Tahoma, and Jefferson Barracks. The rules and the spirit are similar, but the operations are different. Check the cemetery's own website before you go, because hours and Memorial Day events change every year.
Most national cemeteries open at sunrise and close at sunset. Some keep posted hours, like 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The administration office almost always closes earlier, typically 4:30 p.m. on weekdays and not at all on weekends. If you need help finding a grave in person, you want a weekday. If you are just there to visit, weekends and federal holidays are fine.
A respectful visual detail connected to this guide.
Quick Reference
| Hours | Sunrise to sunset at most sites |
| Office | Weekdays, usually closes 4:30 p.m. |
| Cost | Free, no ticket required |
| Pets | Service animals only at most national cemeteries |
| Photos | Permitted, respectful and discreet |
| Alcohol | Not allowed anywhere on the grounds |
| Memorial Day | Expect heavy traffic, arrive early |
What to Bring
You do not need to bring much. The cemetery itself is the offering. But a small, thoughtful kit helps if you are visiting a specific grave, especially on Memorial Day when the place will be busy and the weather can turn on you.
A respectful visual detail connected to this guide.
Skip anything that lights, burns, breaks, or makes noise. No candles, no glass jars, no toys, no helium balloons. Most national cemeteries remove decorations a few days after the holiday, and the staff has enough to clean up without sweeping shards off the grass.
When You Arrive
The first time you drive through the gate, the scale catches you off guard. Some of these cemeteries hold a hundred thousand graves or more. Calverton on Long Island has buried over 240,000. Riverside in California holds more than 260,000. The rows are perfectly straight, the headstones are identical, and the silence is heavier than you expect.
Here is how to move through it.
| 1 | Stop at the administration office or kiosk first. Most sites have a directory map at the entrance with section letters and a grid. If you are looking for a specific grave and could not find it online, the staff will print you a map with the section circled and the path marked. |
| 2 | Drive slowly. Twenty miles per hour is plenty. There are usually no posted speed limits inside the gates, but every cemetery expects a slow funeral-procession pace. If a hearse or honor guard is moving, pull all the way over and stop until they pass. |
| 3 | Walk between the rows, not over the graves. The narrow path between headstone rows is the walking lane. Try not to step on the grass directly in front of a stone, where the casket lies. If you have to, step lightly and apologize quietly in your head. Older veterans will tell you it matters. |
| 4 | Keep your voice down, your phone low. Talking is fine. Laughter is fine if it is the right kind. A ringer at full volume is not. Set your phone to silent before you walk in and keep it pointed at the ground unless you are reading a name off it. |
| 5 | Pause for ceremonies in progress. If you see a folded flag being presented, a chaplain reading, a rifle party assembling, or buglers warming up, stop where you are. Take your hat off. Place your right hand over your heart. The family in that moment does not need an audience, but they will feel the respect from across the field. |
How to Find a Veteran's Grave Before You Visit
If you know the veteran's name and a few details, you can locate the grave from your phone in under five minutes. The VA runs a free public tool called the Nationwide Gravesite Locator at gravelocator.cem.va.gov. Type in a last name, narrow by service or state, and the system returns the cemetery, section, and grave number. It covers VA national cemeteries, state veterans cemeteries, and many private cemeteries with VA-marked headstones, going back to the Civil War.
The VA also runs the Veterans Legacy Memorial at memorial.va.gov, a digital tribute page for every veteran buried in a VA national cemetery or with a VA-furnished headstone. You can leave a written tribute, upload a photo, or add a piece of service history that family members or fellow veterans add to over the years. It is free, it lasts, and it lets people who cannot make it in person still leave something behind.
Arlington National Cemetery is the exception. It uses its own ANC Explorer tool at arlingtoncemetery.mil. The interface is a little different but the lookup works the same way, and it includes a walking-path generator if you are arriving on foot.
Print a paper map before you leave. National cemetery sections are often labeled with letters that do not match street signs, and tall trees can knock out cell service inside the older grounds. A printed map with the section circled in red beats reloading a website in the heat.
