Specialty Tours

Specialty tours are offered Monday-Friday year-round. These 45-minute tours begin at the benches by the Slave Labor Commemorative Marker. Ask about the availability of free passes at the North Information Desk in Emancipation Hall and join us for the following programs.

Halls of the Senate

Monday-Friday at 11 a.m.
Duration: 45 minutes

Large ornate room. Italian American artist Constantino Brumidi is best known for painting the “Apotheosis of George Washington” high above the Rotunda on the interior of the Capitol Dome. He also painted corridors and committee rooms throughout the Capitol and combined classical styles with American history and nature. See Brumidi’s work in the Senate Wing of the Capitol and learn about his life and art. Please note this tour does not visit the Senate Chamber—visitors will need to obtain Senate Gallery passes to see the chamber.

Votes for Women

Monday-Friday at 12 p.m.
Duration: 45 minutes

Marble statue of three women. It took the work of generations of women to get the right to vote—from Sojourner Truth, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony to Ida B. Wells, Alice Paul and Inez Milholland. Learn about them and other women’s suffrage leaders as we explore the Rotunda, National Statuary Hall and Emancipation Hall.

Indigenous Peoples in Capitol Art

Monday-Friday at 1 p.m.
Duration: 45 minutes

Cast of Native American figures. The Capitol’s art collection and America’s view of its Indigenous peoples have evolved over time. Consider and discuss some of the changes as we explore the Rotunda, National Statuary Hall and Emancipation Hall. You’ll learn more about Sakakawea, Chief Standing Bear, Sarah Winnemucca, and Sequoyah along the way.

Remembering the Revolution

Monday-Friday at 2 p.m.
Duration: 45 minutes

Trumbull painting For two hundred years, the Capitol has showcased art portraying the American Revolutionary War, notably in John Trumbull’s paintings in the Capitol Rotunda. Learn about the people and events that established the United States and how the promises of America’s founding shaped the nation. In addition to the Rotunda, this tour includes the Crypt and National Statuary Hall.

Heroes of Civil Rights

Monday-Friday at 3 p.m.
Duration: 45 minutes

Casts of Civil Rights figures. What do Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass and Charles Sumner have in common? They all fought for an end to slavery and the equality and freedom of all Americans. Hear about their extraordinary lives and how they shaped the path to civil rights. This tour includes Emancipation Hall and the Old Senate Chamber.

Outdoor Tour of the Capitol Grounds

Monday-Saturday at 11 a.m.
Sept. 1-Oct. 31
Duration: 50 minutes

People walking outside. Did you know that the Capitol Grounds is a certified arboretum with more than 100 species of plants? Explore the 58 acres surrounding the Capitol and learn about the development of Capitol Hill and the Capitol’s architecture. See how renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted transformed the area around the Capitol to a park-like setting. Unlike the other specialty tours, this tour begins outside the north entrance of the Capitol Visitor Center. No passes are required.

ACCESSIBILITY

Request wheelchairs at the North Coat Check. A non-passport photo ID is required. The Coat Check closes at 4 p.m. The Orientation Theater film has open captioning in English. Brochures are available in Braille, large print and HTML formats at the South Information Desk. Contact the Office of Congressional Accessibility Services at 202.224.4048.