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The Capitol (United States)

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The Capitol, {CATEGORY}

The legislative branches of the U.S. government, the Senate and the House of Representatives, meet in the Capitol Building. Public tours form on the east side of the Capitol and include visits to the Rotunda and other chambers. Visitors can also view the Senate and the House from the galleries when Congress is in session. Plan to have lunch at the Senate Refectory, a cafeteria where, by law, bean soup is always on the menu. Visitors can enter the U.S. Capitol Building through the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center and enjoy several historical exhibits.

Practical Information

Address: 1st Street Northeast, Washington, DC 20002

City: Washington

State: District Of Columbia (DC)

Country: United States

Phone 1: +1 202 225 6827

Official site: www.visitthecapitol.gov

Opening hours: Year-round Mon-Sat 8:30am-4:30pm, with first tour starting at 8:50am and last tour starting at 3:20pm

Entrance fee: Free admission

Access by subway: Metro Union Station (Massachusetts Ave. exit) or Capitol South

More info: Parking

Hotels nearby

239 yd - Residence Inn Washington DC/Capitol

With its central location, Residence Inn Washington Dc Capitol Hill is within easy reach of most tourist attractions and business addresses in Washington D.C.. The Residence Inn Washington Dc Capitol Read moreHill boasts a convenient location with modern amenities in every guestroom and superb service. Along with its convenient location in Washington D.C., the hotel also offers a wide range of services and facilities to the guests. To make a reservation at the Residence Inn Washington Dc Capitol Hill Washington D.C. with our secure online booking form, please choose your preffered period of stay.Hide

583 yd - DCAH147

Of a Budget category, the DCAH147 has all the comforts such as : n.a..5 minutes by car distance from the center, this hotel is located at 400 NEW JERSEY AV. NORTHWEST, in the east section of WashingtoRead moren, which is ideal to discover the city.Other useful information:This hotel has a covered parking.Hide

643 yd - The Liaison Capitol Hill

The Liaison Capitol Hill An Affinia Hotel. The 4-star "The Liaison Capitol Hill An Affinia Hotel" is excellent for visiting Washington. "The Liaison Capitol Hill An Affinia Hotel" has been furnished iRead moren a contemporary style. The total number of rooms is 343. All the bedrooms have been described as being modern. Inside, you will always find a pleasant room temperature thanks to the relieving air conditioning. Enjoy some fresh air in the private patio. Don't forget to pack your swimsuit as this residence presents its guests with an outdoor swimming pool. Visitors are offered recreational activities, such as helicopter/airplane tours and birdwatching. For visitors who appreciate practicing sporting activities, "The Liaison Capitol Hill An Affinia Hotel" also offers yoga, sailing, squash, kayaking, aerobics, volleyball, tennis, ice skating and golf as well as a walking trail, boats, motorboats and a running track, and gymnasium where you have the option to sport by yourself. You can also rent a bike if you'd like to go on a cycle tour round the vicinity. After a long or busy day, visitors can relax in the spa. The accommodation offers relaxing massages. Guests can have dinner at the traditional onsite restaurant. The restaurant is known for its Southern specialty. For a drink after a long day, visitors will appreciate the lounge bar. In the morning, visitors have the opportunity to enjoy the hotel's breakfast. Other amenities include an airport shuttle and Internet access.Hide

645 yd - Holiday Inn - On The Hill

This Washington hotel is of a Business category and is a three star . You will find several amenities such as : Restaurant, Room Service, Bar, Front Desk 24hr, Non Smoking Rooms, Business Center, LaunRead moredry, AirCon, Satellite Television.5 minutes by car distance from the center, this hotel is located at 415 New Jersey Avenue Northwest, in the east section of Washington, which is ideal to discover the city.High speed internet is available in this hotel.It is part of the hotel chain Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts.Take advantage of the gym which is available at the hotel.This hotel offers a unique service : wheelchair accessible.Practical information:This hotel has a parking.Hide

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4/5

(1 reviews)

674 yd - Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill

The Hyatt Regency Washington On Capitol Hill Hotel is perfectly located for both business and leisure guests to Washington D.C..The hotel features a wide range of modern facilities and services in itsRead more 832 well-appointed guestrooms and throughout the premises.Each guestroom is tastefully appointed with non smoking rooms, daily newspaper, inhouse movies, internet access – wireless.The basic amenities provided at this Washington D.C. accommodation comprise shops, restaurant, 24hr room service, meeting facilities.To unwind, guests can enjoy the leisure facilities provided on the hotel's property, including gym.The hotel creates a balance of rich culture and modern convinience to ensure you a memorable stay. To make your reservation at the Hyatt Regency Washington On Capitol Hill Hotel quick and easy, please select your preferred dates of stay and proceed with our secure online booking form.Hide