Memorial Day at the Cemetery
Memorial Day at a national cemetery is a different visit than any other day of the year. The grass changes color for a week. Every headstone has a small American flag stuck six inches in the ground to its left, usually placed by volunteers, scout troops, or in Arlington's case, by the soldiers of the 3rd United States Infantry Regiment, called The Old Guard, during the Flags In ceremony the Thursday before the holiday. The Old Guard plants more than 260,000 flags in three or four hours. The flags stay up through Memorial Day evening, then get pulled in the same precise rows they were placed.
If you are visiting Memorial Day morning or early afternoon, expect:
A ceremony, somewhere on the grounds. Most national cemeteries hold a public service Monday morning, with speeches, the Pledge, the National Anthem, sometimes a wreath-laying. Check the cemetery's website the week before for the exact start time. Arrive thirty minutes early if you want a seat.
Heavy parking. By 10 a.m. most major cemeteries are at or near capacity. Some open overflow lots, some shuttle in from a high school nearby, some just direct cars onto the grass shoulders. Build in extra time.
A national pause at 3 p.m. Whatever you are doing, stop. One minute of silence. This is not optional in spirit.
And the evening, after the crowds have left and the sun is low, is almost always the most powerful time to be there. Long shadows over a field of headstones and flags, a wind that smells like cut grass, and the kind of stillness that does not happen anywhere else on the calendar.
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FAQ
Can anyone visit a national cemetery?
Yes. National cemeteries are open to the public during posted hours, free of charge, no appointment needed. You do not need to know a specific veteran or be a family member. Just come quietly and follow the cemetery's rules.
Can you take pictures at a national cemetery?
Yes, photography is permitted at every VA national cemetery and at Arlington. Be respectful. Do not photograph other visitors at private graves, do not interrupt a service to get a shot, and be careful about posting full names visible on a headstone without the family's blessing.
What should I wear to a national cemetery?
Modest, comfortable, closed-toe shoes. You will walk a lot, and parts of the grounds are uneven. Memorial Day ceremonies often draw business casual or veteran service uniforms, but no specific dress code is enforced. Cover obvious slogans on T-shirts and skip anything political.
Can I place a flag at a veteran's grave?
Most national cemeteries allow small flags on the Memorial Day weekend, placed in the ground six inches to the left of the headstone. Outside that window, policy varies by cemetery. Call the administration office before you bring flags on any other day. Never tape, glue, or attach a flag to the stone itself.
Are there bathrooms and water inside a national cemetery?
Most have restrooms near the administration building and at least one water spigot or fountain inside the grounds. The larger sites like Riverside, Calverton, and Houston have several. The smaller and older ones may have one set near the entrance. Plan ahead, especially in summer.
What time should I arrive on Memorial Day?
For the main ceremony, arrive at least 30 minutes early. For a quieter visit, come early in the morning before 9 a.m. or in the evening after 5 p.m. The middle of the day on Memorial Day is the busiest stretch at every major site, and the heat in the South and West can be brutal.
What is the difference between a national cemetery and a state veterans cemetery?
National cemeteries are run by the VA's National Cemetery Administration (155 of them) or by the Army (Arlington and the Soldiers' Home cemetery in DC). State veterans cemeteries are operated by individual states with partial VA funding. Eligibility is usually similar, but state cemeteries may have additional residency requirements. Both honor the same service.
If you hear three rifle volleys during your visit, that is the Three Volley Salute, the graveside honor for a fallen service member.
If you visit Arlington over the holiday weekend, you will see the result of Flags In: a small American flag in front of every grave, placed by the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment the Thursday before Memorial Day.
Related reading from Proud and Free: meet the Patriot Guard Riders, the volunteer flag-line group that shields military families at funerals nationwide.
If you want to be ready for the Sunday night before Memorial Day, our piece on the National Memorial Day Concert covers when to watch, who hosts, and how to honor it from home.
For memorial committees and volunteers, see our guide to displaying an American flag at a veterans memorial.
For outdoor public-land display planning, see our American flag at a national park guide for placement, weather, lighting, and daily care.
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Honor the day the way it was meant to be honored. A real flag, a tribute tee, and the time to walk a national cemetery in the quiet of evening. Three small things. The kind that matter. |
