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    Congressional Cemetery

    4.7 (35 reviews)
    Closed 7:00 am - 7:00 pm
    Updated 1 month ago

    Services - Congressional Cemetery

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    John B.

    [Coronavirus review] So I'm looking for places where one can experience the great outdoors, catch some cherry blossoms during the early spring, but not catch the virus. Hard to catch a virus from dead people, so I'm visiting our scenic cemeteries. The Congressional Cemetery is classic DC: a pristine graveyard of important historical figures with rowhouses on one site, and a jail on the other. And it's an off-leash dog park, with paid membership. Your dog can take a dump on J. Edgar Hoover's grave! (Actually, not quite because there's a small fence around it). These sorts of weird juxtapositions of the grandiose and the mundane are what this city is all about. There were a few cherry trees but not a ton; the scenery is no substitute for the national mall (which is currently closed off). I imagine a history tour would be well worth it when it's offered again.

    Michael K.

    On a cold Sunday January morning, my wife and I visited the cemetery for the first time. Parking was easy with lots of unmetered spots on the the adjacent streets. There is no admission to visit and they provide maps and other literature at the entrance especially handy if you are looking for someone in particular. This place should be named the Congressional Cemetery and dog park. Dogs are welcomed here off leash and they run around and have a blast. We loved it and didn't have any issues with any of the dogs we met. We did not have a plan on what to see and just wondered around seeing who was buried here. Big and little headstones, crypts and statues everywhere. Just watch your step in the grassy areas due to the aforementioned visitors. We spent about an hour here and enjoyed it. Cross another item off our DC bucket list.

    Tempus Fugit . Congressional Cemetery
    Cynthia R.

    *Disclaimer: I'm reviewing cemeteries for the purpose of a good relaxing walk, photographic opportunities, historic and unusual markers and maybe a little ghoulish thrill here and there. I'm a Victorian Taphophile at heart. Happy Halloween Kids!* Okay...this place is Disneyworld for dogs! Any feeling of mourning is quickly chased away by any number and size of dogs zipping in and out of the monuments, barking happily, and rolling in the grass. Creating the K-9 Corps was one of the brilliant ideas of incorporating the local living in preserving the final resting place of the local dead. And it gives an air of sheer joy to this beautifully arranged patch of memorial garden. The downside...I wanted a photo of a particularly winsome small angel monument, but the view was blocked by the trashcan heaped with bags of canine poo. Scariest thing in the Cemetery, trust me! A good workout is there for the taking as well. The paths are long and winding, and traversing them in order to take in the markers of the famous and infamous will put a few miles on your Keds. Some of the paths are old and upturned, which gives parts of congressional a nice, undiscovered, abandoned feeling. For the spook factor, check out the row of family vaults past the chapel that are hidden in the berm of earth to the left. These are the things a neophyte goth kid's dreams are made of. Decay, disrepair, and just the right touch of moss, give them a wonderfully mournful feel. The array of headstones is quite impressive, though there aren't many 17th or early 18th stones, which are my favorites. The 19th c. markers are abundant and beautiful, since the cemetery was a gathering place for the heyday of the "Grand Funeral". It's also a smorgasbord of the notable DC and Political Dead, perfect for the history buff. All in all, Congressional provides a lovely, semi-garden/semi-park like space for a walk in the open air among interesting markers and very, very happy pups. Definitely worth a visit.

    Grave of Leonard P. Matlovich, the first soldier to take the U.S. military to court over the gay ban.
    Amanda N.

    I came here last spring for the free biannual Cultural Tourism DC walking tour, but missed the start of the tour by 15 minutes or so (fail!!) and decided to just go solo and play with some photography. The volunteers who work in the front office were very friendly and gave me a brochure with a map of the cemetery and all kinds of info on its more notable inhabitants. Although it's not a particularly large property, I managed to spend a good couple of hours wandering around exploring and had a great time. Got some fun pictures as well. It was very quiet there, despite being a warm spring day; I saw plenty of songbirds out and about, and the flowers blooming around the cemetery were beautiful. It's not overly landscaped, but nicely kept for an older cemetery, and despite the signs of community dog park use, I didn't see one pile of doggy doo (hooray!!!). It's an easy walk from either Stadium-Armory or Potomac Avenue metro and a pleasant place to spend an hour or two exploring something off the beaten path - a heck of a lot more peaceful than Arlington on most days!

