Visiting Washington, D.C.

Visiting DC

Washington, DC, is full of important historical and cultural sights. Reserved congressional tours of several sites may be obtained by completing the web form below. Tickets are provided to residents of New York’s 18th Congressional District on a first come, first served basis. For that reason, we suggest you contact us with your dates of travel as far in advance as possible. Four months prior notice is advised. Please keep this in mind when planning your trip. Additionally, it is important to note that we assume that constituents are available for the entirety of each date that they provide. Any time constraints should be noted in the comments section of the tour request form.

To request assistance with arranging tours of select Federal buildings and attractions, please click here.

U.S. CAPITOL - Capitol Hill. Nearest Metro stop: Capitol South. Phone: (202) 225-6827. The Capitol is open to the public for guided tours only. Tours are conducted from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday on a first come, first serve basis at the Capitol Guide Service kiosk located along the curving sidewalk southwest of the Capitol (near the intersection of First Street, S.W., and Independence Avenue). Ticket distribution begins at 9:00 a.m. daily. Constituents may also contact our office about the availability of Congressional staff-led tours of the Capitol and/or passes to the House of Representatives Gallery.

BUREAU OF ENGRAVING AND PRINTING - 14th and C Streets, S.W. Nearest Metro stop: Smithsonian. Phone: (202) 874-2330. See how U.S. currency is printed. Public tours run from 9:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m and 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Information on extended summer hours can be found on BEP’s website. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-serve basis every morning beginning at 8:00 a.m. A limited number of reserved tours through Congresswoman Lowey’s office are offered at 8:15 and 8:45 a.m. throughout the year, and at 4:00, 4:15, 4:30 and 4:45 during the summer months. The BEP is closed on weekends, federal holidays, and the period between Christmas and New Years Day.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS - Jefferson Building, First Street and Independence Avenue, S.E. Nearest Metro stop: Capitol South. Phone: (202) 707-8000. Public tours of the Library of Congress are offered on a first come, first served basis Monday through Friday at 10:30, 11:30, 1:30, 2:30 & 3:30 p.m. These free tours are open to individuals and groups of no more than 10. No reservations or tickets are required. Congresswoman Lowey’s Office can arrange reserved constituent tours at 8:30 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. Monday – Friday.

HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM - 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, S.W. Closest Metro stop: Smithsonian. Phone: (202) 488-0400. VIP Congressional tickets can be reserved through our office for groups of 10 or less. These tickets may be reserved for a specific day and may be used at any time throughout that day. Open 7 days 10:00a.m. to 5:30p.m. The Museum is closed on Christmas Day and Yom Kippur.

SUPREME COURT - First Street and Maryland Avenue, N.E. Nearest Metro stop: Union Station or Capitol South. Phone: (202) 479-3395. The building is open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. It is closed Saturdays, Sundays, and federal holidays. The Supreme Court offers a variety of educational programs. Exhibits, which are changed periodically, and a theater, where a film on the Supreme Court is shown, are located on the ground floor. Lectures in the Courtroom are typically given every hour on the half-hour, on days that the Court is not sitting, beginning at 9:30 a.m. and concluding at 3:30 p.m. Constituents of Rep. Lowey may also contact her office to obtain a spot on the 2:00 pm congressional reserved tour, which is strictly limited by the Court to 6 tickets per day.

THE WHITE HOUSE - 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Nearest Metro stop: McPherson Square or Metro Center. Phone: (202) 456-7041. Tours of the White House must be scheduled through your Member of Congress or Senator.  Tours are currently available from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday (excluding federal holidays). Tours of the White House are processed by the White House Visitor’s Center and are not guaranteed. As the White House Visitor’s Office distributes a very limited number of constituent tickets on a first-come, first-served basis, they recommend requesting tickets between 4 – 6 months in advance of your visit.

Listed below are various other points of interest in the Washington area with Metro stops, telephone numbers and addresses included. We hope this is helpful in planning your trip.

ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY - Nearest Metro stop: Arlington Cemetery. Phone: (703) 979-4886. Arlington National Cemetery is open to the public at 8 a.m. 365 days a year. From April 1 to Sept. 30 the cemetery closes at 7 p.m. during the other six months, it closes at 5 p.m. Sites include the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Amphitheater, the Custis-Lee Mansion and the graves of Presidents John F. Kennedy and William Howard Taft. The Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier occurs every hour on the hour and every half hour during the summer months. There is a narrated bus tour.

BOTANICAL GARDENS - Maryland Avenue and First St., S.W. Phone: (202) 225-8333. Nearest Metro stop: Federal Center; Metro Buses # 32, 34, 36. The Conservatory is open 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. everyday, including weekends and holidays. The new National Garden, located immediately west of the Conservatory, will be open 10 a.m. - 7 p.m., June 1 - September 30, 2007. After September 30, the National Garden will close at 5 p.m. Individual and group tours are available with advance reservations.

CORCORAN GALLERY OF ART - 17th Street and New York Avenue. Nearest Metro stop: Farragut West. Phone: (202) 639-1700. Open 6 days from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Tuesdays and holidays. Open until 9 p.m. on Thursdays.

DUMBARTON OAKS - 1703 32nd Street, N.W. Phone: 202-339-6410. Gardens open daily from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Museum open Tuesday through Sunday from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Both are closed on federal holidays. Admission to garden, please call for prices.