Visiting Washington 

Below is a list of the tours and attractions that visitors to Washington may be interested in seeing. However, due to the need for increased security following the 9/11 and anthrax attacks, visitor information should be confirmed with each attraction to get the most recent information and possible restrictions. My office may be able to help arrange tours of the Capitol, the White House, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, the Washington Monument, the Kennedy Center, and the Supreme Court. These tours are in great demand so please give my office several weeks advance notice. Tour tickets can be requested by calling my Washington, D.C. office at (202) 225-4306. I look forward to assisting you in making your visit as memorable as possible.

Public Tours

The U.S. Capitol

Visiting the U.S. Capitol is an experience that you will not forget! Tours of this magnificent building can be arranged through my office. The earlier you contact us the better - especially with large groups and classes.

The White House

The White House offers extremely popular self-guided tours Tuesday through Saturday from 7:30am to 12:30pm.  Due to very heavy demand and closures due to scheduled events these tours can be difficult to get. My office can request tours of the White House for constituents up to six months in advance but whether we are granted these tours request is solely the discretion of the White House Visitors Center. It is best to contact our office as soon as you are aware of your travel plans to Washington, D.C.  While we cannot guarantee that you will get a tour of the White House rest assured that we will do our best to exhaust all resources on your behalf. 

When you contact us to arrange tours we typically wait to see if we are able to find you a tour of the White House before scheduling other tours.  Should one become available we will let you know immediately.  Short notice is common; tours could become available up to five days before the tour date.

The White House Visitor Center

The White House Visitor Center is open to the public and does not require reserved tours.  The Center is located at the southeast corner of 15th and E Streets, NW.  The location is easy to find by looking for three American flags and the blue awnings.  It is open seven days a week from 7:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. and features many aspects of the White House, as well as a thirty-minute video. Allow between 20 minutes to one hour to explore the exhibits.

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Public tours have been temporarily suspended. This is subject to change at any time. Please call the FBI at 202-324-3447 to get the latest information about tours.

Bureau of Engraving and Printing and Library of Congress (LOC)

My office can help you arrange tours of the BEP and the LOC, space permitting.  These popular tours should be booked as early as possible, especially if you would like to tour during the heavy Spring and Summer seasons.

The Pentagon

Tours of the Pentagon can be arranged through my office, space permitting.  The Pentagon allows our office to reserve tours up to three months in advance and no later than two weeks in advance. 

Holocaust Museum

Public tours are available daily from 10:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m., however, tickets are required and are not available through Congressional offices. To receive a ticket, you may wait in line at 8:00 a.m. each morning. The ticket may be for later in the day. The Box Office is on the 14th Street side of the Museum and opens at 9:00 a.m. In addition, for a $3 service charge, you can reserve tickets in advance through TicketMaster. Tours begin at 100 Raoul Wallenburg Place, SW. If you call my office several weeks in advance my office may be able to reserve tickets for you and your party which can be picked up at the front desk and that allow you to skip the line and to walk in immediately.

Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Regular public tours are conducted by Friends of the Kennedy Center volunteers daily from 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Visitors should go to the Tour Desk on Motor Lobby A, where tours leave approximately every 15 minutes and last about an hour.

Library of Congress

Tours leave from Madison Memorial Hall (101 Independence Avenue, S.E.) Monday through Friday at 10:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m. The tour is approximately 45 minutes in length. A slide presentation is given hourly beginning at 8:30 a.m.

National Archives

The National Archives Building is currently being renovated. The Rotunda, where the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights are displayed, will be closed until the summer of 2003.

Supreme Court

Twenty-minute courtroom lectures are available every hour on the half-hour when the Court is not in session, Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. The lectures are followed by a short movie and exhibits. The building is open from 9:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Court sessions begin the first Monday in October and continue two weeks per month through April. Visitors are allowed to listen to oral arguments. Courtroom seats are available to visitors on a first-come, first-served basis when the Court is in session from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon and from 1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Tours begin at First Street and Maryland Avenue, NE.