Frequently Asked Questions

Visiting the Capitol

If I have a tour reservation, when should I plan to arrive at the Visitor Center?
Is there a fee to enter the Capitol Visitor Center or to take a tour of the historic Capitol?
What time is the Capitol Visitor Center open?
How much time should I allow to visit the Capitol Visitor Center?
How can I book a tour of the historic Capitol?
Do I have to take a tour of the historic Capitol to enter the Capitol Visitor Center?
Can I bring my camera into the Capitol Visitor Center?
I do not have a working printer.  Can I still come for my tour of the Capitol without a copy of my email confirmation?
How can I watch the House or Senate in session?
What is the difference between a Guide-led and Congressional Staff-led tour of the Capitol?

 

The Capitol Visitor Center

What is the size of the Capitol Visitor Center?
How many people can fit in the Capitol Visitor Center at one time?
Can my company rent rooms in the Capitol Visitor Center?
What is the Capitol Visitor Center’s Mission?
When did Congress ceremonially break ground for the Capitol Visitor Center?
When did construction of the Capitol Visitor Center begin?
What is the total cost of the Capitol Visitor Center?
Was anything of historical significance discovered during excavation?
Will there still be staff-led tours of the Capitol?
Isn’t this really a bunker to protect Members of Congress?
What special security features were built into the Capitol Visitor Center?
How will the history of enslaved labor in the construction of the Capitol be conveyed to visitors?
Why did you remove statues from the Capitol? Will the statues in Emancipation Hall be rotated back into the Capitol and other statues moved out to the Capitol Visitor Center?
Where will buses drop off visitors who wish to tour the Capitol?
Are there storage facilities at the Visitor Center for the items that are not allowed in the Capitol?
Does our national motto, “In God We Trust,” appear in the Capitol Visitor Center? What about other religious references?


More Frequently Asked Questions are also available here at the Architect of the Capitol's Web site.


Visiting the Capitol

If I have a tour reservation, when should I plan to arrive at the Visitor Center?
Due to the required security and screening process and the potential for longer wait times during peak visitation periods, we recommend that you plan to arrive at least 45 minutes prior to the start of your tour. If you have time to spare prior to your tour, you are encouraged to visit Exhibition Hall on the lower level. There you will find historic documents, artifacts, models, films, and interactive stations that tell the story of the U.S. Capitol and the Congress.
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Is there a fee to enter the Capitol Visitor Center or to take a tour of the historic Capitol?
No, there is no fee to enter the Capitol Visitor Center or to take a tour of the Capitol.
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What time is the Capitol Visitor Center open?
The Capitol Visitor Center is open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. It is closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and Inauguration Day. Visitors with official business appointments may enter the Visitor Center as early as 7:15 a.m.
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How much time should I allow to visit the Capitol Visitor Center?
We recommend that you plan to allow at least 90 minutes for your visit to the Capitol Visitor Center and to tour the historic Capitol. There is much to see, including an Exhibition Hall where you can learn about Congress and the Capitol, two gift shops, and a 530-seat restaurant.
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How can I book a tour of the historic Capitol?
You can book a tour of the Capitol online with our Advance Reservation System or through your Member of Congress.  Please click here for complete details.
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Do I have to take a tour of the historic Capitol to enter the Capitol Visitor Center?
No, the Visitor Center is a public access building and you do not need a tour ticket to enter.
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Can I bring my camera into the Capitol Visitor Center?
Yes, cameras are allowed in the Visitor Center. However, photography in the Exhibition Hall is strictly prohibited to protect the original documents that are on display.  Please click here for the complete list of all prohibited items.
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I do not have a working printer.  Can I still come for my tour of the Capitol without a copy of my email confirmation?
Yes, you may still come for your tour of the Capitol even though you don’t have your email confirmation. It is helpful to us if you make a note of your confirmation number and bring it with you. But we also track those confirmations by the last name of the person making the reservation, so we can get you your ticket in that way. Our goal is to check in tour participants as quickly as possible.
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How can I watch the House or Senate in session?
The Senate and House Galleries -- where visitors may watch the Senate or House in session -- are open to visitors whenever either body is in session. In addition, the House Gallery is open 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday – Friday, when the House is not in session.
Gallery passes are required to enter either Gallery at any time. Visitors may obtain Gallery passes from the offices of their Senators or Representatives. Gallery passes are available for international visitors at the House and Senate Appointment Desks on the upper level of the Capitol Visitor Center near the main entrance.
The Gallery "staging areas" are located on the upper level of the Visitor Center near the Orientation Theater exits. Visitors are not allowed to bring battery-operated electronic devices (medical devices are permitted); cameras; creams, lotions or perfumes; strollers; or video recorders or any type of recording device into the Galleries. These items may be stored securely in the Gallery staging areas while visitors are in the Galleries.
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What is the difference between a Guide-led and Congressional Staff-led tour of the Capitol?
Many Congressional offices offer their own staff-led tours to constituent groups of up to 15 people. Visitors will see the same historic highlights of the Capitol on Guide-led and Congressional staff-led tours.  Some Congressional staff include information specific to their state or district as they conduct their tours.  To book a Congressional staff-led tour, contact the office of one of your Senators or your Representative to see if the office offers these tours.
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The Capitol Visitor Center

