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Visiting Washington, D.C.
Some attractions don't require tickets, including the 13 museums of the Smithsonian Institution. Other sites (like the White House & the Supreme Court) do require tickets. My office can request tickets on your behalf. Tickets are very limited and are distributed first-come, first-served. To Request Tickets: Tours My Office Can Arrange My office can arrange tours of:
Please Note Tickets are limited. We can't make any guarantees, but we'll try our hardest to meet your request. We do not have a stack of tickets for each site. When we get your request, we then call each site and request tickets for you. If tickets are available, we'll certainly get them for you. Book Early- Request your tickets at least 1-2 months in advance. During Peak Times - Book 3-4 months in advance for the peak
season (March to September) or during holidays (Memorial Day, Fourth
of July, & Spring Break). Please provide all of the information on the tour request form, or we will not be able to process your request. When requesting tickets, by phone, fax or postal mail please provide:
By phone: 202-224-2621 By fax: 202-224-0238 .......................................................... Join Me For Coffee If you will be in Washington, D.C. on a Wednesday morning when the Senate is in session, you are welcome to join me for coffee in my office. Please R.S.V.P. by calling my Washington, D.C. office at (202) 224-2621. ...........................................................................................................................
The White House Description: Home to the President and the oldest public building in Washington, DC. Tour includes: the East Room, the State Dining Room, the Red, Green and Blue Rooms, and the President's library. For the most up-to-date information, call the 24-hour Visitors Office Info Line at 202-456-7041. Required Security Information by the White House: names (first, middle initial, and last), date of birth, social security number, whether or not you are a US citizen, and country of origin. Any tour requests received less than two weeks before your desired tour time cannot be accommodated. Tour request form (Requests need to be made 6 months in advance) Hours: 7:45 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Tuesday - Saturday. Phone: (202) 456-7041 for reserving tours. Metro stops: Metro Center, MacPherson Square, Federal Triangle White House Visitor Center - Pennsylvania Avenue, between 14th and 15th streets, NW Description: Located several blocks from the White House, the Visitor Center features exhibits about White House architecture, furnishings, first families, social events, and a thirty-minute video. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily Phone: (202) 456-7041 for recorded tour information ........................................................................................................................... The Capitol Building Description: Take a guided tour of the Old Supreme Court Chamber, the rotunda, the crypt, and Statuary Hall. (Advance tickets are not available for guided tours. You'll need to wait on line in the morning to get guided tour tickets). In addition, you can pick up gallery passes from Senator Murray's office, which allow you to sit in the gallery of the Senate or House chamber. Note: The Office of Senator Patty Murray does not give staff led tours of the Capitol. Tours of the Capitol are provided by the Capitol Guide Service. There are two options: Option 1: Line up to take a guided tour of the Capitol. Tickets are handed out at the Ticket Kiosk at Garfield Circle SW (near the Botanical Gardens) starting at 8:15 am until all that day's tickets have been distributed. We suggest you arrive between 6 - 7 am to get a good spot in line. (We cannot guarantee a specific time that will ensure you get a ticket, so use your own judgement). Tickets tend to run out between 9 - 11 am. (see Do Not Bring below). You will be given a ticket for a specific time later in the day. All members of your group need to be present when you are picking up the tickets in the morning. Option 2: Sit in the Visitors Gallery of the Senate
and/or House Chambers. To visit the Senate gallery, take your passes to the North Screening Center. To visit the House gallery, take your passes to the South Screening Center. After going through security (see Do Not Bring below), you will be able to sit in the galleries overlooking the chamber. You can visit both galleries without exiting the building. Please note: This is not a guided tour and does not allow you to visit any other parts of the Capitol. Do Not Bring: aerosol and non-aerosol sprays; cans and bottles; oversized suitcases, duffle bags and oversized backpacks; knives of any length; razors and box cutters; mace and pepper spray. Want to do both? If you want to take both the guided tour and visit the gallery, do the following: Line up in the morning to get your timed tour tickets for later in the day (everyone in your group needs to be present to get tickets). Then come to Senator Murray's office in Russell 173 (we open at 9 am) to pick up gallery passes. At the time on your ticket, take the guided tour. Near the end of the tour, the guide will direct those who have gallery passes to the galleries. Tour Hours: Limited tours 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.,
Monday through Saturday. Note: Entrance to the Capitol requires free tour tickets distributed on a first come, first served basis, starting at 8:15 am each open day at the Ticket Kiosk at Garfield Circle SW. Metro stops: Union Station, Federal Center SW, Capitol South U.S. Senate Online Visting Center ........................................................................................................................... The United States Supreme Court Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday Phone: (202) 479-3300 Metro stops: Union Station, Capitol South Note: Group tours are available and must be made in advance. ........................................................................................................................... Library of Congress The Visitor's Center is located in the Thomas Jefferson Building. Hours: vary for all three buildings. Closed on Sundays. Up to date library hours information Phone: (202) 707-5000 Metro stop: Capitol South Note: Group tours can be arranged via Sen. Murray's office or by contacting the Library of Congress Visitors' Center ........................................................................................................................... U.S. State