Tours and Tickets

White House Tours

Congressman Ruppersberger’s office is happy to submit requests for White House tours for constituents that live in Maryland’s Second District. Due to the volume of requests, White House tours are allocated on a first come, first serve basis. Security protocols require at least three weeks notice, however, we recommend that you make your request up to six months in advance (but not beyond). Due to a large volume of requests during the summer months and December, we highly recommend a minimum of four months’ notice for requests made during these peak times. Requests made with a minimum four months’ notice have a higher approval rate, but approval is not guaranteed. The White House is usually unable to accomodate requests made on short notice (2-3 months or less) during these peak times. 

Tours are self-guided and are available Tuesday through Saturday, from 7:30 AM to 12:00 PM. Our office can submit requests for as many dates as you would like and we encourage you to provide as many as possible. The White House does not allow us to submit requests for specific times, so please make sure your group is available for the entire duration on dates requested. The White House will let our office know if your tour request has been approved or denied no sooner than three weeks prior to your first requested date. Please follow the step-by step instructions below very carefully in order to obtain a White House Tour. Our office CANNOT make any exceptions to these protocols.

Congressman Ruppersberger’s office will be in touch should we require additional information and upon receipt of an update from the White House Visitor’s Office on your tour request. Please note, the White House Visitor’s Office will not update our office on a tour request until approximately two weeks before your requested tour date.

U.S. Capitol Tours

Tours of the Capitol Building are conducted Monday through Saturday from 8:45 AM to 3:30 PM beginning at the Capitol Visitors Center located below the East Plaza of the Capitol between Constitution and Independence Avenue. The Visitors Center is open from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

Capitol Tours are easy to self-schedule for small and large groups at www.visitthecapitol.gov. Please feel free to stop by Congressman Ruppersberger’s office, located in room 2416 of the Rayburn House Office Building, on the day of your tour to receive tickets to see the galleries of the House and Senate chambers.

While in DC, you might want to check out some of the other historic sights:

Arlington National Cemetery

Open daily April through September from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM and October through March from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is every half hour during the summer months and every hour on the hour in the winter months. Also at the Cemetery are the Amphitheater and the graves of Presidents' John F. Kennedy and William Howard Taft. Narrated bus tours are available. Phone: (703) 692-0931.

United States Botanic Garden

1st and Maryland Avenue, S.W. Open daily from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Group tours are available with advance reservations. Free 45-minute highlight tours of the U.S. Botanic Garden Conservatory may be available on the day of your visit. Check at the Visitor Information Desk upon your arrival. Phone: (202) 225-8333.

Bureau of Engraving and Printing

14th and C Streets, S.W. See how U.S. currency is printed. Tours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM leaving every 15 minutes with extended hours in the summer. Tickets are required for tours during peak season only (March through August) and are available at the ticket booth on Raoul Wallenberg Place starting at 8:00 AM. You must have a photo ID and one individual can obtain up to four tickets for the same day only. Arrive early - first come, first serve. During the rest of the year, no tickets are required. The Visitors Center is open from 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM, with extended hours during the summer. Closed weekends, federal holidays and the week between Christmas and New Years. Phone: (202) 874-2330.

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Due to extensive renovations, tours have been suspended until further notice. Phone: (202) 324-3447.

Ford's Theatre and Lincoln Museum

Currently closed for renovations. Museum is scheduled to reopen no later than spring of 2009. Phone: (202) 233-0701.

Holocaust Memorial Museum

100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, S.W., Washington, DC 20024-2150. Hours are 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM daily, closed Christmas and Yom Kippur. No passes are needed to enter the museum and to access certain exhibits. Free timed passes are needed March through August to access the Permanent Exhibition- The Holocaust. Tickets are available in advance at ticker.com and for same day visits on a first come, first served basis at the Box Office on the 14th Street side of the Museum which opens at 9:00 AM. For group visits, write to the Museum's Schedule Coordinator at least four weeks in advance. Phone: (202) 488-0400.

Jefferson Memorial

South side of the Tidal Basin. Open 8:00 AM - 12:00 AM, every day, except December 25th. At the Swan Boathouse, north side of Tidal Basin, you can rent a pedal boat to cruise the Basin. Phone: (202) 426-6841.

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Regular tours are conducted by Friends of the Kennedy Center volunteers on Monday through Friday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Visitors should go to the tour desk on Motor Lobby A. Tours leave every 10 minutes. No tours on Christmas or New Year's Day. Phone: (202) 416-8340. Ticket information: (202) 467-4600.

