I knew I was in the right place when I saw the tank outside the parking lot.
Established by George Washington in 1778, West Point is the longest continuously garrisoned military installation in the United States. It is also home to the United States Military Academy at West Point, an elite, highly selective institution that trains future military leaders.
West Point's storied history is especially resonant ahead of America's 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026. Amanda Bundt, tour manager at West Point Tours, told Business Insider that West Point "is one of the reasons we are a country."
"We were here for all four years of the Revolutionary War fighting for our independence, so we have great honor in that aspect," Bundt said.
West Point is an active military post and college, but some parts of the campus are open to the public through guided tours.
I visited West Point in April to learn more about its Revolutionary War history and modern curriculum equipping soldiers for war. Take a look.
West Point, located about 50 miles north of New York City, played a key role in keeping the British at bay during the Revolutionary War.
West Point overlooks the Hudson River, which was the fastest and most reliable way to transport troops, weapons, food, and other crucial supplies during the war. George Washington knew that controlling the river was key to America's survival in the fight against the British. He established his headquarters there, calling West Point "the most important Post in America."
In 1802, Congress authorized the establishment of the United States Military Academy at West Point. Sylvanus Thayer, known as the "Father of the Military Academy," became the school's superintendent in 1817 and established a strict code of conduct, rigorous fitness standards, and a standardized curriculum.
Famous graduates include Presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight D. Eisenhower, former Chief of Staff of the US Army Douglas MacArthur, and former CIA directors David Petraeus and Mike Pompeo.
Tours of the military academy begin at the Frederic V. Malek West Point Visitors Center.
I bought a $22 ticket for the West Point Story tour, which lasts 1 hour and 15 minutes.
While waiting for the tour to begin, I walked through the West Point Experience exhibit that shows what it's like to be a cadet.
The exhibit featured a model of a room in the West Point barracks, as well as details about West Point's history, values, 47-month course of study, and graduation requirements.
To enroll in West Point, cadets must be between the ages of 17 and 23, be unmarried with no legal dependents, pass academic, physical, and medical examinations, and be nominated for admission by a member of Congress or the president or vice president of the United States. The acceptance rate is around 10%. Once admitted, tuition is free.
Graduates are required to serve in the Army for five years of active service and three years in the reserves.
When the tour bus pulled up into the parking lot, a staff member checked our tickets and IDs.
Since West Point is an active military post, everyone who takes a tour must present a government-issued photo ID to undergo a background check.
Our tour guide told us to keep our phones and cameras out of sight until we passed through the security checkpoint.
He also gave a rundown of the rules. Photographing cadets? Permitted. Photographing security gates or military police? Not allowed.
Once we were through the gate, our guide pointed out some of the brick homes where West Point instructors live.
West Point has 500 instructors, 75% of whom are members of the garrison and are posted to West Point. The other 25% are civilians.
With 4,400 cadets, the student-to-instructor ratio is six-to-one.
The bus took us past Michie Stadium, where West Point's football and lacrosse teams play.
The outdoor stadium holds 40,000 people.
The grounds of West Point were full of military statues and monuments like "The American Soldier" by Felix de Weldon.
The sculpture was a gift from the classes of 1935 and 1936, honoring enlisted combat soldiers.
Our first stop off the bus was the Cadet Chapel, a non-denominational Protestant worship space built in 1910.
The Gothic Revival chapel was designed by architect Bertram Goodhue and constructed using granite from a local quarry.
The chapel was decorated with replicas of battle flags donated as class gifts.
The space can hold 1,500 people.
The Bibles and hymnals were lined up in the pews with military precision.
Our tour guide said we were allowed to look through the books as long as we put them back exactly where we found them.
"Indeed, there is somebody with a wooden board who measures the space between them and makes sure it's uniform," the West Point tour guide said.
The Cadet Chapel houses the world's largest pipe organ in a house of worship, with a total of 23,511 pipes.
The pipes range from the size of one's index finger to "thunder pipes" measuring 30 inches in diameter.
A limestone carving of St. Michael, the patron saint of soldiers, was displayed behind the altar.
The carving was donated by the family of West Point alums and former President Ulysses S. Grant.
The Cadet Chapel's 178 stained-glass windows were designed by Willett Studios, a Philadelphia-based company that beat Tiffany & Co. for the contract.
The Sanctuary Window at the front of the chapel features West Point's motto: "Duty, Honor, Country."
A pew at the front of the chapel was reserved for West Point's superintendent.
Every superintendent's signature dating back to the founding of the chapel in 1910 appeared on silver nameplates on the pew.
The current superintendent, Lieutenant General Steven W. Gilland, graduated from West Point in 1990 and is married to his West Point classmate, Betsy Gilland.
Outside the chapel, we took in stunning views of West Point's main post, which spans about 3,000 acres.
West Point also features a 13,000-acre military reservation with rugged terrain used for field training exercises, known as Camp Buckner.
Back on the bus, our tour guide pointed out the West Point Jewish Chapel completed in 1984.
West Point has a total of six chapels and one interfaith religious center.
As we disembarked from the bus at our next stop, Trophy Point, we got one of our first looks at some West Point cadets on their way to class.
The grey and black uniform is the cadets' standard weekday uniform known as "As For Class." The camouflage uniform, worn for field exercises, is called the Army Combat Uniform or ACU.
Looking out at the Hudson River, our tour guide explained how West Point was located in a crucial strategic position during the Revolutionary War.
West Point is situated above an "S"-shaped turn in the river, overlooking the narrowest part of the channel where the current is at its swiftest. In other words, it's where British ships would be at their most vulnerable.
"Washington knew if those ships were fighting the ebbing tide, the narrow channel, and the swift current, there would be no better place to shoot at them than from West Point," our tour guide said.
To further fortify the Hudson River, Washington ordered a giant chain strung from one end of its shore to the other as a deterrent.
The chain stretched 1,700 feet, weighed 65 tons, and took 270 men to anchor it in place. It successfully deterred the British from trying to attack West Point.
Instead, the British attempted to take West Point through other means by conspiring with the infamous traitor Benedict Arnold, who was placed in command at West Point in 1780. When Arnold's plot to surrender West Point to the British was exposed, he evaded capture and defected to the British army.
While learning about West Point's Revolutionary War history, two helicopters roared past in a reminder of its contemporary military significance.
The West Point tour guide guessed that the helicopters may have been used for air assault training, where soldiers rappel out of a helicopter while it hovers 50 feet off the ground.
Further along at Trophy Point, our guide pointed out the Trophy Point Amphitheater, where graduating classes receive their class rings.
The tradition of West Point class rings dates back to 1835.
Each year, gold from rings donated by past West Point graduates is melted down and incorporated into the outgoing class' rings.
Sedgwick Monument holds special significance to West Point Cadets.
This statue of Major General John Sedgwick, nicknamed "Lucky John," is said to bring good fortune to cadets who sneak out after curfew in their dress uniforms to spin the spurs on his boots the night before exams.
Across the parade ground, we could see the Jefferson Library, completed in 2008.
The library is named for President Thomas Jefferson, who was president when the United States Military Academy at West Point was founded in 1802.
Washington Hall houses West Point's mess hall, which feeds all 4,400 cadets in under 25 minutes.
In West Point's dining hall, a team of over 200 cooks serves more than 13,000 meals per day.
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.
