Tours and Tickets

White House Tours

 

*Due to the incoming of a new Administration, the White House cannot guarantee tours requested after January 19th.*

 

Congressman Ruppersberger is happy to submit requests for tours of the White House on behalf of his constituents. Tours are self-guided and are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. The White House offers these tours Tuesday through Saturday, from 7:30 a.m. until 12:00 p.m.

Due to demand, constituents should request a tour at least three months in advance. Constituents may request up to three dates, but the White House does not permit requests for specific times. This means that you must be available between 7:30 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. on the date of your tour. We also can't indicate which dates are preferred over others.  It is best  to submit dates that are consecutive and that fall in the same week to ensure the best chance of obtaining a tour.

While there is no minimum group size, the maximum group size is 100. Once you request a specific number of tickets you will not be able to add more people to your group. 

If you would like to request a tour, please email my Tour Coordinator, Ms. Kendall Strong at 
Kendall.Strong@mail.house.gov. Please include your name, the total number of people in your group, and the three dates you are requesting.

My office will submit your request to the White House as soon as the dates you have requested become available. Once submitted, you will receive an email from the White House Tour Office. Open the secure “RSVP” link within this e-mail and enter the security information for all members of your group. You can share this RSVP link with the other members of your group and they can enter their security information themselves. This security information will include: first and last name, date of birth, Social Security number (for requesters 18 or older), country of citizenship, and the city and state in which they reside. You must include data for infants. Foreign visitors should submit the city and state in which they are staying during their visit to the U.S. and, if approved, will need to bring their passports to the White House even if they are  under the age of 18.

You must enter all of your security information within 7 days of receiving this email. After 7 days, no information can be added, removed or changed. Failure to enter this information within 7 days will result in an automatic cancellation of your request, and guests whose information has not been entered will be unable to attend the tour, if approved.

The White House will let you know if your tour has been confirmed or denied approximately two weeks before your requested date. Unfortunately, my office is unable to perform “status checks” or expedite this process.

Here are a few things to keep in mind should your tour be approved:

• Each tour lasts about 45 minutes. It is recommended you arrive 15-30 minutes before your tour time.
• All guests aged 18 or older are required to bring a government-issued photo ID to the tour – driver’s licenses, military IDs, green cards, passports, State Department Diplomatic IDs, and PIVs are all acceptable. Foreign visitors, including those under the age of 18, are required to bring their passport. Photo identification that has been photocopied, scanned or transmitted electronically, or which has expired will not be accepted. All security information that has been submitted to the White House must match that on the government-issued photo ID you bring with you.
• There are no storage facilities available on the White House complex. Individuals who arrive with prohibited items will be turned away. Prohibited items include:
  • Video cameras, cameras with detachable lenses, tablets, iPads, tripods, monopods, and camera sticks
  • Bags of any kind (handbags, purses, book bags, and backpacks)
  • Any pointed objects, including pocket knives
  • Stollers and diaper bags
  • Food, liquids, aerosols, tobacco products, personal grooming items (i.e. makeup, lotion, etc.)
  • Guns, ammunition, fireworks, electric stun guns, mace, martial arts weapons/devices, toy weapons, or knives of any kind.
• Items that are permitted include:
  • Compact cameras (still photography only, no video recording or streaming devices, lenses must be less than 3 inches long)
  • Umbrellas without metal tips
  • Wallets
  • Cell phones (talking or texting is not permitted, still photography is allowed, please silence your phone)
  • All items needed for medical purposes will be permitted (i.e. wheelchairs, electric scooters, glucose tablets, EpiPens, medication, etc.)

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.