Library of Congress

Thomas Jefferson Building, 1st Street S.E., between Independence Avenue and East Capitol Street. Tours are conducted Monday through Saturday at 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM, 1:30 PM, 2:30 PM and 3:30 PM. On Saturday, the 3:30 PM tour is not available. The Library asks that groups of over 10 people make a reservation 30 days in advance. Constituents may make reservations for tours through my office. Phone: (202) 707-5458 or (202) 707-8000.

Lincoln Memorial

West Potomac Park at the foot of 23rd Street, N.W. Open 24 hours a day. Rangers are on duty to answer questions from 9:30 AM to 11:30 PM daily. Interpretative cell phone tours are also available at the Lincoln Memorial by calling (202) 747-3420. Phone: (202) 426-6841.

Mount Vernon

Home of George Washington. Open to the public daily, including holidays. April through August, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM; March, September, October, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, November through February, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Tickets are available in admission in advance at www.mountvernon.org or at the ticket window on location. Phone: (703) 780-2000 for information and group information.

National Aquarium

Established in 1873. 14th Street between Constitution and Pennsylvania Ave. in the Dept. of Commerce Building. Open daily from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Daily animal feedings and aquarist talks are at 2:00 PM. Admission charge. Phone: (202) 482-2825.

National Archives

8th and Constitution Avenue, N.W. See the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. Exhibit hall opens at 10:00 AM and closes at 5:30 PM in the fall and winter and at 7:00 PM in the spring and summer. Reserved times for tours are available for self-guided tours but must be made at least six weeks in advance. Guided tours are also available. Closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Phone: (202) 501-5402.

National Gallery of Art

On the Mall at Constitution Avenue between 3rd and 7th Streets, N.W. Open Monday through Saturday -10:00 AM to 5:00 PM; Sunday - 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Sunday concerts are held at 7:00 PM in the West Garden Court first Sunday in October through the last Sunday in June. Closed December 25th and January 1st. Phone: (202) 737-4215.

National Postal Museum

First Street and Massachusetts Avenue, N.E. 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM daily. Closed December 25. Free Admission. (202) 357-2991.

National Zoological Park

3000 block of Connecticut Avenue, N.W. April through October the grounds are open from 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM and the buildings are open from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. November through March the grounds are open from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM and the buildings are open from 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Closed on Christmas. Free Admission. Phone: (202) 673-4717.

Pentagon

Tours of the Pentagon are free and available by reservation only. Tours are conducted Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Groups interested in touring the Pentagon should contact the Pentagon Tour Office at (703) 697-1776.

Smithsonian Institution

For information, call (202) 357-2700. The Washington Museums are open daily, except December 25, from 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM.

State Department

2201 C Street, N.W. Guided tours are conducted Monday through Friday at 9:30 AM, 10:30 AM. and 2:45 PM at no charge. Tours are 45 minutes in duration. Reservations are required and should be made approximately four weeks in advance. This is a Fine Arts tour and not recommend for children under the age of twelve. Closed on federal holidays. Phone: (202) 647-3241.

Supreme Court

1 First Street, N.E. The building is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM. It is closed Saturdays, Sundays, and federal holidays. Public lectures are conducted in the courtroom from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM every hour on the half hour, except when the Court is in session. Phone: (202) 479-3298.

Treasury Department

15 St. and Hamilton Place, NW. Tours are given on Saturday morning at 9:00 AM, 9:45 AM, 10:30 AM and 11:15 AM. Tours last about an hour. Advance reservations are required before your visit through my office. Phone: (202) 622-0896.

U.S. Naval Observatory

34th and Massachusetts Avenue, N.W. Tours are available on selected Monday evenings from 8:30 PM to 10 PM except federal holidays. Tour passes must be reserved in advance and it is recommended that requests be submitted four to six weeks in advance. Phone: (202) 653-1507.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Henry Bacon Drive and 21st Street, N.W at the western end of the National Mall. Open 24 hours a day. Rangers are on duty to answer questions from 9:30 AM to 11:30 PM daily.

Washington Monument

On the Mall at 15th Street, N.W. Ticket are required for admission but are free. Tickets are available for visits the day of from the kiosk on the Washington Monument grounds at 15th Street and Madison Drive on a first-come first-served basis. Hours for the ticket kiosk are 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, but tickets run out early. Tickets are also available in advance at www.recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777. A small handling fee is charged for tickets order in advance. Hours for the Washington Monument are from 9:00 AM to 4:45 PM. Closed Christmas.