 What is the size of the Capitol Visitor Center?
The Capitol Visitor Center is 580,000 square feet on three levels. For purposes of comparison, the Capitol itself encompasses 775,000 square feet. The Visitor Center, therefore, is roughly three quarters the size of the historic Capitol. The Visitor Center footprint also encompasses 170,000 square feet of new building space for the House and Senate.
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How many people can fit in the Capitol Visitor Center at one time?
Approximately 4,000 people can comfortably fit in the Capitol Visitor Center at one time. Everyone who enters the Visitor Center can enjoy the many amenities that the facility offers, including a 530-seat restaurant, two gift shops, an Exhibition Hall and 26 restrooms in an atmosphere of free and open access.
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Can my company rent rooms in the Capitol Visitor Center?
The Visitor Center will not be available for rental by any private entities or private event planning companies. Any event that will be held in the Capitol Visitor Center will need to be sponsored by a Member of Congress. The same rules that apply to the Capitol apply to the Capitol Visitor Center.
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What is the Capitol Visitor Center’s Mission?
The mission of the Capitol Visitor Center at the U.S. Capitol is to provide a welcoming and educational environment for visitors to learn about the unique characteristics of the House and the Senate and the legislative process, as well as the history and development of the architecture and art of the U.S. Capitol. The new Capitol Visitor Center will vastly improve upon the current visitor experience at the Capitol by providing more efficient service with more amenities for the many visitors, including a Restaurant and two Gift Shops, resulting in a safe, secure, seamless, positive experience. Ongoing lectures, informative programs, lively special events and changing exhibits will ensure that all visitors—local or from out-of-town—will have a unique and rewarding experience each time they visit.
Through national and international partnerships, outreach to schools and educators across the country, and a vibrant Web presence, the Capitol Visitor Center experience will actually begin for visitors long before they even set foot in the Capitol.
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When did Congress ceremonially break ground for the Capitol Visitor Center?
On June 20, 2000, members of the Capitol Preservation Commission, the guiding board of Congressional leaders who spearheaded the Capitol Visitor Center initiative on behalf of the entire U.S. Congress, ceremonially broke ground to signal the beginning of the project.
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When did construction of the Capitol Visitor Center begin?
Actual construction work began in 2002 after a major reassessment of the project following the events of September 11. Excavation of the East Front Plaza began in August, 2002. In the fall of 2003, excavation was essentially complete and build-up of the Visitor Center structure began. In July 2008, the Architect of the Capitol’s Fire Marshal issued a Certificate of Occupancy allowing for personnel to begin occupying the facility.
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What is the total cost of the Capitol Visitor Center?
The overall project cost was $621 million. The duration of construction was approximately six years, from August 2002 through November 2008.
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Was anything of historical significance discovered during excavation?
Nothing of a significant historical nature was discovered during excavation. The project architect, RTKL, hired an archaeological consultant to research the history of the grounds and to conduct surveys of Capitol Hill, formerly Jenkin’s Hill, prior to the start of construction. The research showed that the Capitol Grounds were occupied to some extent by sub-tribes of the Algonquin Indians during colonial days, but research indicated that most of the tribal activities occurred closer to the Potomac River. Previous excavation work may have removed materials from earlier eras. In 1874, Olmsted called for the removal of 240,000 cubic yards of material from the East Capitol Grounds in order to lay a more fertile bed of soil. Later, in 1958-59, much of the area near the Capitol was excavated during the East Front Extension project, which extended the East Front of the Capitol 32.5 feet.
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Will there still be staff-led tours of the Capitol?
Yes, Congressional staff will continue to lead tours of the Capitol. A new program is being offered which will provide Member office staffers who give tours required training on life safety and evacuations, tour logistics, and historical interpretation.
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Isn’t this really a bunker to protect Members of Congress?
The decision to locate the Visitor Center below ground was to preserve the historic views of the Capitol and, to the extent possible, restore and revive the pedestrian-friendly historic landscape designed by Frederick Law Olmsted in 1874. Putting a three-story structure on the East or West Front of the Capitol was not an option. Six skylights (including two that measure 30 by 70 feet) provide direct, natural light, and connect visitors visually to the picturesque Capitol dome.
