Fodor's Expert Review Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery

In 1934, eight of the 1,000 acres set aside for a military reserve in 1852 were designated as a burial site. More than 100,000 people are now interred here; it's moving to see the rows upon rows of white headstones that overlook both sides of Point Loma just north of the Cabrillo National Monument. Some of those laid to rest here were killed in battles that predate California's statehood; the graves of the 17 soldiers and one civilian who died in the 1874 Battle of San Pasqual between troops from Mexico and the United States are marked by a large bronze plaque. The 75-foot granite obelisk, the Bennington Monument, commemorates the 66 crew members who died in a boiler explosion and fire on board the USS Bennington in 1905.