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The Capitol, {CATEGORY}

The Capitol is as majestic up close as it is from afar. For 135 years it sheltered not only both houses of Congress, but also the Supreme Court and, for 97 years, the Library of Congress as well. When you tour the Capitol, you'll learn about America's history as you admire the place in which it unfolded. Classical architecture, interior embellishments, and hundreds of paintings, sculptures, and other artworks are integral elements of the Capitol. The hour-long tour starts in the Capitol Visitor Center, where you watch a 13-minute orientation film, then takes you to the Rotunda, National Statuary Hall, down to the Crypt and back to the Visitor Center. (Get a jump on information about the history and art of the Capitol by going to www.visitthecapitol.gov and clicking on "About the Capitol", then the link "Learn More" about the Capitol, and then "Evolution of the Capitol". The architect of the Capitol's website, www.aoc.gov, is even more informative. The Rotunda - a huge 96-foot-wide circular hall capped by a 180-foot-high dome - is the hub of the Capitol. The dome was completed, at Lincoln's direction, while the Civil War was being fought: "If people see the Capitol going on, it is a sign we intend the Union shall go on", said Lincoln. Ten presidents have lain in state here, with former president Ronald Reagan being the most recent, when Kennedy's casket was displayed, the line of mourners stretched 40 blocks. On rare occasions, someone other than a president, military hero, or member of Congress receives this posthumous recognition. In October 2005, Congress paid tribute to Rosa Parks by allowing her body to lie in state here, the first woman to be so honored. (Parks was the black woman who in 1955 refused to relinquish her seat to a white man on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus, thereby helping to spark a civil rights movement). Embracing the Rotunda walls are eight immense oil paintings commemorating great moments in American history, such as the presentation of the Declaration of Independence and the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown. In the dome is an allegorical fresco masterpiece by Constantino Brumidi, The Apotheosis of Washington, a symbolic portrayal of George Washington surrounded by Roman gods and goddesses watching over the progress of the nation. Brumidi was known as the "Michelangelo of the Capitol" for the many works he created throughout the building. (Take another look at the dome and find the woman directly below Washington, the triumphant Armed Freedom figure is said to be modeled after Lola Germon, a beautiful young actress with whom the 60-year-old Brumidi conceived a child). Beneath the dome is a trompe l'oeil frieze depicting major developments in the life of America, from Columbus's landing in 1492 to the birth of the aviation age in 1903. Don't miss the sculptures in the Rotunda, including: a pensive Abraham Lincoln, a dignified Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a ponderous trinity of suffragists Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Lucretia Mott, and newly added in June 2009, a bronze statue of President Ronald Reagan, looking characteristically genial and confident. The National Statuary Hall was originally the chamber of the House of Representatives. In 1864, it became Statuary Hall, and the states were invited to send two statues each of native sons and daughters to the hall. There are 100 statues in all, New Mexico completing the original collection with its contribution in 2005 of Po'Pay, a Pueblo Indian, who in 1680 led a revolt against the Spanish that helped to save Pueblo culture. (Stay tuned: The District of Columbia hopes to honor two of its own homegrown heroes with statues, despite the fact that Congress, as yet, refuses to recognize D.C. as a state). States do have the prerogative to replace statues with new choices, which is what Alabama did in 2009, putting Helen Keller in and removing one of congressman Jabez Lamar Monroe Curry. Because of space constraints, only 38 statues or so reside in the Hall, with 24 now placed in the Visitor Center and the remaining scattered throughout the corridors of the Capitol. Statues include Ethan Allen, the Revolutionary War hero who founded the state of Vermont, and Missouri's Thomas Hart Benton - not the 20th-century artist famous for his rambunctious murals, but his namesake and uncle, who was one of the first two senators from Missouri and whose antislavery stance in 1850 cost him his Senate seat. Nine women are represented, including Montana's Jeannette Rankin, the first woman to serve in Congress and, as previously mentioned, Helen Keller, both of these statues are located in the Visitor Center's Emancipation Hall. The Crypt of the Capitol lies directly below the Rotunda and is used mainly as an exhibit space. In slow seasons, usually fall and winter, your public tour may include a visit to the Old Supreme Court Chamber, which has been restored to its mid-19th-century appearance. The Supreme