Visiting D.C. and Tour Requests

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Are you visiting Washington D.C.? My office can help to coordinate tours of several government buildings in Washington during your trip. Please be sure to call as early as possible, as tours fill up quickly on a first-come, first-serve basis!

Please fill out the Tour Request form (PDF) and fax it to (202) 225-2422. If you have any questions, please call (202) 225-7084 and ask to speak to the Tour Coordinator.

You may wish to consult some of the following websites:

Please click on the links below to learn more about popular tourist sites.

Arlington National Cemetery

703-607-8052

Changing of the guard is every half hour from 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. April through September; 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. October - March
Metro: Arlington Cemetery on Blue Line

Bureau of Engraving and Printing

202-874-3188

Public tours are held Monday - Friday from 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Tours last 40 minutes and depart every 20 minutes
Obtain tickets for the day of the tour from 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Tickets are distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis; lines form early
Photo ID is required for entry
Metro: Smithsonian on Blue/Orange Lines; walk to 14th and C Streets, SW

Botanic Garden

202-225-8333 or 202-226-4082

Open daily from 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Metro: Capitol South on Blue/Orange Lines; adjacent to Capitol at Independence and 1st Streets, SW

Daughters of the American Revolution Museum

202-879-3241

Open Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. and Sunday 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
There is a 45 minute tour of the museum; make reservations about two weeks in advance
Metro: Farragut West on the Blue/Orange Lines; 1776 D Street, NW

DC Visitor Information Center

Open Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. and Saturday 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. from March 15 through Labor Day
Provides information on Washington Area activities, events, tickets, museums and neighborhood sites
Metro: Metro Center on the Blue, Orange and Red lines; 1300 Pennsylvania Ave, NW in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center

Ford's Theater

Open all year 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Explore Ford's Theatre the location where Abraham Lincoln was injured by John Wilkes Booth
The closest Metro stop is Metro Center at 11th and G Streets

Frederick Douglass Home

202-426-5961 or 800-967-2283

Open 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. from April 15 to October 15; Open 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. October 16 to April 14
Entrance Fee of $2.00
Groups of five or more are required to make reservations
Experience the chance to tour the home of Frederick Douglass

Hillwood Museum and Gardens

202-686-8500

Open Tuesday - Saturday from 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Reservations are required to visit Hillwood and can be made by phone or fax. Call toll free (877) HILLWOOD or fax (202) 966-7846 and include your name, telephone number, the date and time you wish to visit, and the number in your party
Cost: Adults: $12, Senior adults (65 and older): $10, Full-time college students: $7, Children (6-18): $5
Hillwood features the most comprehensive collection of 18th and 19th century Russian imperial art outside of Russia, as well as one of the world's most important collections of 18th century French decorative arts
Metro: Van Ness/UDC Metro station on the Red Line. From the Metro exit on the east side of Connecticut Avenue, walk south on Connecticut toward Van Ness Auto Care and turn left onto Upton Street. Turn right onto Linnean Avenue. The entrance to the estate will be on the left.

Holocaust Memorial Museum

202-488-0406

Open 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Closed on Yom Kippur and Christmas Day.
No passes are necessary for entering the Museum building, special exhibitions, the interactive Wexner Learning Center, and other Museum resources.
Timed passes are necessary for visiting the Permanent Exhibition, The Holocaust, and can be obtained by calling tickets.com at (800) 400-9373. Each day, the Museum distributes a limited number of timed entry passes on a first-come, first-served basis.
Metro: Smithsonian on the Blue/Orange Lines. 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW

International Spy Museum

202-393-7798

Open 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. from November to March, 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. from April to October. Closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.
The International Spy Museum is the first and only public museum in the United States solely dedicated to espionage and the only one in the world to provide a global perspective on this all-but-invisible profession. It features the largest collection of international spy-related artifacts ever placed on public display.
Price: Adult (ages 12-64) $14, Seniors (65+), Active Duty Military & Intel Community $13, Child (ages 5-11) $11, Children age 4 and under are free. Purchase timed tickets during regular museum hours or use Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com or (800) 551-SEAT).
Metro: Gallery Place/Chinatown on the Red, Yellow and Green Lines. 800 F St., NW

Kennedy Center

202-416-8341

Public tours are offered Monday through Friday, from 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Tickets/reservations are not required.
For ticket reservation for performances call 800-444-1324.
Metro: Foggy Bottom/George Washington University on the Blue/Orange Lines. You may use the free Kennedy Center Show Shuttle (signs are towards the left as you exit the escalator). It departs every 15 minutes from 9:45 a.m.-midnight Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-midnight Saturdays, and noon-midnight Sundays and 4:00 p.m.-midnight on federal holidays. 2700 F Street, NW

Library of Congress

202-707-9779

Tours are conducted Monday through Friday at 10:30, 11:30, 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30; on Saturday at 10:30, 11:30, 1:30 and 2:30. The Library of Congress is closed on Sundays and federal holidays.
Metro: Capitol South on the Blue/Orange Lines. Located at the intersection of 1st and Independence Ave., SE.

