Visit Washington D.C.

The White House is available for tours from 7:30AM-11:30AM Tuesday-Thursday, and 7:30AM-1:30PM Friday-Saturday. Tours can be requested up to three months in advance and no less than 21 days in advance. White House tours are always dependent on official events and may be subject to last minute cancellations.

Before making a tour request, please note:

Once the request is submitted, the number and names of people allowed on the tour cannot be changed.

Please make travel plans first, then contact my office when you have a specific visit in mind. It is not advisable to wait for a confirmed tour before making travel arrangements, as the White House confirms tours with very little notice (usually as little as 14 days advance notice).

White House tours are distributed on a first come, first served basis. Therefore, it is best to contact my office as soon as you have firm travel plans.

For the best chances of having a tour request be accommodated, please give at least three months advance notice (this is the earliest the White House will accept a request from our office). Tour requests cannot be submitted less than three weeks before the requested tour date.

Tour request acceptance or denial is solely at the discretion of the White House Visitors Office.

The Supreme Court building is open from 9:00AM-4:30PM Monday-Friday and closed weekends and federal holidays. There is a great ground-floor cafeteria open to the public for breakfast and lunch, as well as exhibits, a film, and a gift shop.

A Court Term begins the first Monday in October and lasts through June, with breaks for summer.

When the court is in session, oral arguments are open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis (limited seating). To see whether oral arguments are occurring during your visit, please check the Supreme Court website. The Court generally hears two one-hour arguments a day, at 10AM and 11AM, with occasional afternoon sessions scheduled as necessary. Arguments are held on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays in two-week intervals through late April (with longer breaks during December and February). In mid-May, after the oral argument portion of the Term has concluded, the Court takes the Bench Mondays at 10AM for the release of orders and opinions. This practice continues until all the cases heard during the Term are decided, usually the last week in June. These sessions, which typically last between 15 and 30 minutes, are also open to the public.

When court is not in session there are free lectures every hour on the half hour from 9:30AM to 3:30PM Monday-Friday. No reservations are necessary. Anyone wishing to attend a lecture should line up on the Front Plaza of the Supreme Court Building. If your group size is smaller than 25, they recommend that you arrive 10 minutes prior to start of lecture, 25-50 in group then 20 minutes prior, 50-75 in group, 30 minutes prior, 75-100 then 45 minutes prior, larger than 100 then 60 minutes prior. Lecture schedules may vary and it is best to call and confirm times before your visit.
For weekly updates on the Courtroom Lecture schedule, please call:
202-479-3211 (ext.4 … and ext. 4 again)

Lectures can also be arranged through Congressional offices on a limited basis. These reserved lectures are only available on days when the Supreme Court will be open to the public. Congressional offices are limited to 6 guests for any 2pm lecture. Group of 6 people or more must go through the public lecture line.

For the Supreme Court Visitor Information Line, please call: 202-478-3211 (ext. 4)

The U.S. Capitol Building is available for public tours from 8:45AM-4:15PM Monday-Saturday. Groups of 10 or less can make their own reservations through the Capitol Visitor Center up to two months in advance. Groups larger than 10 must make a reservation through a Congressional office.

To visit the House or Senate Galleries, additional passes are needed for entry. Passes for both the Senate and House are available at my office during normal business hours Monday-Friday. The Senate Gallery is open to the public only when the Senate is in session. The House Gallery is open to the public Monday-Friday from 9:00AM-4:30PM.

For the latest recorded information on visiting the Capitol, please call: 202-225-6827. For special needs (wheelchair access, etc), please call: 202-224-4048 (voice) or 202-224-4049 (TDD).

The Library of Congress is available for public tours at 10:30 and 11:30AM, 1:30, 2:30, and 3:30PM, Monday-Friday. Saturday tours are offered at 10:30 and 11:30AM, as well as 1:30 and 2:30PM. These free tours are open to individuals and small groups with no more than 10 participants. No reservations or tickets are required.

