Visiting Washington, DC

Tours

Tours are subject to cancellations or time changes. Please call the institution in question to verify posted tour information before planning your trip.

Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery - For Information call 703.557.0613.
Metro stop: Arlington Cemetery (Tourmobile Sightseeing Transportation is available)
www.nps.gov/arho

Arlington National Cemetery - Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier every hour on the hour & every half hour during the summer months. Narrated bus tour run one half hour after opening to one half hour before closing.
Telephone: 703.692.0931
Metro: Arlington Cemetery.
www. arlingtoncemetery .org

The Botanic Gardens – First and Maryland Avenue, SW.
Group tours are available by request except Saturday & Sunday or during any shows.
Telephone: 202.225.8333
Metro: Federal Center South West.
www.aoc.gov/USBG/usbg_overview.htm

Bureau of Engraving and Printing - 14th & C Streets, SW.
See how US currency is printed.  Public tours are available Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. and from 12:30 p.m. – 2 p.m. during September through February. Additional tours are offered from 2:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. and 5:00p.m. – 7:00 p.m. from March through August. Same day tickets are available on a first-come, first-serve basis and are gone very quickly in the summer. You should enter at the Visitor Entrance on 14th Street. Group tours are available for school groups.
Telephone: 202.874.3188.
Metro: Smithsonian.
www.moneyfactory.com

The Eisenhower Executive Office Building - 17th and Pennsylvania . Next door to the White House, the Old Executive Office Building (OEOB) commands a unique position in both our national history and architectural heritage. Designed by Supervising Architect of the Treasury, Alfred B. Mullett, it was built from 1871 to 1888 to house the growing staffs of the State, War, and Navy Departments, and is considered one of the best examples of French Second Empire architecture in the country.
Tours are Saturday mornings, advance notice required.
Telephone: 202.395.5895
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/dc32.htm

Folger Shakespeare Library - 201 East Capitol St., SE.
The Folger is one block from the U.S. Capitol and is accessible by Metrobus. Limited street parking is available. Regularly scheduled, no prior arrangement necessary.
Telephone: 202.544.4600
Metro: Capitol South or Union Station
www.folger.edu

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts - New Hampshire Avenue at Rock Creek Parkway, NW.
Free tours of the Kennedy Center are given by the Friends of the Kennedy Center from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on weekends.  Tours leave every 15 minutes.  They depart from the parking plaza on Level A, and feature the Hall of States and Hall of Nations, the Center's main theaters, and dozens of paintings, sculptures, and other artworks given to the Center by foreign countries.

Congressional Tours of the Kennedy Center are also available. These are available at 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on weekdays and at 9:30 a.m. on weekends. For more information on the Congressional Tours please call my Washington DC office at 202.225.5661.

For more information about the Kennedy Center, or to schedule large groups (20 or more), call 202.416.8340 (TDD 416.8524).
Foggy Bottom Metro Station.  (There is a free shuttle bus which takes visitors from the station to the center).
www.kennedy-center.org

The Library of Congress - Located on First Street SE between Independence Avenue and East Capitol Street. The Library of Congress houses more than 119 million items, including the papers of 23 presidents of the United States, Thomas Jefferson's rough draft of the Declaration of Independence and the earliest motion picture print. Telephone: 202.707.8000.
www.loc.gov

Adults over the age of 18 can utilize the Library's collections once they register as readers in room LM 140 of the Madison Building. There are guided tours daily, Monday through Saturday, at 10:30 am, 11:30, 1:30pm, 2:30, and 3:30 (3:30 tours are not offered on Saturdays). Spanish language tours are offered Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 12:30 pm. All tours start in the Visitors' Center in the Jefferson Building.