Monuments and Memorials

Park Rangers staff the memorials from 8:00 a.m. to midnight every day except Dec. 25
National Mall and Memorial Parks (NMMP) is responsible for over 1,000 acres of the most significant natural and cultural resources in the United States. The sites of NMMP are cherished symbols of our nation, known worldwide and depicted on everything from currency to the nightly news.
Metro: Smithsonian or Foggy Bottom/George Washington University on the Blue/Orange Lines
Washington Monument
Lincoln Memorial
Jefferson Memorial
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
Korean War Veterans Memorial
Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Mount Vernon

703-780-2000

Mount Vernon is open every day of the year, including holidays. Hours are April though August from 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., March, September and October from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., and November through February from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Metro: Huntington Station on the Yellow line. Exit at the lower level (Huntington Avenue) of the station to catch a Fairfax Connector bus to Mount Vernon.

National Aquarium

202-482-2825

Open daily 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The last admission is at 4:30 p.m.
The self-guided tour of the Aquarium lasts 45 minutes to an hour.
General Admission: $5.00; Seniors: $4.00; Children (2 to 10): $2.00
Visit the nation's oldest aquarium only one block from the Washington Monument
Federal Triangle Metro Station on the orange and blue line is within walking distance

National Arboretum

202-245-2726

Arboretum grounds are open from 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. every day except Dec. 25.
The Arboretum is a living museum where trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants are cultivated for scientific and educational purposes.
Metro: Stadium Armory Station on the Blue/Orange lines. Transfer to Metrobus B-2; disembark the bus on Bladensburg Road and walk 2 blocks to R Street. Make a right on R Street and continue 2 blocks to the Arboretum gates. On weekends and holidays you will find it more convenient to use Metro's direct shuttle service from Union Station by hopping on the X6 metrobus. The bus operates every 40 minutes. 3501 New York Avenue, NE

National Archives

202-501-5205

The National Archives is open Labor Day through March 31 from 10:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25), April 1 through Memorial Day weekend from 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. and Memorial Day through Labor Day from 10:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
The Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence are on display at the Archives.
Metro: Archives/Navy Memorial on the Green/Yellow Lines. 700 Constitution Ave., NW

National Building Museum

202-272-2448

The National Building Museum is open to the public Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. The Museum is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.
Created by an act of Congress in 1980, the National Building Museum is America's premier cultural institution dedicated to exploring and celebrating architecture, design, engineering, construction, and urban planning.
Metro: Judiciary Square on the Red Line. 401 F Street, NW

National Cathedral

202-272-2448

The National Cathedral is open Monday through Saturday from 10 - 11:30 a.m. and 12:45 - 3:15 p.m., Sunday from 12:30 - 2:30 p.m.
Donation: $3 adult and $1 child
Metro: Tenleytown/AU station on the Red Line. Exit on the west side of Wisconsin Avenue. Take any "30" series bus (#30, #32, #34 or #36) going south on Wisconsin Avenue. Ride approximately one and one-half miles south on Wisconsin Avenue to the Cathedral. (This is a downhill walk, if you prefer to walk.) Located at the intersection of Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues, NW.

Smithsonian Institution

202-633-1000

Most Smithsonian museums are open every day of the year (except Dec. 25) from 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
The Smithsonian museums represent the treasured icons of our past, the vibrant art of the present, and the scientific promise of the future. The Washington, DC Smithsonian museums are listed below; visit the Smithsonian Institution website for more information about the museums.
African Art Museum
Air and Space Museum
American History Museum
American Indian Museum
Anacostia Museum (African-American History and Culture)
Freer and Sackler Galleries (Asian Art)
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (Modern and Contemporary Art)
National Zoo
Natural History Museum
Postal Museum
Smithsonian Institution Building, the Castle (Visitor Information)

Supreme Court

202-479-3211

The Supreme Court building is open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. It is closed Saturdays, Sundays, and federal holidays. Lectures in the Courtroom are typically given every hour on the half-hour, on days that the Court is not sitting, beginning at 9:30 a.m. and concluding at 3:30 p.m.
Metro: Capitol South on the Blue/Orange Lines or Union Station on the Red Line. Located at the intersection of 1st Street and East Capitol Street, NE.

White House Visitor Center

Open daily 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.
The White House Visitor's Center features many aspects of the White House, including its architecture, furnishings, first families, social events, and relations with the press and world leaders, as well as a thirty-minute video.
Metro: Federal Triangle on the Blue/Orange Line and Metro Center Red line. Located inside the north end of the Department of Commerce Building between 14th & 15th Streets on Pennsylvania Avenue (1450 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW).

Congresswoman Diane Watson

Serving the 33rd District of California

Visiting D.C. and Tour Requests