Groups of 10 to 60 participants may reserve private tours with advance notice by filling out the form provided by the Visitor Services Office through their website or calling 202-707-0919. These tours are designed for organizations and schools (fifth-grade level and above). Reserved group tour times are offered Monday-Friday, at 9AM, 10AM, 11AM, and 1PM, subject to availability.

Tours can also be arranged through Congressional offices. These tours are only available on days when the Library will be open to the public. These tours can be requested for either 8:30am or 1:45pm. A 3:45pm tour is also available during extended summer hours.

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing is available for public tours Monday-Friday every 15 minutes between 9:00AM and 10:45AM, and 12:30PM-2:00PM during off-peak seasons (September-February); and 9:00AM-7:00PM during peak months (March-August). Tours last approximately 45 minutes. Tickets are not needed during off-peak season, but you do need to wait in line at the 15th street entrance.

Tours can also be arranged through Congressional offices. Offices can only have 10 reserved each day. Tours are given Monday-Friday 8:15AM and 8:45AM year-round, and 4:00PM, 4:15PM, 4:30PM, and 4:45PM April through August.

Pentagon group tours are available directly through the Pentagon website if you reserve with your work email address (ending in .edu – .gov – .org -or- .mil). A group tour is made up of 5 or more people and is from an educational institution (K-12, college and home school), government agency, church or military unit; Boy/Girl Scouts are also included in this group.

Pentagon tour requests that do not meet the above guidelines must be scheduled through a Congressional office. These tours are only available Monday-Friday. The following information is required for everyone planning to attend the tour: Full Name, Date of Birth, and Country/City/State of Birth. Should your request be approved by the Pentagon, this information will be given to the Pentagon for a security background check. If anyone planning to attend the tour was not born in the U.S., please include their passport information.

The FBI Experience is a self-guided tour at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C., open for tours Monday-Friday at 9:00AM, 10:30AM, 12:00PM, 1:30PM, and 3:00PM, and is designed to last approximately 60-90 minutes.  The tour features interactive multimedia exhibits, content, and historical artifacts – including a number of items on display for the very first time – that help illustrate the importance of the Bureau’s work to protect our nation.

The Department of State’s Diplomatic Reception Rooms are one of the greatest mirrors of America’s remarkable cultural accomplishments in fine and decorative arts of the 18th and 19th centuries. Visiting Chiefs of State, Heads of Government, Foreign Ministers, as well as other distinguished foreign and American guests are entertained officially. The reception rooms are available for tours Monday-Friday at 9:30AM, 10:30AM, and 2:45PM.

The Kennedy Center guided tour highlights the historic events that led up to the establishment of the national cultural center that is also our nation’s living memorial to President John F. Kennedy, and includes an interactive exhibit on his life and presidency. Visitors also learn about the works of art given to the Center, such as Robert Berks’s bust of President Kennedy, Willy Weber’s Apollo X, and the stunning Israeli Lounge. The tour concludes with a breathtaking 360-degree view of the nation’s capital from the building’s roof terrace. Public tours are given every 10 minutes, Monday-Friday 10:00AM-5:00PM, and weekends 10:00AM-1:00PM. For more information, call (202) 416-8340.

The National Archives Museum is home of the original Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights which are housed in the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom; the Public Vaults permanent exhibit gallery; the David M. Rubenstein Gallery, the Lawrence F. O’Brien temporary exhibit gallery; the Boeing Learning Center; and the William G. McGowan Theater. It is open Monday-Friday 10:00AM-5:30PM.

Visitors may wait in the general public line for entry at any time the museum is open. However, advance reservations are highly recommended and will allow visitors to avoid the exterior portion of the line to see the Charters of Freedom during the height of the tourist season (March through Labor Day) and during holiday seasons such as the weeks of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. The convenience fee for online reservations is $1.50 per person and admission to all of the National Archives Museum exhibits is free.

The Treasury Department is available for tours Saturday mornings at 9:00AM, 9:45AM, 10:30AM, and 11:15AM. Please note that this is NOT the tour for seeing the production of United States currency notes. To see currency production, you need to tour the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.