    Cenotaphs
    Igor B.

    As a part of the volunteer group I worked in the Congressional cemetery past weekend. It is always comforting to work at the cemetery in the case they work you to death. The Congressional cemetery was founded 1807 (many decades before the Arlington Cemetery) and it is very interesting historic place to visit - off the beaten path! The large section is dedicated to 165 "cenotaphs," which honor members of Congress who died in office during the first several decades of the nation's history - Designed by first American architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe. The end of that came in 1876 when Senator argued that this tradition should be abandoned, saying that "the thought of being buried beneath one of those atrocities brought new terror to death." The DC Mayor for Life is buried there just like famous Mathew Brady, John Phillip Sousa, first commandant of the Navy Yard (Thomas Tingey) and many more. There is an LGBT section of the graveyard with Edgar Hoover being at the edge and his partner within the section, along with a gay Vietnam veteran with a message on his tomb, "When I was in the military they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one." They have weddings there, Yoga classes, 5K runs, dog walking, free tours on Saturday. The nearby neighborhood is doing great and I found the visit to be safe. The cemetery itself is not a scary place as everybody is always more afraid of living people then dead people. It is more a place to reflect and learn.

    Sean G.

    Its not just a cemetery, its also a dog park! Odd perhaps, but the nation's first national resting place has long since gone private and lately pays its way thru the good offices and deep pockets of local dog owners, who pony up $100 annually to let their pooches peruse the park. John Philip Sousa, Civil War photog Matthew Brady and FBI honcho J Edgar Hoover are among the celebrity souls plying this patch of land. Its a mostly local spot, but its not uncommon for folks to drive across the city to take advantage of the fences fencing Fido in while he gets his romp on. Oh yeah and it has a totem pole. Find me another one in the city (other than at the Museum of the American Indian that is)

    Beth B.

    We're enjoying our first year as members of the dog walking association and it really is a great place. The grounds are fantastic - tons of grass, a little watering hole that my dogs loves to lay in on hot days, lots and lots of water stations and plenty of poop bags. I agree that it's $300 well spent ($200 for membership plus $50 a dog). That's less than $1/day and we really do go that frequently. On top of that, the other dog owners are so friendly. I can't even count how many people have made an effort to introduce themselves to me while I'm walking around. There's always plenty of close street parking too making it a manageable trip to the gates with two dogs and a stroller.

    Austin G.

    Call me weird, but I have always been inspired by cemeteries and the Congressional Cemetery is the very best in DC. The history it brings is fascinating and their are many DC famous people buried here. In addition, it's a great place to walk around and see the city. It's on a hill so there are some good views of Capitol Hill and Anacostia. There's a small church in the center of the cemetery and they have an organ player come every Sunday to play for the public in the afternoon for free. One interesting thing about this cemetery is that it's a dog park too. Capitol Hill residents can pay an annual fee to walk their dogs there. As you stroll, beware of dogs. If you love dogs like I do, this is icing on the cake!

    Rachel A.

    It might seem weird to rate a cemetery, but Congressional is more like a cultural center- not just a place to bury the dead. I've been here for during the day for tours and Day of the Dog. recently I attended the Soul Strolls- it was awesome! I love learning about history and it was so fun to learn about interesting DC residents with a spooky twist. Plus it was super cool to have drinks in the chapel and the crypt. Definitely a one of a kind place in the city.

    Dave L.

    This is a interesting graveyard to walk around in and explore. Some of the graves that You can see are the ones belonging to J. Edgar Hoover, Matthew Brady and John Philip Sousa. There is also a september 11 memorial as well. :)

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    Review Highlights - Congressional Cemetery

    John Philip Sousa, Civil War photog Matthew Brady and FBI honcho J Edgar Hoover are among the celebrity souls plying this patch of land.

