The Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery, near the center of the Cemetery is the home of the Tomb of the Unknowns where Unknown American Servicemembers from World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam are interred. This site has also hosted the state funerals of many famous Americans, such as General of the Armies John J. “Black Jack” Pershing, as well as annual Memorial Day and Veterans Days ceremonies. Every American President of this century has presided over holiday gatherings at this site. About 5,000 visitors attend each of the three major annual memorial services in the Amphitheater. They take place Easter, Memorial Day and Veterans Day and are sponsored by the U.S. Army Military District of Washington. The Amphitheater is constructed mainly of Vermont-quarried Danby marble. The marble in the Memorial Display Room is imported Botticino, a stone mined in Italy. The Memorial Display Room, between the amphitheater and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, houses plaques and other tributes presented in honor of the four service members interred at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. A small chapel is beneath the Amphitheater stage. The names of 44 U.S. battles from the American Revolution through the Spanish-American War are inscribed around the frieze above the colonnade. The names of 14 U.S. Army generals and 14 U.S. Navy admirals prior to World War I are inscribed on each side of the amphitheater stage.

credit: Tim Evanson

More than 200,000 people were imprisoned here by the Nazis and some 50,000 were brutally murdered. Sachsenhausen was initially used to imprison political opponents. Later, the camp became a training ground for the SS and the site of the headquarters of the whole concentration camp system. After the Nazis were defeated, the Soviets used Sachsenhausen as a camp for their own political enemies. The Soviet Special Camp was called No. 7/No. 1. From 1945 to 1950, 60,000 people were imprisoned in these barracks by the Soviet Secret Service; around 12,000 of them died of hunger and sickness.

credit: János Balázs

The National September 11 Memorial & Museum, designed by architect Michael Arad and landscape architect Peter Walker, is a tribute of remembrance and honor to the nearly 3,000 people killed in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The names of the nearly 3,000 people who perished in the attack are displayed on bronze parapets surrounding the reflecting pools.

credit: brian kusler

One of the nation’s most historic warships, the vessel is now the center of a fascinating and moving memorial park. Alabama was commissioned in 1942 and served in World War II in the Atlantic and Pacific theaters. She was decommissioned in 1947 and assigned to the reserve duty. She was retired in 1962.

Opening Hours:
Open every day except Christmas Day
8:00 am – 6:00 pm (April-September)
8:00 am – 5:00 pm (October-March)

Admission fees:
• Age 12 & up: $15.00
• Ages 6-11: $6.00
• Under age 6: Free
• Senior Citizen (Age 55 & above): $13

credit: Frank Kovalchek

The bike was built to commemorate the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site and was unveiled at the 9/11 Memorial Preview Site. The 9/11 Bike is a chopper that is inspired by the World Trade Center and features numerous symbols of the rebuilding. Among the many features, the exhaust is inspired by the future 2WTC, the spine resembles the wings of the WTC Transportation Hub, and the WTC footprints adorn one side. The details of this bike leave you speechless, inspired ideas from the whole team, a final product that truly is striking.

credit: C. S.

Martinique is one of the most unique destinations in the Caribbean thanks to its French Creole history. The best time to visit Martinique is either May or June, but there is a chance of hurricanes in summer. Capital city is safe and friendly. On one side of Martinique rests the Caribbean Sea, on the other the Atlantic Ocean. Shores offer you sand that is soft and white. Francophiles adore the French island for its gastromony, its music and élan, and the availability of the finest French products.

credit: Gael Chardon

Mount Rushmore is located in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Doane Robinsons idea was to create an attraction that would draw people from all over the country to this state. He is known as the Father of Mount Rushmore. The Mt Rushmore memorial was created by master sculpture Gutzon Borlgum with the assistance of over 400 blasters, carvers and workers. Construction of the granite rock faced mountain began in 1927 when Borglum was 60 and the sculptures of the Mount Rushmore presidents were not completed until Borlgum’s death in 1941. Creation of the Shrine of Democracy took 14 years and cost a mere $1 million. Each head on Mt. Rushmore is as tall as a six-story building. The presidents noses are 20 feet long, each mouth 18 feet wide and the eyes are 11 feet across. The four presidents carved in the mountain are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. At first, there was a suggestion to carve famous western figures, people like Buffalo Bill, Lewis & Clark, and Sacagawea. But a special group, a commission, instead chose these presidents because they best represented the foundation, expansion and preservation of the United States.

credit: Sebastian Bergmann