9 Places Where You Can Commemorate Memorial Day All Year Long

Memorial Day may mark the unofficial kickoff to summer across America but it's also important to remember the inspiration behind the federal holiday and what makes the last weekend in May so important to so many. Although it's only one day, travelers can remember and honor those who have died while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces year-round. Here are some of the best places to do just that.

Often overshadowed by WWII, WWI resulted in nearly 117,000 American military personnel deaths. The National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City is America's official museum dedicated to the Great War. Here, visitors can learn all about WWI and why it was fought through the world's most comprehensive WWI collection and even visit the open-air observation deck of the massive Liberty Memorial Tower for a spectacular view of the Kansas City skyline.

Memorial Day at The National WWII Museum in New Orleans is incredibly special as it includes patriotic music performances, a commemoration ceremony and a national moment of silence. However, visitors to the Big Easy can honor America's fallen heroes year-round by visiting the museum at their leisure and gaining a better understanding of the cost of freedom.

Visitors to Washington, D.C.'s National Mall can experience multiple memorials and monuments dedicated to the country's fallen heroes, including the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial and the National World War II Memorial. All three are among the most unique sites you're ever likely to come across and there's always a good chance you'll meet a visiting veteran.

Located just over the Potomac River from the National Mall in Virginia, Arlington National Cemetery is considered the nation's most hallowed ground and dates back to the American Civil War. Visitors will find more than 600 acres of gravesites of the dead of the nation's conflicts and the cemetery is open year-round. The nearby Women In Military Service For America Memorial is also the only major national memorial honoring all women who have defended the nation throughout history and is a worthwhile stop during your time in Arlington.

You'll find the National Memorial Arch a little more than 20 miles outside of Downtown Philadelphia in Pennsylvania's Valley Forge National Historical Park. The century-old monument commemorates the arrival of General George Washington and his Continental Army into Valley Forge during the American Revolutionary War and is dedicated to those officers and private soldiers.

Elsewhere in the Northeast, visitors to Fort Greene Park in New York City's Brooklyn borough can pay their respects at the Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument, which is highlighted by a nearly 150-foot-tall column topped with an eight-ton bronze brazier. The monument stands in memory of the more than 11,500 American prisoners of war who died in captivity aboard as many as 16 British prison ships during the American Revolutionary War.

Boston's 221-foot-tall Bunker Hill Monument commemorates the namesake battle that took place during the American Revolutionary War between British and Patriot forces. Located in Boston's historic Charlestown neighborhood, Bunker Hill is one of more than a dozen historically-significant sites on the Freedom Trail and is part of the larger Boston National Historical Park.

The Battle of Gettysburg saw the largest number of casualties of the entire American Civil War and is often referred to as the turning point of the war. You'll only need a weekend to experience the expansive Gettysburg National Military Park and the charming small town nearby. The park, as well as the museum and visitor center, are open daily year-round.

While the USS Arizona Memorial-the resting place of 1,102 of the 1,177 sailors and Marines killed on the ship during the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese-is temporarily closed until fall 2019 for repairs, visitors to Hawaii's Pearl Harbor National Memorial can still experience a 15-minute narrated harbor tour of Battleship Row as well as the nearby Battleship Missouri Memorial.