I visited West Point, the elite military academy dating back to the Revolutionary War. Take a look inside.

• West Point is the longest continuously garrisoned military installation in the United States.
• It also houses the highly selective United States Military Academy at West Point.
• Public tours include the Cadet Chapel, Trophy Point, and views of the campus and academic buildings.

Mealtimes at West Point feature unique etiquette rules. Cadets line up in formation before the meal and march into the hall. Plebes, or freshmen, are in charge of setting the table and pouring water for the upperclassmen.

On the other side of the parade ground, the superintendent lives at Quarters 100, a home built in 1820.

The historic home spans 16,600 square feet.

Trophy Point also featured a putting green.

West Point features an 18-hole golf course open to the public.

On the bus back to the Visitors Center, we passed Lincoln Hall, which houses classrooms.

Lincoln Hall currently houses the English and Philosophy and Social Sciences departments, the Combating Terrorism Center, and the Office for Economic and Manpower Analysis, but is undergoing renovations.

Cullum Hall is an alumni building with a grand ballroom.

Cullum Hall was designed by architect Stanford White, who designed the Washington Square Arch in New York City, in 1898.

West Point Club, another event venue, featured a semicircular wall of windows overlooking the Hudson River.

Members of the public can also book events at the West Point Club.

When it was built in 1911, Thayer Hall was the world’s largest indoor riding arena.

“In 1959, they repurposed it as a classroom building and an office building, but the cadets say on a hot day, they can still smell the horses,” our tour guide said.

We caught a brief glimpse of the new Cyber and Engineering Academic Center that is under construction before returning to the Visitors Center.

The building will house the departments of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and Systems Engineering.

“Cyber warfare is the latest thing in national defense, so West Point’s getting ready,” our guide said.

After the tour ended, I stopped at the West Point Museum, where I saw artifacts like President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s military uniform.

Eisenhower graduated from West Point in 1915.

The West Point tour offered a combination of US history and contemporary Army education, providing a fascinating look into the past, present, and future of America’s military.

Evidence of West Point’s distinguished history and unbroken lineage, known as “The Long Gray Line,” was visible at every turn.

While admiring a view of the Hudson River and the surrounding mountains, my gaze was drawn up to a particularly striking tree along the sidewalk. Above its enormous trunk, its knarled branches had begun to flower with spring blooms. Then I noticed the plaque. It was a gift from the class of 1888.

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