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How you (and your pet!) can be buried at the Congressional Cemetery

Dog-walking, movie nights and pet burials at the historic boneyard

A woman wanders the grounds of the Congressional Cemetery along with two canine companions. (Thomas McKinless/CQ Roll Call)
A woman wanders the grounds of the Congressional Cemetery along with two canine companions. (Thomas McKinless/CQ Roll Call)

Despite its namesake, the Congressional Cemetery has about 5,000 plots available, and no, you don’t have to be a member of Congress to be buried in one. “The only requirement for being buried here is you have to be dead,” says Paul Williams, president of Historic Congressional Cemetery.

But the cemetery, situated in Southeast D.C., is not just a burial ground. It also serves as “a Central Park for this part of Capitol Hill,” according to Williams. It hosts parties, yoga, movie nights and has a dog-walking program. And you don’t have to be dead to partake in those.

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