Are you planning a visit to Washington, D.C.? Whether you're coming on a short business trip, or an extended family vacation, my office can help you make arrangements for some of the more popular Federal attractions in our Nation's Capital.
We are able to help you request tickets for the White House, the U.S. Capitol, the Library of Congress, the Pentagon, the Kennedy Center, the Supreme Court, and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
These tours are an excellent way to see all that the nation's capital has to offer and all of these tours are of no charge to you. All tickets are provided to my constituents on a first-come, first-served basis. Due to the large number of visitors, please request them as early as possible in order to maximize your chances. You can request tours by contacting Devon Damiano in my Washington, D.C. office.
While you are in Washington, D.C., I also encourage you and your family to stop by my office.
Tours and Places of Interest
The United States Capitol Building
The Capitol is open to the public for guided tours only. Tours can be scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The Capitol is open on all federal holidays except Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Private, staff-led tours may be booked in advance through my office. To schedule a tour, please contact Devon Damiano.
Same-Day Passes: the Capitol Visitors Center offers a limited number of walk-up tickets that you can pick up at the reception desk. Depending on the crowds, there may be a long wait for tickets.
Additionally, my office has Gallery passes that allow our constituents to enter the House Gallery and watch the Representatives vote and debate legislation on the House floor. The House Gallery is open Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Please stop by my office to pick up tickets.
The White House
Requests for self-guided tours of the White House must be submitted through my office and can be requested no less than 30 days in advance and no more than 6 months in advance. Tours are available from 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Fridays, and 7:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Saturdays (excluding federal holidays).
To request a White House tour, please contact Devon Damiano in my office and be prepared to provide security information for each person in the group. To submit a request we will need each person’s full name, social security number, date of birth, city and state of birth, and gender. If any person in your group is not a U.S. Citizen we will also need country of citizenship and passport number (instead of social security number).
White House tours are in high demand and we cannot guarantee that you will be approved for a tour. We encourage you to submit your request as early as possible since a limited number of tours are available. Overall, less than 10% of White House tour requests are approved, so please be aware that most people will not be approved for a tour.
The Supreme Court
The Supreme Court is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. My office can request up to 6 passes per day on a first-come, first-served basis for the 2:00 p.m. Congressional Lecture, on days when the Supreme Court is not hearing a case. Please contact my office to find out if tickets are available on the days of your visit. These tickets are in high demand, so please request them as early as possible.
Public lectures are available every hour from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (when the Court is not sitting) on the first floor of the courtroom. Tickets are not required for groups less than 50. Tickets are required for groups over 50 and should be ordered a month ahead of time.
The Bureau of Engraving & Printing
You'll see millions of dollars being printed during a tour of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. The tour features the various steps of currency production, beginning with large, blank sheets of paper, and ending with wallet-ready bills.
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing reserved tours can be requested through my office and are available at 8:15 am, 8:45 am, 4:00 pm, 4:15 pm, 4:30 pm, and 4:45 pm every Monday-Friday. These tours typically fill up several months in advance, so please request them as early as possible.
Additionally, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing offers unreserved tickets each morning for their public tours. Free, same-day tickets are distributed at 8 a.m. Monday through Friday on a first-come, first-served basis at the ticket booth on Raoul Wallenberg Place (formerly 15th Street). The booth will remain open until all tickets for the day have been distributed. Lines form early and tickets go quickly, usually by 9 a.m.
The Pentagon
All guided tours of the Pentagon are available by reservation only. Tours are conducted Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tours are not conducted on weekends or Federal holidays. Please contact my office to request a tour. These tours are in high demand and frequently fill up several weeks in advance.
The Kennedy Center
My office can schedule special Congressional tours of the Kennedy Center weekdays at 9:30 a.m. or 4:30 p.m. and weekends at 9:30 a.m. The 9:30 a.m. tour allows you the unique opportunity to see the Kennedy Center before it opens to the general public. If you choose the 4:30 p.m. tour, I recommend staying for one of the Kennedy Center’s free concerts on the Millennium Stage at 6:00 p.m.
