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I am happy to be able to assist constituents in scheduling tours at several popular attractions. Please be sure to request your tours through this website, and to include your email address as that is our primary method of correspondence. Please check this website regularly for updates on tour information.
Tour Availability
Please note that all tours MUST be requested at least ONE MONTH in advance. Public tours are still available for last minute visits.
Acceptance or denial for a tour is handled completely by the venue. All venues offer tours on a first come, first serve basis. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing allows scheduling up to 1 year in advance and The White House allows scheduling up to 6 months in advance. For best chances of success, please schedule your tours as early as possible
Particularly due to the historic Obama Presidency, there has been a renewed interest in touring our nation’s capital. All venues have been impacted. The White House has been inundated with tour requests from throughout the country, and a very limited number of spots are available each day.
Tour Notification
Please give our tour coordinating team enough time to book all of your tours – we kindly request that you hold all follow-up calls until three weeks prior to your requested tour date. Notification of tour confirmations have been known to take up to one week prior to the tour date, particularly from the White House. Rest assured that as soon as the Tour Coordinator receives confirmation of your tours, you will be notified immediately.
Self-Scheduled Tours
Keep in mind that each tourist location is open to the public and there are still opportunities to take the same tours without scheduling them through my office .
Tours in DC
U.S. Capitol/Capitol Visitor Center (CVC)
Your visit to the historic U.S. Capitol begins as you enter the Capitol Visitor Center. With its soaring spaces and skylight views of the Capitol dome, the Visitor Center welcomes you on a journey of discovery. The Capitol is home to the U.S. Congress and its two legislative bodies, the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. Through films, exhibits, and tours, you will learn about how Congress works, how this magnificent building was built, and how citizens can participate in this extraordinary experiment called representative democracy. Learn more about visiting the Capitol.
For your convenience, it is now possible to book your own tour of the U.S. Capitol / CVC.
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
For updated opening and closing information please call the tour office at (202) 874-2330 or toll-free 1-866-874-2330 or visit thei Bureau's website.
Public Tours during peak season (March - August)
Visits to the BEP during peak season require tickets, which can be acquired at no cost.
Free tickets are required for all tours from the first Monday in March through the last Friday in August, on a first-come, first-served basis. The ticket booth is located on Raoul Wallenberg Place (formerly 15th Street). The BEP offers same day tickets only. The Ticket Booth opens at 8:00 a.m. - Monday through Friday, and closes when all tickets have been distributed. Lines form early (some days as early as 5:30 a.m.) and tickets go quickly, most days’ (especially during the first two weeks in April ~ Cherry Blossom/Spring Break) tickets are gone by 8:30 a.m. Please plan accordingly.
Public tours during non-peak season (September - February)
No tickets are required for visits during the non-peak season.
You may line up at the Visitors’ Entrance on 14th Street. The tour lasts approximate 45 – 50 minutes from the time you enter the building until the end of your tour.
Public Tour Times: 9:00 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. & 12:30 p.m.-2:00 p.m. (every 15 minutes)
Extended Summer Hours (April - August): 2:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. (every 15 minutes) & 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. (every 15 minutes)
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
No reservations are required for the Kennedy Center. The Kennedy Center offers Congressional tours at 9:30am and 4:30pm, Monday – Friday. It is located at 2700 F Street, NW.
Library of Congress
If the Library of Congress Visitor’s Office is unable to accommodate your congressional tour request for the Library of Congress, the venue offers general public tours at 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. and 1:30, 2:30, and 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, in the Great Hall of the Thomas Jefferson Building. Saturday tours are offered at the same times, except for 3:30 p.m.
Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon no longer offers Congressional tours. Nonetheless, Mount Vernon is open seven days a week, every day of the year. An admission fee is collected at the Main Gate. For more information, please call 703-780-2000.
National Cathedral
No reservations are required for the National Cathedral. The venue offers its congressional tours on Monday and Wednesday mornings at 9:00 a.m. The National Cathedral is located on the corner of Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues. The tour fee is $3 per adult, $2 per senior citizen, and $1 per child.
Supreme Court
The Supreme Court is open to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, EXCEPT federal holidays. Between July 1 and September 2008, the Courtroom will be closed and no Courtroom lectures will be available. However, the building will remain open to the public and at times, the doors to the Courtroom may be open so that visitors can see inside the room. Visitors will still have access to the Great Hall that features marble busts of the Chief Justices. The ground floor offers small topical exhibits, a collection of portraits and busts of Associate Justices, a film on the work of the Court, one of two self-supporting staircases, a cafeteria, and gift shop.
The Supreme Court is located on First Street, SE, directly across from the Capitol Building and next to the Library of Congress.
To obtain updated information on visiting the Court, including any schedule changes, please call 202.479.3211.
White House
The White House allows our office to make requests up to 6 months in advance. The White House conducts tours Tuesday – Saturday, unless an event impacts the schedule. Due to the popularity of the venue, White House tours fill up fast. Please schedule tours as early as possible for best chances of success.
Please Note: Acceptance or denial for a White House tour is handled solely by the White House. Our office is only able to submit your request and has no role in the approval or denial process. Due to its popularity, a very low percentage of White House tours are approved. Please do not plan your trip’s schedule around a tour of the White House.
If the White House is unable to accommodate your tour request, the White House Visitors Center remains open, and you are encouraged to visit this informative resource, located across the street from the White House at the corner of 15th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. The Center is open seven days a week from 7:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., and features many aspects of the White House, including its architecture, furnishings, first families, social events, relations with the press and world leaders, as well as a thirty-minute video. You should allow between 20 minutes to 1 1/2 hours to explore the exhibits.
Please note that a tour denial from the White House Visitors Office is not due to security reasons. The White House Visitors Office does not process security information until after a tour of the White House has been granted.
Please Note: On September 4, 2009 President Obama announced that visitor access records to the White House Complex will be made publicly available 90-120 days after the date of visit. This policy includes all guests touring the White House. Please be aware that if the White House Visitors Center approves you for a White House tour, your full name and the date of your visit will be part of the publicly released records. Your date of birth, Social Security Number and all other information provided will not be released.
School Tours
Please be advised that the Capitol Guide Service fills up on spots for schools tours quickly. Schools are encouraged to request tours by November of each year, even though our office will not be able to schedule tours until approximately one month in advance of the tour date. These guidelines are set by the Capitol Guide Service and are not in our office’s control.
Additional Questions
Rest assured that we will be as creative and persistent as possible in order to secure tours for you. Should you have any further questions, please contact the Tour Coordinator at 202-225-2631.
If you would like to schedule an appointment with me, you may call the Scheduler in my DC or Campbell offices.
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