Court met here from 1810 to 1860. Busts of the first four chief justices are on display - John Marshall, John Rutledge, John Jay, and Oliver Ellsworth - and so are some of their desks, believed to have been purchased in the 1830s. The justices handed down a number of noteworthy decisions here, including that of Dred Scott v. Sandford, which denied the citizenship of blacks, whether slaves or free, and in so doing precipitated the nation's Civil War. You will not see them on your tour, but the south and north wings of the Capitol hold the House and Senate chambers, respectively. The House of Representatives chamber is the largest legislative chamber in the world, and the setting for the president's annual State of the Union addresses. Procedures for Touring the Capitol: Tours of the Capitol are free and take place year-round, Monday through Saturday between 8:50am and 3:20pm. Capitol Guide Service Guides lead the general public tours, which usually include 40 or 50 people at a time and last 50 to 60 minutes. You and everyone in your party must have a timed pass, which you must order online at www.visitthecapitol.gov. You can also contact your representative or senator in Congress and request passes for constituent tours, which are usually limited to groups of 15 and conducted by congressional staff, who may take you to notable places in the Capitol beyond those seen on the general public tour. A limited number of same-day passes are available daily from the tour kiosks on the east and west fronts of the Capitol and at the information desks on the lower level of the visitor center. During peak spring and summer sessions, you should order tickets at least 2 weeks in advance. No matter what, call tel. 202/225-6827 in advance of your visit, that way you'll know for sure whether the Capitol is open. The Capitol has quite a list of items it prohibits, and you can read the list online at www.visithecapitol.gov or listen to a recitation by calling the number above. Everything from large bags of any kind to food and drink is included, leave everything possible back at the hotel. Procedures for Visiting the House Gallery or Senate Gallery: Try to visit when both the Senate and House are in session. In fact, the Senate Gallery is open to visitors only when it is in session, but the House Gallery is open to visitors whether or not it is in session. (Children 5 and under are not allowed in the Senate gallery). You must have a separate pass, one for each gallery. Once obtained, the passes are good through the remainder of the Congress. You can obtain visitor passes at the offices of your representative and senator, or in the case of District of Columbia and Puerto Rico residents, from the office of their delegate to Congress. To find out your member's office location, go online at www.house.gov or www.senate.gov and follow the links to your state's representatives' or senators' information, or call tel. 202/225-3121 to speak to a Capitol operator. Contrary to popular belief, members of Congress do not have their main offices inside the Capitol building itself. Many of the senior ranking members have Capitol "hideaways", which are exactly what they sound like: places out of the fray where they can take care of business without interruption. The main, staffed offices of Congressional representatives and delegates are in House buildings on the south side, or Independence Avenue side, of the Capitol, senators' main, staffed offices are located in Senate buildings on the north side, or Constitution Avenue side, of the Capitol. If you need help or directions, just ask one of the many Capitol Hill police officers in the area. You should be able to pick up passes to both the Senate and House galleries in one place, at either your representative's office or your senator's office. (Note: International visitors can obtain both House and Senate gallery passes by presenting a passport or a valid driver's license with photo ID to staff at the House and Senate Appointments desks on the upper level of the Visitor Center, near the main entrance). Visit the Capitol's website, www.aoc.gov, the Visitor Center website, www.visitthecapitol.gov, or call your senator or congressperson's office for more exact information about obtaining passes to the House and Senate galleries. You'll know that the House and/or the Senate is in session if you see flags flying over their respective wings of the Capitol (Remember: House, south side, Senate, north side), or you can check the weekday "Today in Congress" column, online only, in the Washington Post, for details on times of the House and Senate sessions and committee hearings. This column also tells you which sessions are open to the public. Or again, access the Capitol's website, www.aoc.gov, for information about the history, art, and construction of the Capitol building, and www.house.gov and www.senate.gov for an in-depth education on the legislative process, schedules of bill debates in the House and Senate, committee markups, and meetings, and links to connect to your Senate or House representative's page.