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What special security features were built into the Capitol Visitor Center?
Improving the security of the Congress, the Capitol, and visitors was one of the fundamental goals driving the construction of the Capitol Visitor Center.
The fatal shootings of two U.S. Capitol Police officers in July 1998 and the events of September 11 underscored the degree to which the Capitol and its occupants are at risk. Therefore, Congress directed the Architect of the Capitol to design and construct a visitor center to “provide greater security for all persons working in or visiting the United States Capitol and to provide a more convenient place in which to learn of the work of Congress.”
The Visitor Center will now provide a secure public environment to welcome and manage the millions of visitors annually and protect the Capitol Building, its occupants, and guests.
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How will the history of enslaved labor in the construction of the Capitol be conveyed to visitors?
The issue of enslaved labor in the construction of the U.S. Capitol is presented in a number of ways in the Capitol Visitor Center. In the Exhibition Hall, reading rails include text accompanied by images that discuss the contributions of enslaved laborers who cleared grounds, quarried stone, sawed timber, and labored on the Capitol’s structure. Reading rails around the plaster model for the Statue of Freedom highlight the contributions of Philip Reid, an enslaved laborer whose talents were instrumental in the casting of the Statue of Freedom
In addition, the importance of enslaved laborers is discussed in the 13-minute orientation film that will be shown to all visitors at the beginning of their tour of the Capitol. Educational information on the role of enslaved labor is also incorporated into the script for guide-led tours and staff-led tours of the Capitol. The topic also will be covered in a brochure that will be available in the Visitor Center, and it will be included in the Capitol Visitor Center’s on-line exhibition on its Website.
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Why did you remove statues from the Capitol? Will the statues in Emancipation Hall be rotated back into the Capitol and other statues moved out to the Capitol Visitor Center?
The Joint Committee on the Library approved moving 24 statues from various locations in the Capitol to the Visitor Center, which was designed as an extension of the Capitol, not a separate facility. The plan’s goal is to make these sculptures more accessible to the visiting public and help alleviate overcrowding.
Overcrowding has been an issue in Statuary Hall since the 1930s, and Congress determined in 1933 that only one statue from each state should be placed in Statuary Hall, and that the others would be given prominent locations in designated areas and corridors of the Capitol. With the addition of the Capitol Visitor Center, it was decided that the statues would be rearranged again in order to further highlight and feature this unique collection, which represents the 50 United States and its citizens.
The statues selected to be moved are those that were most recently donated to the collection, and represent the diversity of our country. There is no plan to rotate the statues in Emancipation Hall or move other statues from the Capitol into the Visitor Center.
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Where will buses drop off visitors who wish to tour the Capitol?
Tour buses will continue to be allowed to drop off visitors on the West Front of the Capitol. For people with mobility issues, there are shuttles driven by Visitor Assistants available to take them to the Visitor Center entrance at the East Front. City buses, including Metrobus, will be able to drop off passengers at the East Front near the Visitor Center entrance.
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Are there storage facilities at the Visitor Center for the items that are not allowed in the Capitol?
There are no storage facilities at the Visitor Center for prohibited items. Items that are allowed in the Visitor Center and the Capitol, but not in the Senate and House Galleries may be stored securely in the Senate and House Gallery Staging Areas.
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Does our national motto, “In God We Trust,” appear in the Capitol Visitor Center? What about other religious references?
Yes, our national motto does appear in the Capitol Visitor Center in the House Theater exhibit. References to religion and faith are included in the context of several historic exhibits, and several religious items appear in the displays.
Some examples include Article 3 of the Northwest Ordinance in its entirety; a copy of the Pledge of Allegiance and the prayer said at the opening of the current Congress; a copy of the Bible used to administer the oath of office to Senators until 1882; portraits of the first House and Senate chaplains; information about religious services regularly held in the Capitol in the 1800s, and an unaltered display of the U.S. Constitution highlighting the First Amendment which established our country’s right to the freedom of religion.
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