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If you are planning a trip to our Nation’s Capital, my office can help. We can arrange tours of the U.S. Capitol, White House, Supreme Court, and Library of Congress. Below you will find information on these tours and some links to the websites of other popular Washington, DC attractions. Please contact Shane McDonald in my Washington office at (202) 225-6605 if you have any questions or would like more information.
Please know that tours at all of the following locations are reserved on a first-requested, first-served basis and space is limited. If you would like me to reserve a tour for you or your group at any or all of these sites, please contact my office as far in advance of your visit as possible. Click here to be redirected to my online tour request form.
U.S. Capitol Tours
Tours of the U.S. Capitol are conducted by the Capitol Guide Service Monday through Saturday from 8:50 a.m. to 3:20 p.m. (except on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and Inauguration Day). Tickets for Capitol tours can be obtained in the Capitol Visitor Center, reserved online, or reserved through my office by contacting my staff in advance of your trip.
If you are looking for a more personal tour of the Capitol, please call Shane McDonald in my Washington office at (202) 225-6605 to schedule a staff-lead tour of the Capitol.
The House and Senate Galleries are open to the public during the week (the Senate Gallery is only open when they are in session) and the public is always welcome to come and observe official proceedings. If you would like to view the action on the House or Senate floor, please stop by my Washington, D.C. office to obtain free gallery passes. You must present one of these passes before you can enter either chamber.
Take a Virtual Tour of the U.S. Capitol
White House Tours
Unfortunately, the White House is currently closed for tours indefinitely. Even though we currently have no indication of when they will decide to offer tours again, my office is still submitting tour requests as normal in hopes that they will open their doors to the public again soon. If you would like my office to submit a White House tour request on your behalf, please read the following information carefully and be aware that they may still be closed during the time of your visit.
Congressional tours of the White House are available Tuesday-Saturday from 7:30 am until late morning. My office can request multiple days for you or your group but we are not allowed to pick specific times on those days. If your tour request is approved, the White House will then assign the date and time of your tour. Please know that once a tour is approved, we are not allowed to change the date or time that you were assigned. For this reason, it is best to request only those days when you know you will be totally available to tour.
Before my office can submit a White House request, we will need you to provide us with some specific personal information for every person in your group who wishes to tour. For security purposes, the White House requires that we submit this information with every request and we are not able to even make the request until we have it.
White House tours are approved on a first-requested, first-served basis. We must submit each request at least 21 days prior to the dates of your visit so the White House has adequate time to process security information. In order to give yourself the best chance of approval, please contact my office with your request as far in advance as possible. The White House recommends four to six months prior notice and, during the busiest tourist seasons (weeks surrounding major holidays and the months of March – August) it is very difficult to get requests approved if it is not submitted at least two or three months in advance.
Please note that approval of White House tours are completely at the discretion of the White House Visitor's Office. I will do my best to secure a reservation for you and your party but, again, the White House makes the ultimate decision on tours of the building.
Take a Video Tour of the White House
Supreme Court Tours
Supreme Court tours are offered Monday-Friday (when the court is not in session) and they set aside a limited number of spots for Congressional reservations each day. Please know that the Supreme Court only allows us to make reservations for their 2:00pm tour and we are limited to six total spots per day.
If your group is larger than six people or my office is unable to get you a reservation, please know that the Supreme Court is open to the public during the week and they offer tours to walk-ups throughout the day. These are exactly the same as the one we can reserve for you and they are offered every hour, on the half-our, from 9:30am until 3:30pm. Visitors are admitted on a first-come, first-served basis. If you would like to take advantage of one of these public tours, it is recommended that you arrive at least 15-20 minutes in advance.
Find out more about touring the Supreme Court
Library of Congress Tours
The Library of Congress is totally open to the public Monday through Saturday from 8:30am until 5:00pm. They set aside a few specific times and a limited number of spots during the week for Congressional reservations (no Congressional reservations on Saturdays).
In addition to Congressionally reserved tours, the Library of Congress also offers tours to walk-ups Monday through Saturday at 10:30am, 11:30am, 12:30pm, 1:30pm, 2:30pm, and 3:30pm (no 3:30pm tour on Saturdays). These tours are exactly the same as the one my office can reserve for you and can be a good option if you are looking to give yourself more flexibility during your visit. If you would like to take advantage of one of these tours, it is recommended that you arrive at least 15-20 minutes prior to the time you would like to tour.
Find out more about touring the Library of Congress
Other Popular Sites in Washington, D.C.
Smithsonian Museums
Holocaust Memorial Museum
National Archives (location of the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Declaration of Independence)
The Pentagon
Bureau of Engraving and Printing (U.S. Mint)
Closed Tours
FBI Building
Old Executive Office Building
State Department
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