Visitor Resources

Accessibility Services

We provide a variety of services for individuals with disabilities, including adaptive tours, sign language interpreting services and wheelchair loans.

Find Assistance

Official Business

Specific information from the U.S. Capitol Police for those coming to the U.S. Capitol campus to attend a Congressional hearing or meeting, wishing to make a delivery, etc.

Get the Details on USCP.gov

Prohibited Items

To ensure the safety and security of the U.S. Capitol campus, certain items are prohibited from being brought into the buildings and grounds.

See the List on USCP.gov

Tours & Events

The U.S. Capitol Visitor Center (CVC) and the U.S. Botanic Garden (USBG) provide a variety of spaces to explore and programs to attend.

Go to VisitTheCapitol.gov | Go to USBG.gov

Graphic for Architect of the Capitol Family Resources: Home Activities, Virtual Tours, Videos.

Virtual Resources

Want to Visit Us From Home?

The Architect of the Capitol is delivering virtual Capitol experiences such as field trips, exhibits, videos and student activities.

Virtual Resources

New & Noteworthy

What's Happening

The Summerhouse, obscured by the plants, vines and trees of Olmsted's original design, blends into the landscape.

History & Discoveries

Olmsted's Never-Built Retreat

Before it was cut from the budget, Olmsted had begun designing a south summerhouse; his sketches for it have been rediscovered.

An Architect of the Capitol street sweeper cleans up in Washington, D.C.

History & Discoveries

The Architect of the Capitol Sweeps Up the Past

When Jim Kaufmann, Capitol Grounds and Arboretum Director, happened across an 1891 street-sweeping map while going through cultural landscape reports, he had no idea how simple an old map could make caring for the U.S. Capitol Grounds.

The team found and collected seeds from the rare Glen Rose yucca (Yucca necopina), native only in a few counties in Texas.

Behind the Scenes

Collecting and Growing Texas Native Plants for Conservation and Climate Change Adaptation

Throughout 2020 while the United States Botanic Garden was closed to the public, the Horticulture team continued stewarding its plant collection. Several Horticulture team members were paying special attention to a new batch of plants grown from seeds harvested during a plant-collecting trip to Texas.

Projects

At the AOC, It's Always Home Improvement Time

While most people have one structure to take care of, the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) is hard at work on multiple projects to care for the buildings across Capitol Hill.

Explore the Season

Fall at the U.S. Capitol

As fall temperatures dip, a verdant Capitol campus gives way to splashes of reds, oranges, yellows and browns that eventually bathe the urban forest in brilliant color.

Explore Fall