The Capitol, {CATEGORY}

The Capitol is as majestic up close as it is from afar. For 135 years it sheltered not only both houses of Congress, but also the Supreme Court and, for 97 years, the Library of Congress as well. When you tour the Capitol, you'll learn about America's history as you admire the place in which it unfolded. Classical architecture, interior embellishments, and hundreds of paintings, sculptures, and other artworks are integral elements of the Capitol. The hour-long tour starts in the Capitol Visitor Center, where you watch a 13-minute orientation film, then takes you to the Rotunda, National Statuary Hall, down to the Crypt and back to the Visitor Center. (Get a jump on information about the history and art of the Capitol by going to www.visitthecapitol.gov and clicking on "About the Capitol", then the link "Learn More" about the Capitol, and then "Evolution of the Capitol". The architect of the Capitol's website, www.aoc.gov, is even more informative. The Rotunda - a huge 96-foot-wide circular hall capped by a 180-foot-high dome - is the hub of the Capitol. The dome was completed, at Lincoln's direction, while the Civil War was being fought: "If people see the Capitol going on, it is a sign we intend the Union shall go on", said Lincoln. Ten presidents have lain in state here, with former president Ronald Reagan being the most recent, when Kennedy's casket was displayed, the line of mourners stretched 40 blocks. On rare occasions, someone other than a president, military hero, or member of Congress receives this posthumous recognition. In October 2005, Congress paid tribute to Rosa Parks by allowing her body to lie in state here, the first woman to be so honored. (Parks was the black woman who in 1955 refused to relinquish her seat to a white man on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus, thereby helping to spark a civil rights movement). Embracing the Rotunda walls are eight immense oil paintings commemorating great moments in American history, such as the presentation of the Declaration of Independence and the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown. In the dome is an allegorical fresco masterpiece by Constantino Brumidi, The Apotheosis of Washington, a symbolic portrayal of George Washington surrounded by Roman gods and goddesses watching over the progress of the nation. Brumidi was known as the "Michelangelo of the Capitol" for the many works he created throughout the building. (Take another look at the dome and find the woman directly below Washington, the triumphant Armed Freedom figure is said to be modeled after Lola Germon, a beautiful young actress with whom the 60-year-old Brumidi conceived a child). Beneath the dome is a trompe l'oeil frieze depicting major developments in the life of America, from Columbus's landing in 1492 to the birth of the aviation age in 1903. Don't miss the sculptures in the Rotunda, including: a pensive Abraham Lincoln, a dignified Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a ponderous trinity of suffragists Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Lucretia Mott, and newly added in June 2009, a bronze statue of President Ronald Reagan, looking characteristically genial and confident. The National Statuary Hall was originally the chamber of the House of Representatives. In 1864, it became Statuary Hall, and the states were invited to send two statues each of native sons and daughters to the hall. There are 100 statues in all, New Mexico completing the original collection with its contribution in 2005 of Po'Pay, a Pueblo Indian, who in 1680 led a revolt against the Spanish that helped to save Pueblo culture. (Stay tuned: The District of Columbia hopes to honor two of its own homegrown heroes with statues, despite the fact that Congress, as yet, refuses to recognize D.C. as a state). States do have the prerogative to replace statues with new choices, which is what Alabama did in 2009, putting Helen Keller in and removing one of congressman Jabez Lamar Monroe Curry. Because of space constraints, only 38 statues or so reside in the Hall, with 24 now placed in the Visitor Center and the remaining scattered throughout the corridors of the Capitol. Statues include Ethan Allen, the Revolutionary War hero who founded the state of Vermont, and Missouri's Thomas Hart Benton - not the 20th-century artist famous for his rambunctious murals, but his namesake and uncle, who was one of the first two senators from Missouri and whose antislavery stance in 1850 cost him his Senate seat. Nine women are represented, including Montana's Jeannette Rankin, the first woman to serve in Congress and, as previously mentioned, Helen Keller, both of these statues are located in the Visitor Center's Emancipation Hall. The Crypt of the Capitol lies directly below the Rotunda and is used mainly as an exhibit space. In slow seasons, usually fall and winter, your public tour may include a visit to the Old Supreme Court Chamber, which has been restored to its mid-19th-century appearance. The Supreme Court met here from 1810 to 1860. Busts of the first four chief justices are on display - John Marshall, John Rutledge, John Jay, and Oliver Ellsworth - and so are some of their desks, believed to have been purchased in the 1830s. The justices handed down a number of noteworthy decisions here, including that of Dred Scott v. Sandford, which denied the citizenship of blacks, whether slaves or free, and in so doing precipitated the nation's Civil War. You will not see them on your tour, but the south and north wings of the Capitol hold the House and Senate chambers, respectively. The House of Representatives chamber is the