Washington D. C. - The Capitol Building - 2006 Trip

A beautiful structure known worldwide from the photos we’ve all seen all our lives, in person the Capitol Building’s opulence overwhelms the senses before you even step inside.

           

Pay attention to the restrictions on the list provided when you pick up your tickets for the free tour of the Capitol Building.  Any items on that list will be trashed before the tour begins.  Plan to take this tour before doing any shopping just to be on the safe side.  People sat the tour out so they wouldn’t have to throw away purchases they’d made before arriving.

Once you make it through security which includes a long walk up the hill, a trip through a metal detector (typical of most buildings in Washington DC), and a short reminder of the rules, the tour itself is interesting, educational, and fun.  Seeing the inside of the Capitol Building, the building where the Legislative Branch of the United States government develops laws, you can’t help but feel a sense of history.  Paintings depict much of US history and statues honor important persons from each of the fifty states that make up the United States.

           

 On the basement floor a star that is the center of the original Washington DC sets among multiple other displays.

           

Also in the basement is the room where the Supreme Court convened for many years.  It’s preserved for tour groups to see a bit of the Court’s history.  It’s a dark, gloomy room especially when compared with the Supreme Court Building across the street.  One can easily see why it’s somewhat affectionately referred to as the dungeon.

While the tour only covers historical areas and not the offices or daily working areas of Congress (contact your Congressman’s office to arrange a private tour to see more), it is still well worth taking the time for the tour.