**NOTICE**
As you may be aware, I am leaving office in the U.S. House of Representatives at the end of 2012. Due to the transition of my office to the newly elected Representative for the First Congressional District and the advance notice Washington tour sites require for request submissions, my office will be unable to submit a new tour request on your behalf. I encourage you to visit the websites of Senator Inhofe and Senator Coburn to submit your Washington tour request(s). If you have questions regarding an existing tour reservation, please contact my Washington office: (202) 225-2211.
Below you will find information regarding public tours available for many of the sites in Washington D.C. I hope that the following list of tour sites will be helpful as you plan your visit.
The White House
The White House Visitor Center is located at the southeast corner of 15th and E Streets in the Department of Commerce Building, and is open from 7:30am to 4:00pm daily. The National Park Service at the White House Visitor Center is available to provide a variety of alternative experiences related to the White House including guided walks, talks, films, and lectures. For more information, please call the Visitor Center at (202) 208-1631, or visit the following site: http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/tours-and-events.
U.S. Capitol
Guided tours of the U.S. Capitol Building are free of charge and are conducted Monday through Saturday, 8:50 AM – 3:20 p.m. To book a reservation online, you may visit http://tours.visitthecapitol.gov. The public “walk-up” line for tickets is open from 8:50 AM – 3:20 PM. If you arrive in the morning and wait in this line, you will be able to obtain ‘same-day tickets’. Tickets are first-come, first-served, so we recommend arriving earlier rather than later. If you are interested in obtaining walk-up tickets, you will enter the Capitol through the Capitol Visitor Center, located on the corners of First Street Southeast and East Capitol. Once entering the Capitol Visitor Center, you will need to wait in the “Public Walk-up line” in Emancipation Hall, where a Capitol Visitor’s Center Guide will assist you in acquiring same-day tickets. Capitol tours last approximately 1 hour.
Bureau of Engraving & Printing (BEP)
Public tours of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing are available Monday through Friday, from 9:00 AM – 10:45 AM and 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM. These free, 40 minute tours are conducted every 15 minutes. Same day tickets for public tours are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The ticket booth is located on Raoul Wallenberg Place (formerly 15th Street), with the line forming at the Visitor Entrance on 14th Street. This booth opens at 8:00 a.m. and closes when all tickets have been distributed. Lines form early and tickets go quickly; most days’ tickets are gone by 9:00 a.m. The Visitor Center is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (door closes at 3:00 p.m.). For more information, please visit http://www.moneyfactory.gov/tours/washingtondctours.html.
Library of Congress
Public tours of the Library of Congress are offered Monday – Friday at 10:30am, 11:30am, 1:30pm, 2:30pm, and 3:30pm. Public tours are offered on Saturday at 10:30am, 11:30am, 1:30pm and 2:30pm. Tickets are first-come, first-served. The Jefferson Building is open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m, Monday-Saturday. By Metro, the closest stop is Capitol South located on the blue/orange lines. The Library of Congress is located across the street from the United States Capitol, on First Street and Independence Avenues. The group can enter through the driveway level entrance of the Jefferson building, facing 1st Street, SE. For more information, please visit http://www.loc.gov/visit/tours/guided/jeffersonbuilding.html.
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Tours of the Kennedy Center are conducted Monday – Friday from 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM and 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM on weekends. To book a reservation online, please visit http://www.kennedy-center.org/visitor/tours.html.
The Supreme Court
There are seven Public Courtroom Lectures of the Supreme Court offered every hour on the half-hour from 9:30 AM – 3:30 PM, Monday – Friday (when the Court is not sitting). When the Court is in session, Courtroom Lectures are available only after Court adjourns for the day. The public lectures are open to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis. The Supreme Court is located across the street from the US Capitol between First Street, NE and East Capitol. Visitors may enter the building from the Plaza doors located on each side of the main steps. A wheelchair accessible ramp is located along Maryland Avenue on the left side of the building. The Supreme Court is open to visitors from Monday – Friday (except Federal Holidays), from 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM. For more information, please visit http://www.supremecourt.gov/visiting/touringthebuilding.aspx.
The National Archives
The National Archives is open from 10:00am to 5:30pm daily, with the exception of Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. The National Archives houses the original Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. The entrance is located at the corner of Constitution Avenue and 9th Street, NW. The last admission is 30 minutes prior to closing. Admission is free. Reservations are not required, but are recommended during the summer months and during the winter holiday season. Reservations can be made online at www.archives.gov/nae/visit/reserved-visits.html or by calling 877-444-6777. Otherwise, walk-ups are always welcome. There is a $1.50 convenience fee. Visitors with reservations enter through the “Special Events” door at the corner of Constitution Avenue and 7th Street, NW, and must be in line at least 10 minutes prior to their tour. For more information, please visit http://www.archives.gov/nae/visit/reserved-visits.html.
