how to visit the capitol building

Know Before You Go

Visitor guidelines, prohibited items, visiting faqs, travel information, hours and info, emergency evacuation information.

Coming to the Capitol? Join our staff as they walk you through what to expect during your visit.

Know Before You Go from U.S. Capitol Visitor Center

U.S. Capitol & Capitol Visitor Center

The capitol visitor center is the main entrance to the u.s. capitol and is located below the east front plaza of the capitol between constitution and independence avenues.

The Capitol Visitor Center is the main entrance to the U.S. Capitol and is located below the East Front plaza of the Capitol between Constitution and Independence Avenues. The Visitor Center is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.mm., Monday through Saturday. It is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year's Day, and Inauguration Day. Guided tours of the Capitol are available Monday through Saturday, 8:50 a.m. to 3:20 p.m. Tours are free, but tour passes are required. Tours may be booked in advance online at www.visitthecapitol.gov , through the offices of your senators or representative, or through the Office of Visitor Services at 202.226.8000. A limited number of same-day passes are available each day. The Capitol Visitor Center also features a 500-seat Restaurant, two Gift Shops, and an Exhibition Hall which tells the story of the U.S. Congress and the Capitol. For a list of items prohibited in the Capitol, and for other information, go to www.visitthecapitol.gov .

• ADA Compliant
• Foreign Language Guides
• Free Admission
• Guided tours available

Additional Information

Length of tour.

Less than 1 hour

Metro Station

Capitol South

E Capitol St. & 1st St. NE Washington , DC 20004 United States

(202) 226-8000.

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U.S. Capitol Visitor Center

Take a tour of the historic Capitol, where you can see the Crypt of the Capitol, the Rotunda, and National Statuary Hall.

Phone number

1-202-226-8000

Main address

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The U.S. Capitol Building in Washington DC: Tours & Visiting Tips

Explore the meeting chambers for the Senate & the House of Representatives

 TripSavvy / Taylor McIntyre

United States Capitol

The U.S. Capitol Building, the meeting chambers for the Senate and the House of Representatives, is one of the most recognizable historic buildings in Washington, D.C. Located at the opposite end of the National Mall from the Washington Monument, it is a prominent landmark and an impressive example of 19th-century neoclassical architecture. A complete restoration of the Capitol Dome was finished in 2016, fixing more than 1,000 cracks and giving the structure a beautiful polished appearance.

With 540 rooms divided among five levels, the U.S. Capitol is a massive structure. The ground floor is allocated to congressional offices. The second floor holds the chambers of the House of Representatives in the south wing and the Senate in the north wing. Under the dome in the center of the Capitol Building is the Rotunda, a circular space that serves as a gallery of paintings and sculptures of American historical figures and events. The third floor is where visitors can watch the proceedings of Congress when in session. Additional offices and machinery rooms occupy the fourth floor and the basement.

Visiting the U.S. Capitol

Capitol Visitor Center: The facility opened in December 2008 and greatly enhances the experience of visiting the U.S. Capitol. While waiting for tours, visitors can browse galleries displaying artifacts from the Library of Congress and National Archives, touch a 10-foot model of the Capitol Dome and even watch live video feeds from the House and Senate. Tours begin with a 13-minute film exploring the history of the Capitol and Congress, shown in the facility's orientation theaters. The center is currently closed with tentative plans to reopen to a limited number of guests on May 30, 2022.

Guided Tours: Tours of the historic U.S. Capitol building are free, but require tickets which are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. The hours are 8:45 a.m - 3:30 p.m. Monday - Saturday. Visitors can book tours in advance at www.visitthecapitol.gov . After more than two years, tours resumed in a limited capacity on March 28, 2022. Groups are limited to 15 people and tours must be reserved online in advance. Tours run Monday through Friday and visitors will be following pre-approved routes.

Watching Congress in Session: Visitors can see Congress in action at the Senate and House Galleries (when in session) Monday-Friday 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Passes are required and may be obtained from the offices of Senators or Representatives. International visitors can receive Gallery passes at the House and Senate Appointment Desks on the upper level of the Capitol Visitor Center. This offering is currently unavailable with no announced date to resume.

Capitol Complex and Grounds

In addition to the Capitol Building, six Congressional office buildings and three Library of Congress buildings make up Capitol Hill . The U.S. Capitol grounds were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted (also known for designing Central Park and the National Zoo), and include more than 100 varieties of trees and bushes and thousands of flowers that are used in seasonal displays. The U. S. Botanic Garden , the oldest botanic garden in the country, is a part of the Capitol complex and is a great place to visit year-round.