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    Garfield Park

    Garfield Park

    (19 reviews)

    Capitol Hill

    Garfield Park is dilapidated and ruinous. Most playground equipment is broken or damaged, and it is…read moreoverdue for an overhaul. Kids may still have fun, but this is a subpar destination due to its lack of maintenance and all the noise from the expressway looming over it and directly adjacent. The adaptive swing has cracked plastic and doesn't lock, a merry-go-round thing barely moves, the slides are incredibly slow, etc. Tip: Eastern Market Metro Park near 8th and Penn SE is a better bet if you care about playgrounds. This place is OK for a picnic under the mature trees, if you don't mind the din of highway traffic. It also has an embankment on the western edge that is suitable for wintertime sledding. On the plus side, when my four-year-old and I were there this month, she spotted a rat trapped in the bottom of the metal trash can by the playground. So, although we would never feed pests, we showed mercy on the distressed beast. We got a good amount of memorable and free enjoyment by rescuing it from dehydration and heat exhaustion using an empty chip bag to lift it to freedom, then watching it scurry into concrete blocks under the highway. Ah, the simple joys, haha

    Cool park and place to have fun. Garfield Park is located pretty close to Capitol Hill. It has some…read moreinteresting things different from many other parks. Be sure to check out the playgrounds even if you don't have any kids. They have one for adults too. Getting here from Capitol Hill doesn't take long. It still seems like it's quite a ways away though. This also is close to the Navy Yard. One bad thing is that it can be noisy because of the traffic on the freeway. There's a concrete wall separating the park from Interstate 395, which is where the noise comes from especially when it's rush hour, so if you want a quiet and relaxing visit avoid coming here at those times. Other than that it's one of the best parks around. The playground is cool for kids. If you're an adult you also have your own place to play next to it. They have adult sized playground equipment so you don't have to worry about being too heavy to play on these. It overall is one of the best parks in DC. Other than the freeway noise there's a lot of other things to like about it. This is a nice way of getting from Capitol Hill to the Navy Yard.

    Marion Park - Marion Park

    Marion Park

    (4 reviews)

    Capitol Hill

    Everyone calls this Turtle Park because there's a giant turtle statue in it. However, fun fact,…read morethere are many other parks with the exact same giant turtle statue. There's even a giant turtle statue just a few blocks away on the other side of Eastern Market. This is a place I never even noticed until we had kids, then it became central to my life. We have come here every single day for weeks on end. We have come in the dark, during the daylight hours. It's not well maintained and always has a myriad of crappy broken down plastic toys thrown about. The drinking fountains are not operations and that's probably a blessing, however I have seen the maintenance guys come by and there are many roaches living in the recesses of the fountains. The park has some shade--not a lot. During peak summer hours it's unbearably hot and there is no water available. If you are thirsty the convenience store across the street is your only option ($5 card minimum purchase btw). During summer months this park has pretty bad mosquitos, so bring bug spray and sunscreen with you. The areas that are shaded are under trees where grass can't grow. The park is generally a bit rocky and dusty/muddy in the grass areas. It appears to have had several trees cut down because their stumps remain. Most of the patrons of the park are pretty conscientious except for the nannies. Some nannies tend to leave a lot of trash behind and I suspect it's just one or two people, but my kids tend to find and pick it up. It's so disgusting in most cases. One funny phenomenon that happens here is many families come here for dinner. There are some miniature tables setup on the side of the playground and families use them for daily dinners with the kids. There's also two picnic tables which are typically occupied by nannies or large parties of people. The far end of the park is devoted to dogs and a few homeless people sleep on the benches. The dog area of the park is also disgusting, lacking grass and being full of dog excrement. A police station is located across the street from the park so much of the surrounding parking is taken up by police cars. Interestingly though, I have never seen a police officer enter the park. They keep to themselves. All in all this is a nice city park. I wish it had a splash area and shrunk the dog run to include some other features, like maybe basketball. But for kids or dogs this is a great Capitol Hill destination, far better than other parks like Garfield or Lincoln in my opinion.

    Marion Park is a peaceful oasis a stone's throw from the US Capitol Building. It's right off of a…read moregym in a Capitol Hill neighborhood. Which means all the dog walkers come here. If you're a dog owner, stroll over here and meet your fellow dog owner neighbors. There are benches along the park making it a great place to read if the weather is nice.

    Congressional Cemetery - funeralservices - Updated June 2026

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