largest legislative chamber in the world, and the setting for the president's annual State of the Union addresses. Procedures for Touring the Capitol: Tours of the Capitol are free and take place year-round, Monday through Saturday between 8:50am and 3:20pm. Capitol Guide Service Guides lead the general public tours, which usually include 40 or 50 people at a time and last 50 to 60 minutes. You and everyone in your party must have a timed pass, which you must order online at www.visitthecapitol.gov. You can also contact your representative or senator in Congress and request passes for constituent tours, which are usually limited to groups of 15 and conducted by congressional staff, who may take you to notable places in the Capitol beyond those seen on the general public tour. A limited number of same-day passes are available daily from the tour kiosks on the east and west fronts of the Capitol and at the information desks on the lower level of the visitor center. During peak spring and summer sessions, you should order tickets at least 2 weeks in advance. No matter what, call tel. 202/225-6827 in advance of your visit, that way you'll know for sure whether the Capitol is open. The Capitol has quite a list of items it prohibits, and you can read the list online at www.visithecapitol.gov or listen to a recitation by calling the number above. Everything from large bags of any kind to food and drink is included, leave everything possible back at the hotel. Procedures for Visiting the House Gallery or Senate Gallery: Try to visit when both the Senate and House are in session. In fact, the Senate Gallery is open to visitors only when it is in session, but the House Gallery is open to visitors whether or not it is in session. (Children 5 and under are not allowed in the Senate gallery). You must have a separate pass, one for each gallery. Once obtained, the passes are good through the remainder of the Congress. You can obtain visitor passes at the offices of your representative and senator, or in the case of District of Columbia and Puerto Rico residents, from the office of their delegate to Congress. To find out your member's office location, go online at www.house.gov or www.senate.gov and follow the links to your state's representatives' or senators' information, or call tel. 202/225-3121 to speak to a Capitol operator. Contrary to popular belief, members of Congress do not have their main offices inside the Capitol building itself. Many of the senior ranking members have Capitol "hideaways", which are exactly what they sound like: places out of the fray where they can take care of business without interruption. The main, staffed offices of Congressional representatives and delegates are in House buildings on the south side, or Independence Avenue side, of the Capitol, senators' main, staffed offices are located in Senate buildings on the north side, or Constitution Avenue side, of the Capitol. If you need help or directions, just ask one of the many Capitol Hill police officers in the area. You should be able to pick up passes to both the Senate and House galleries in one place, at either your representative's office or your senator's office. (Note: International visitors can obtain both House and Senate gallery passes by presenting a passport or a valid driver's license with photo ID to staff at the House and Senate Appointments desks on the upper level of the Visitor Center, near the main entrance). Visit the Capitol's website, www.aoc.gov, the Visitor Center website, www.visitthecapitol.gov, or call your senator or congressperson's office for more exact information about obtaining passes to the House and Senate galleries. You'll know that the House and/or the Senate is in session if you see flags flying over their respective wings of the Capitol (Remember: House, south side, Senate, north side), or you can check the weekday "Today in Congress" column, online only, in the Washington Post, for details on times of the House and Senate sessions and committee hearings. This column also tells you which sessions are open to the public. Or again, access the Capitol's website, www.aoc.gov, for information about the history, art, and construction of the Capitol building, and www.house.gov and www.senate.gov for an in-depth education on the legislative process, schedules of bill debates in the House and Senate, committee markups, and meetings, and links to connect to your Senate or House representative's page.

The Capitol, {CATEGORY}

The legislative branches of the U.S. government, the Senate and the House of Representatives, meet in the Capitol Building. Public tours form on the east side of the Capitol and include visits to the Rotunda and other chambers. Visitors can also view the Senate and the House from the galleries when Congress is in session. Plan to have lunch at the Senate Refectory, a cafeteria where, by law, bean soup is always on the menu. Visitors can enter the U.S. Capitol Building through the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center and enjoy several historical exhibits.

The Capitol, {CATEGORY}

The legislative branches of the U.S. government, the Senate and the House of Representatives, meet in the Capitol Building. Public tours form on the east side of the Capitol and include visits to the Rotunda and other chambers. Visitors can also view the Senate and the House from the galleries when Congress is in session. Plan to have lunch at the Senate Refectory, a cafeteria where, by law, bean soup is always on the menu. Visitors can enter the U.S. Capitol Building through the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center and enjoy several historical exhibits.