In addition, the Kennedy Center offers free guided tours Monday - Friday from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and weekends from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. You do not need advance tickets for these walk-up tours. The Kennedy Center also hosts spectacular performances and features gift shops, restaurants and private reception areas.
The Library of Congress
The Visitor's Center of the Library of Congress is open to the public Monday - Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30p.m. Free public tours are offered at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 2:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and additionally at 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The Library of Congress also offers reserved tours for constituents at 8:30 a.m., 1:45 p.m., or 3:45 p.m. Monday through Friday. Please contact my office to request a reservation for one of these tours.
National Archives
The National Archives is open from Monday-Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 7 p.m. (From March 15 until Labor Day) and Monday-Friday 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m (From Labor Day until March 14). Individuals and groups without a reservation must wait in the general public line for entry, which can be quite long (up to one hour, especially during March, April, and May, and holiday weekends). Service personnel in uniform and their guests may enter through the Special Events entrance on Constitution Avenue. You can also reserve self-guided tours in advance and avoid the long lines that can form outside of the entrance. There is a small fee for reserved tickets. To reserve a self-guided or guided tour to the National Archives, please call 1-877-444-6777.
The National Archives also offers guided tours. The guided tours are offered at 9:45 a.m. Monday-Friday. My office can reserve these for free on your behalf, or you can pay a small fee to reserve them yourself. The guided tours fill up well in advance, so please request these tickets as early as possible.
The National Cathedral
The National Cathedral offers 30-minute guided tours on an ongoing, walk-in basis Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. On Saturday, tours are given from 10:00 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. and from 12:45 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. On Sunday, tours are offered between 1:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Additionally, my office can reserve tickets for Constituent tours Monday and Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. This tour allows constituents to see the Cathedral before it is opened up to the general public. The tour typically lasts about 45 minutes. Please contact my office to request tickets.
Monuments and Memorials
The Lincoln Memorial, The Thomas Jefferson Memorial, FDR Memorial, The World War II Memorial, The Vietnam Veterans Memorial
The Memorials listed above are open to the public 24 hours a day.
The Washington Monument
The Washington Monument’s Lodge opens at 8:30 a.m. for distribution of free, same day, timed tickets on a first come first serve basis. One person may pick up as many as six tickets as well as select their preferred ticket time from what remains available for that operating day. During the spring and summer, tickets run out quickly and the line for tickets forms as early as 7:00 a.m. Please plan accordingly. If you wish to reserve tickets, you may do so by visiting the National Park Service ticket website at http://www.recreation.gov, or by calling 1-877-444-6777 for individual tickets or 1-877-559-6777 for group reservations. Please be aware that during peak season of April-September, tickets frequently are reserved months in advance.
The U.S. Navy Memorial
The U.S. Navy Memorial is open Monday - Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year's
Museums and Galleries
The National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Gallery is closed on December 25 and January.
The Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Castle - Open 8:30am-5:30pm
African Art Museum - Open 10am-5:30pm
Air and Space Museum - Open 10am-5:30pm Spring/Summer Hours March 28 through Sept 7:- Daily, 10am-7:30pm
American Art Museum and Portrait Gallery - Open 11:30am-7pm
American History Museum - Open 10am-5:30pm Spring/Summer Hours June 12 through Aug 16: Daily, 10am-7:30pm Aug 17 through Sept 7: Daily, 10am-6:30pm
American Indian Museum - Open 10am-5:30pm
Anacostia Community Museum - Open 10am-5pm
Freer and Sackler Galleries - Open 10am-5:30pm
Natural History Museum - Open 10am-5:30pm; Spring/Summer Hours : March 27 through Sept 7 10am-7:30pm daily
Postal Museum - Open 10am-5:30pm
The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
The Holocaust Museum is a living memorial to the Holocaust. It seeks to educate citizens about hatred in order to prevent genocide, promote human dignity, and strengthen democracy. The museum is open Monday-Sunday from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. It is closed only on Yom Kippur (September 28, 2009) and Christmas Day (December 25).
Capitol Children's Museum
The National Children’s Museum offers traveling exhibits, programs, and workshops for children. Hours change by day and season.
