Touring the U.S. Capitol

Free ticket to tour the Capitol

By Elisabeth Grant

With so many museums, monuments, and historic points of interest, it’s hard to decide where to start when touring the nation’s capital. The Washington Monument’s sheer height might beckon you first, or the White House’s grand facade, but no trip to DC is complete without making a stop at the Capitol and the still rather new Capitol Visitor Center.

In the Capitol Visitor Center you can peruse educational and interactive exhibitions in Exhibition Hall: touch a scale model of the Capitol dome, see the Lincoln Catafalque (the support of Lincoln’s casket from 1865), and check out various documents, images, and videos. Then, book a free tour of the Capitol through the Visitor Center ticket kiosks (if you haven’t already booked a tour through your Representative or online).

Highlights from the Tour:
Tours at the Capitol run like a well-oiled machine. They start off with a brief 13 minute video titled, “Out of Many, One,” which is the translation of “E pluribus unum,” the motto of the the U.S. that appears on the Great Seal of the United States. The video sets the tone for the tour and gives a quick history of how the U.S. government was created and how laws and amendments have been added over the years. Then, visitors are put into groups and paired with tour guides who deftly lead the way to a fast-paced but well-rounded tour of the Capitol. Here are some highlights you can expect when you make your way through the U.S. Capitol.

1. Statue of Freedom – Capitol Visitor Center
As you enter the Capitol Visitor Center, before you make your way to the tour kiosks or Exhibition hall, you’ll be struck by the grand, nearly 20 foot tall, original plaster model of the Statue of Freedom, the bronze figure that sits atop the Capitol dome. While this is technically a pre-tour feature, the Statue of Freedom is impressive and important enough to highlight.

Original plaster model of the Statue of Freedom

2. The Rotunda
The tour begins with a big wow–entrance into the United States Capitol Rotunda. This ornate and cavernous space leaves visitors wide-eyed, and looking upward to the elaborate fresco painted within the dome, Constantino Brumidi’s “The Apotheosis of Washington.”

The impressive Rotunda of the Capitol.

3. National Statuary Hall
The National Statuary Hall features a few of the 100 statues donated by the 50 states. The rest of these statues have been dispersed throughout the Capitol and Visitor Center.

National Statuary Hall

4. Old Supreme Court Chambers
The Old Supreme Court Chambers are an intimate and dimly lit space. But there’s something quiet and powerful about them, leaving one to imagine how intimidating they may have been back during their use.

Old Supreme Court Chambers

5. Center of DC
The star in the center of the floor marks the center of D.C. Technically this is not the geographic center of the city, but it is where D.C.’s four quadrants begin.

The center of D.C.'s four quadrants.

A trip to the Capitol Visitor Center and a tour of the U.S. Capitol is worth it for out-of-towners and locals alike. The breathtaking architecture coupled with a history lesson on our government makes for an educational and entertaining afternoon. It also doesn’t hurt that its all contained inside, and the Capitol Visitor Center even links to the Library of Congress by way of a tunnel. Good things to know if you hit Washington on a cold or rainy day.