Visiting Washington, DC & Tours

A multitude of tours can be arranged for constituents in the Washington D.C. area. These include the U.S. Capitol, The White House, The Pentagon, The Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and much more.

We are best able to accommodate tour requests over the phone. To arrange a tour, please call our Washington, D.C. office at 202.225.4755. Please be aware that all tours are on a first come, first serve basis, and tend to fill-up quickly. We suggest you plan accordingly, especially during more popular tourist seasons.

Tour Opportunities available through the Offices of Congressman Keith Ellison:

The United States Capitol:

The United States Capitol requires a minimum of 1 day prior to tour date to schedule a tour. However, advance notice is encouraged as they are given on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The United States Capitol tour is a staff-guided tour, lasting approximately 45 - 60 minutes. Tour groups are escorted throughout the Capitol, visiting the Crypt, the Old Supreme Court Chamber, the Rotunda, National Statutory Hall, and the House of Representatives Gallery (time permitting).

All guided tours of the U.S.Capitol are free of charge and are available to all constituents. The U.S. Capitol Visitor Center is open Monday through Saturday during normal working hours. Tours are not conducted on Sundays or Federal holidays.

For more information on the U.S. Capitol please visit www.visitthecapitol.gov.

The White House:

Please call Rep. Ellison's DC office (202) 225-4755 to schedule a tour of the White House. 

Self-guided tours of the Visitor’s Center are available from 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Fridays, and 7:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Saturdays (excluding federal holidays).

Pentagon:

The Pentagon requires a minimum of 14 days prior to tour date to schedule a tour.

Pentagon tours last approximately 90 minutes, and cover nearly one and one half miles of the Pentagon facility. Tours consist of more than twenty pages of script that cover twenty items of interest, including: the Department of Defense and each of its branches of service, and numerous displays, highlighting significant moments in military history.

The tours program is a joint service operation consisting of 30 hand-picked, active duty personnel from the National Capitol Region's military ceremonial units. All guided tours of the Pentagon are free and are available to schools, educational organizations and other select groups by reservation only. Tours are conducted Monday through Friday during normal working hours. Tours are not conducted on weekends or Federal holidays.

Department of State:

The Diplomatic Reception Rooms of the Department of State, which are used for official functions hosted by the Secretary of State and other high level government officials, are open for pre-arranged tours at no charge. These rooms hold a premier collection of 18th century American furniture, paintings and decorative arts.

Guided tours are conducted Monday through Friday at 9:30 am, 10:30 am, and 2:45 pm. Tours are 45 minutes in duration. Reservations are required and should be made approximately 90 days in advance, due to the large volume of requests.

This is a fine arts tour. We do not recommend the tour for children under the age of 12. Strollers are not permitted and there are no facilities for storage of personal belongings.

The Library of Congress:

The Library of Congress offers reserved Congressional tours starting at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., Monday - Friday. Non-reserved public tour times are also available on Saturday at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 2:30 p.m.

Bureau of Engraving and Printing:

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing requires a minimum of 30 days prior to tour date to schedule a tour.

Public tours of the Bureau of Engraving are self-guided tours, available during normal business hours, Monday through Friday (excluding federal holidays). Tours are scheduled on a first come, first served basis approximately one month in advance of the requested date.

On the tour, you will see millions of dollars being printed during a tour of the BEP. The tour features the various steps of currency production, beginning with large, blank sheets of paper, and ending with wallet-ready bills!

Please note that in the event that the Department of Homeland Security threat level is elevated to Code Orange, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing will be closed to the public unless otherwise noted.

Please understand the Office of Congressman Ellison does not have control over the tours granted by these institutions, while we will do everything possible to accommodate your group, not all tour requests will be granted.

Additional sites your group may want to visit while in the D.C. area (please note our office does not schedule tours for these institutions):

Supreme Court of the United States:
202.479.3000
http://www.supremecourt.gov/visiting/visitorservices.aspx
Metro Stops: Capitol South or Union Station

Arlington Cemetery :
703.607.8000
http://www.arlingtoncemetetry.org/contact_us.html
Arlington, VA, across the Memorial Bridge from Washington, D.C.
Metro Stops: Arlington Cemetery

Botanic Garden:
202.255.8333
http://www.usbg.gov
On the National Mall at the intersection of Maryland Avenue and 1st Street
Metro Stops: Federal Center or Capitol South

Holocaust Museum :
202.488.0400
http://www.ushmm.org/museum/
100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, 14 th between C and Independence Avenue
Metro Stops: Smithsonian

International Spy Museum :
202.393.7798
http://www.spymuseum.org/group/index.asp
800 F Street, Across from the FBI Building
Metro Stops: Metro Center, Gallery Place/Chinatown, and Federal Triangle

Mount Vernon:
703.780.2000
http://www.mountvernon.org/visit
3200 Vernon Memorial Highway
Metro Stops: Huntington Station (take Fairfax connector bus to Mount Vernon facility

National Archives:
202.357.5000
http://www.archives.gov/facilities/dc/archives_1.html
8 th Street and Constitution, NW
Metro Stops: Archives/NavyMemorial

National Cathedral:
202.537.6200
http://www.cathedral.org/cathedral/index.shtml
Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues, NW
Metro Stops: Tenleytown/ AU

National Zoo:
202.633.4821
http://www.nationalzoo.si.edu/default/cfm
Metro Stops: AdamsMorgan/Woodley Park/Zoo or Cleveland Park

Smithsonian:
202.357.2700
http://www.si.edu/visit/
Metro Stops: Smithsonian or L'Enfant Plaza

The Washington Monument:
202.967.2283 (National Parks)
http://www.nps.gov
15 th Street, SW

For information regarding Metro, please visit: http://www.wmata.com or call Customer Information at 202.637.7000