Annual Events on the West Lawn

During the summer months, popular concerts are held on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. Thousands attend the Memorial Day Concert, A Capitol Fourth and the Labor Day Concert. During the holiday season, members of Congress invite the public to attend the lighting of the Capitol Christmas Tree.

The main entrance is located on the East Plaza between Constitution and Independence Avenues. (across from the Supreme Court). See a map of the Capitol.

The closest Metro stations are Union Station and Capitol South. See a map and directions to the National Mall

Key Facts About the U.S. Capitol

• Construction of the U.S. Capitol began in 1793. The original building, completed in 1826, was made of brick clad in sandstone. The north and south wings and connecting corridors added in the mid 19th century and the replica of the East Front constructed in the 20th century, are made of brick clad in marble. The dome is made of cast iron. 
• The Capitol is 88 feet above sea level (the top of the Washington Monument is 209 feet higher than the top of the Capitol Building).
• There are 100 statues in the Statuary Hall Collection , two from each state.
• The largest statue in the Statuary Hall Collection is the statue of King Kamehameha I, donated by the state of Hawaii. It is 9'-10" tall and stands on a 3'-6" granite base.
• The Rotunda is a circular room in the center of the building beneath the Capitol dome. It is the tallest part of the building, 96 feet in diameter and rises 180 feet from the floor to the canopy.
• Atop the U.S. Capitol dome is the Statue of Freedom , a classical female figure with long, flowing hair wearing a helmet with a crest composed of an eagle’s head and feathers. She stands on a pedestal on a globe encircled with the motto E Pluribus Unum (Out of many, one).
• Official Website: www.aoc.gov

Attractions Near the U.S. Capitol Building

• U. S. Botanic Garden
• The Supreme Court
• The Library of Congress
• Union Station
• Eastern Market
• Folger Shakespeare Library & Theatre

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Mississippi Book Festival 2024: First list of authors announced. See who here

L isten up, literary lovers: the Mississippi Book Festival, an annual Jackson event, returns on Sept. 14 and already promises an impressive roster of author appearances.

This year's festival marks the 10th annual Mississippi Book Festival. During those 10 years, the festival has hosted approximately 1,000 authors and offered unique experiences to nearly 50,000 attendees.

On Wednesday, Executive Director of the Mississippi Book Festival Ellen Daniels made the first announcement of authors set to appear at the 2024 festival.

Authors at this year's festival include:

• Kate DiCamillo, "The Puppets of Spelhorst"
• Angie Thomas, "Nic Blake and the Remarkables"
• Erik Larson, "The Demon of Unrest"
• Sebastian Junger, "In My Time of Dying: How I Came Face to Face with the Idea of an Afterlife"
• Aimee Nezhukumatathil, "Bite by Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees"
• Kaveh Akbar, "Martyr!"
• Rachel Khong, "Real Americans"
• Ron Rash, "The Caretaker"
• Grace Elizabeth Hale, "In the Pines"
• Maurice Carlos Ruffin, "The American Daughters"

The group of authors and poets is only the first group to be announced. The Mississippi Book Festival will announce more names leading up to the September festival.

In a press release Wednesday, Daniels expressed gratitude to people who have supported the festival over the past decade.

"This event is massively important to not only our city but our entire state, and to see how it's grown and expanded through the years has been incredible," Daniels said.

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The Mississippi Legislature supports the festival through funding and allowing the use of the Capitol building and green space.

Speaking at the author announcement Wednesday, Sen. Briggs Hopson said it is a honor to host the festival at the Capitol.

"It's inspiring to see what we can do when we as state leadership partner with organizations in our community to make a difference in our state," Hopson said. "That is what we have seen happen through the book festival. We celebrate a decade of its success and hope to see it continue to thrive for many years to come."

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Jane Alexander, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Mississippi, expressed similar sentiments.

"Seeing thousands of all kinds of people of all ages flock to the capitol green thrills me every time I see it," Alexander said. "The ripple effects of the festival will be felt and seen for years all over our state."

The festival promises entertainment for all ages, including panel discussions with the authors, food, live music and children's activities.

• When: Sept. 14
• Where: Mississippi State Capitol and Galloway United Methodist Church

Got a news tip? Contact Mary Boyte at [email protected]

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi Book Festival 2024: First list of authors announced. See who here