The United States National Arboretum - 3501 New York Avenue, NE - 444 acres of trees, shrubs and assorted plants in the northeast section of the District of Columbia. Guide services for organized groups are available. Please make reservations for groups. Entrance: New York Avenue, NE.
Metro: Stadium Armory on the blue or orange lines, then Bus number
B-2, B-4, or B-5 to the intersection of Bladensburg Road and R Street. Walk east of R Street 300 yards to the R street gate.
Telephone: 202.637.7000.
www.usna.usda.gov

The National Cathedral - Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues, NW. It is located on Mount Saint Alban in Washington, D.C., which is one of the highest points in the city. Guided tours are given Monday through Saturday from 10:00 am to 3:15 pm and Sundays from 12:30 to 2:45 pm except during special events and services. There is a suggested donation of $2.00 per adult and $1.00 per child for tours. The grounds tour takes you through the Bishop's Lawn and Gardens. You get many details on the plants and trees in the garden. These tours are given on Wednesdays from 10:30 - 11:30 am, April through October. Telephone: 202.537.6200.
www.cathedral.org

The United States Naval Observatory - 34th Street and Massachusetts Avenue, NW .
Public tours of the USNO are now offered on alternating Monday evenings from 8:30 pm until 10:00 pm, except on Federal holidays. Individual tour passes must be reserved in advance for every Monday night tour. You may use the online request form, or send a fax to the Public Affairs Office at 202.762.1489 to secure a reservation. Requests for reservations should be submitted at least 4 - 6 weeks before a scheduled tour. You must provide the names and dates-of-birth of all individuals in your party. You must also provide a daytime telephone number and/or an e-mail address so that they may contact you with the status of your request.
www. us no.navy.mil

The Old Post Office Pavilion - 1100 Pennsylvania Ave. NW.
National Parks Service offers a tour of the bell tower with a splendid view of the city. The lines for this tour are normally much shorter than for the Washington Memorial.
Telephone: 202.289.4224
Metro: Federal Triangle or Navy.
www.nps.gov/opot

The Department of State - 2201 C Street, NW.
Tours of the Diplomatic Reception Rooms are given at 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 2:45 p.m., Monday through Friday.  Reservations are required and should be made approximately four weeks in advance.  Due to the large volume of requests, reservations can be made up to three months in advance.  Tours may be arranged by contacting the Department of State Tour Office on 202.647.3241, fax 202.647.4232, or TDD 202.736.4474 between the hours of 8:15 - 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 - 5:00 p.m. weekdays.  The State Department Tour Office is closed on weekends and holidays.
Metro stop: Foggy Bottom
www.state.gov

The Supreme Court - First Street & Maryland Avenue, NE. Open Monday through Friday except on Federal holidays. Tours & public lectures are conducted in the courtroom from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm every hour on the half hour, except when court is in session.  Reservations can be made through your Senators' or Representatives' office.  When the Court is in session tours are only given on Thursdays and Fridays.  To see the Court in session, wait in two lines outside the building.  The lines start forming around 8:30 am so get there early!  Public lectures are conducted in the courtroom from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm when the Court is not in session.
Telephone: 202.479.3000.
Metro: Capitol South or Union Station.
www.supremecourtus.gov

The Department of the Treasury - This building was built in 1836 and since then has served as the headquarters for the Treasury Department. The tour includes the history of the Treasury Department and the building's architecture history. This includes a tour of the Andrew Johnson suite, where, in 1865, President Johnson conducted official business for 6 weeks after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. It also includes the beautiful Salmon P. Chase suite, the Cash room (the site for Grant's inaugural reception), and the 1864 burglar proof vault.
Enter through the Appointment Center doors located next to the White House on 15th street between F and G streets, NW.
Hours: Saturday morning, lasting 90 minutes.
For Tour information or to make an advanced reservation call: 202.622.0896, 202.622.0692 (TDD).
Metro: Metro Center.
www.ustreas.gov

The White House - 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.
Due to post-9/11 security concerns, tours of the White House are extremely limited. Requests should be made at least six months in advance and there are no guarantees tours will be available. My office is not notified of availability until at least one month before the date requested. Also, all tours are subject to sudden cancellation. The tours are self-guided and are scheduled from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Metro: McPherson Square.
For the most up-to-date information about touring and visiting the White House, call the 24-hour Visitors Office Info Line at 202.456.7041
www.whitehouse.gov

Zoological Park - 3001 Connecticut Avenue, NW.
6:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m., animal rooms open 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.; September 16 to April 30: 6:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m., animal rooms open 10:00 - 4:30 p.m. unless otherwise posted.
Phone: 202.673.4800 or 673.4717.
Metro stop: Woodley Park or Cleveland Park.
http://nationalzoo.si.edu