Department - Diplomatic Reception Rooms 2201 C Street, NW Description: The Diplomatic Reception Rooms are 18th Century-style rooms used by the Secretary of State, the Vice President, and Members of the Cabinet to entertain the leaders of the world as well as foreign and American dignitaries. These rooms hold a premier collection of 18th Century American Furniture, paintings and decorative arts. Note: This is a Fine Arts tour. This tour is not recommended for children under the age of twelve. Wheelchairs are available but strollers are not permitted, and there are no facilities for storage of personal belongings. Required Security Information: participants name, SSN, and birth date. Requests must be made two weeks in advance of desired tour date Hours: Guided tours are conducted Monday through Friday at 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. Reservations are required and should be made approximately four weeks in advance. Tickets can be requested either through Senator Murray's office or at the phone number below. For up to date information: State Dept. Diplomatic Reception Room Phone: (202)-647-3241.(Recorded information) Metro stops: pending ........................................................................................................................... John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Description: Features Broadway-bound plays, the National Symphony, grand opera, great American films, and rooftop historical tours of the city. The Millennium stage offers free performances at 6:00 p.m. daily. Tour Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Saturday-Sunday Phone: (202) 416-8340 Metro stop: Foggy Bottom-George Washington University. A free, wheelchair-accessible Kennedy Center Shuttle runs between this station and the Kennedy Center every 15 minutes from 9:45 a.m. to midnight Monday - Saturday, and noon to midnight Sundays and holidays. ........................................................................................................................... Bureau of Engraving and Printing Description: Prints all U.S. currency, postage stamps, treasury bonds, and White House invitations. Learn about the history of money, the printing process, and see a display of $1 million. Tour request form - (Senator Murray's office requires tour requests at least two weeks in advance of a desired tour date) Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday-Friday. Extended summer hours through August 30, 2002. Visit http://www.moneyfactory.com/locations/section.cfm/20/21 for up-to-date information. Note: Tickets are required for all tours on a first-come, first-served basis. Individuals must present a valid photo ID at the ticket booth located on Raoul Wallenberg Place (formerly 15th Street) to pick up tickets. Same day tickets only. The Ticket Booth opens at 8:00 a.m. Lines form early and tickets go quickly. Phone: 1 (866) 874-2330 Metro stop: Smithsonian Bureau of Engraving and Printing Visitor's Guide ...........................................................................................................................
The Federal Bureau of Investigation Description: The J. Edgar Hoover FBI building is located on E street, between 9th and 10th streets NW. The FBI houses some of the nation's top crime-fighting experts as well as high-tech laboratories. Tour Hours: Currently Closed to All Tours Phone: (202) 324-3447 Metro stops: Federal Triangle, Metro Center ........................................................................................................................... Museums
........................................................................................................................... Smithsonian Information Center at "The Castle" 1000 Jefferson Drive, SW Description: The Castle is a great place to start out a day on the Mall if you don't know what you want to see. There is information there about all the Smithsonian museums and about Washington, D.C. in general. Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily - *All Smithsonian museums closed Christmas day Phone: (202) 357-2020 Metro stop: Smithsonian ........................................................................................................................... 600 Independence Avenue, SW Description: A Washington, D.C. favorite shows the history of American aviation, including the Wright Brothers' plane, Lindbergh's "Spirit of St. Louis" and the Apollo 11 unar Excursion Module. Check out the IMAX theater. Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily Phone: (202) 357-1387 Metro stop: L'Enfant Plaza ........................................................................................................................... National Museum of Natural History 10th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW Description: See the 45.5-carat Hope Diamond, a 12-ton stuffed elephant, and the insect zoo. Exhibits on dinosaurs, astronomy, geology, anatomy, ancient civilizations and much more. Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. Phone: (202) 357-2700 Metro stops: Smithsonian, Federal Triangle .......................................................................................................................... National Museum of American History 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW Description: See artifacts from American history and culture -- from the original 42-foot Star Spangled Banner to Dizzy Gillespie's trumpet. Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Phone: (202) 357-2700 Metro stops: Smithsonian, Federal Triangle .......................................................................................................................... between Third and Ninth Streets at Constitution Avenue, NW Description: The National Gallery of Art is divided into two buildings, the East and West buildings. The West Building contains European paintings and sculpture, from the thirteenth through the nineteenth centuries, and American art. Modern and contemporary art and a changing series of special exhibitions are shown in the East Building. Come to the West Building and see the only da Vinci painting in the United States. Or, see the impressive collection of Picasso's works in the East Building. Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday. - *All Smithsonian museums closed Christmas Day Phone: (202) 737-4215 Metro stop: Smithsonian .......................................................................................................................... 900 Jefferson Drive, SW Description: See a recreation of the Centennial Celebration of 1876. This beautiful Victorian building houses a quaint gift shop. Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. daily Phone: (202) 357-2020 Metro stop: Smithsonian .......................................................................................................................... Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden 7th Street and Independence Avenue, SW Description: Home of the magnificent Joseph Hirshhorn collection of 19th and 20th century American and European art, including works by Rodin and Picasso. The Sculpture Garden features creations by Henry Moore, Alexander Calder and David Smith. Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily Phone: (202) 357-1300 for more information Metro stops: Smithsonian, L'Enfant Plaza .......................................................................................................................... 1050 Independence Avenue, SW Description: This underground gallery offers exhibits of Asian and Near Eastern art, including jade figures, paintings and lacquerware. Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily Phone: (202) 357-4880 Metro stop: Smithsonian .......................................................................................................................... National Museum of African Art 950 Independence Avenue, SW Description: Celebrating the arts and culture of sub-Saharan Africa, it includes 6,000 works in wood, metal, fired clay, ivory and fiber. Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily Phone: (202) 357-1300 Metro stop: Smithsonian .......................................................................................................................... 12th Street and Jefferson Drive, SW Description: See Far Eastern and Near Eastern art, including jade, ceramics and manuscripts, and the works of American painter Whistler. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily Phone: (202) 357-1300 Metro stop: Smithsonian .......................................................................................................................... National Museum of American Art 8th and G Streets, NW Description: American paintings, sculpture, graphics, folk art and photography now housed in the former U.S. Patent Office. .......................................................................................................................... National Portrait Gallery 8th and F Streets, NW Description: Portraits of Presidents, Vice Presidents and other outstanding Americans, by American artists. .......................................................................................................................... Renwick Gallery of the National Museum of American Art 17th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW Description: Exhibits of American crafts from 1900 to the present. Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily Phone: (202) 357-1445 Metro stops: Farragut North, Farragut West .......................................................................................................................... 1901 Fort Place, SE Description: Celebrates the history and culture of African Americans, focusing on the historic Anacostia neighborhood. Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Phone: (202) 357-1300 .......................................................................................................................... 3000 Connecticut Avenue, NW Description: See two pandas, rare white tigers and hundreds of other creatures populate this 168-acre park. Hours: 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. daily Phone: (202) 673-4800 Metro stops: Woodley Park Zoo/Adams Morgan and Cleveland Park. * Insider's Tip The Cleveland Park metro stop is a better choice since it's closer and you can walk downhill to the Zoo. .......................................................................................................................... United States Holocaust Memorial Museum 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW Description: See the Tower of Faces, an actual barracks from Auschwitz, video taped testimony, and the Hall of Remembrance. Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily Phone: (202) 488-0400 Metro stop .......................................................................................................................... 8th and F Streets Description: Learn about the authentic tradecraft that has been used throughout time and around the world. Hear spies, in their own words, describe the challenges and the "game" of spying. Hours: 8-10 April-October, 8-6 November-March Phone: (202) 654-0960 Metro stop: Gallery-Place/Chinatown .......................................................................................................................... Ford's Theatre and Lincoln Museum 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW10th and E Streets, NW Description: See the President's Box where Lincoln was assassinated and check out a collection of Lincoln relics, including his stovepipe hat, cape and the suit he wore on the night of his assassination. NOTE: Parts of the Theater are closed for renovation. Check their website. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily Phone: (202) 426-6924 Metro stop: Metro Center .......................................................................................................................... Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues, NW Description: Offers gardens, shops, and an observation gallery that offers a spectacular view of Washington. Regular hours: 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily Summer hours: 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. M-F; Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Sunday 8:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Phone: (202) 537-6247 .......................................................................................................................... National Geographic Explorer's Hall 17th and M Streets, NW Description: See a giant rotating Earthglobe, Jacques Cousteau's diving saucer, Admiral Perry's arctic sled and a special electronic map depicting many famous world expeditions. Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday - Saturday; 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sunday Phone: (202) 857-7588 (recorded information); (202) 857-7689 (group tours) Metro stops: Farragut North, Farragut West |
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If
you plan to visit Washington, D.C., my office is happy to help arrange
tickets to various attractions.