Please Note
For the foreseeable future, tours across Washington, DC, have been cancelled, due to the potential spread of coronavirus. Once the threat of COVID-19 dissipates, my office will begin accepting tour requests again for all available agencies and locations.
I am pleased to help Rhode Islanders schedule tours of the White House. There are several requirements that must be met for White House tours, including security checks and advanced reservations.
Public tours must be requested through a Member of Congress. These self-guided tours are available from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Tuesday through Thursday, and 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays (excluding federal holidays). As always, White House tour schedules are entirely dependent on the President's and First Lady's schedules, and sometimes tours must be cancelled or rescheduled at the last minute.
Tours are scheduled on a 'first come - first served' basis, which means timing is important. You should contact my office up to three months prior to (and no less than 21 days in advance of) your planned arrival in Washington. I recommend that you contact me at the beginning of this window.
Once I receive your available dates for a tour, a member of my staff will contact you with additional information. At that time, you will need to submit security information to be processed by the U.S. Secret Service. This information includes the full name, date of birth, Social Security number, country of origin, and citizenship of each member of the tour group.
Tours of the U.S. Capitol Building may be scheduled through my office, or by visiting the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC) for walk-up availability.
The CVC is open to visitors from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Tours begin every 10 minutes from 8:50 a.m. to 3:20 p.m.
A limited number of Congressional tours may be reserved for constituents interested in visiting the bureau responsible for the design and manufacture of U.S. currency, postage stamps, and Treasury notes. Please notify my office as early as possible if you wish to arrange a Congressional tour.
Congressional tours begin at 8:15 a.m. and 8:45 a.m., Monday through Friday, and last approximately 40 minutes. From April to August, there are additional Congressional tour times at 4:00, 4:15, 4:30, and 4:45 p.m.
Additionally, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing offers walk-up tours through its Visitor Center and Tour Office. Tickets are distributed on a first come, first serve basis, and available Monday through Friday year-round.
Please note that walk-up and publicly reserved tour times differ from Congressional tour times.
Reserved tours of the U.S. Supreme Court are available Monday through Friday when the Court is not in session. Tours begin at 2:00 p.m. and last approximately 45 minutes. Public tours are also available Monday through Friday, every hour on the half hour, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The National Archives features the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence, as well as current and past special exhibits. Reserved tours lasting about 90 minutes are available Monday through Friday at 9:45 a.m.
Please notify our office as early as possible to request a reserved tour. Additionally, a number of self-guided tours of the National Archives are available throughout the day and can be requested through this office.
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the Department of Defense. Tours are available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the hour. Please notify my office as early as possible if you wish to arrange a Congressional tour.
The Library of Congress (LOC) has several buildings, but its grandest is the Jefferson Building, located just across from the Capitol. Public tours of the Jefferson Building are conducted Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on the hour, or on Saturday at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 2:30 p.m. Tours of 10 people or more should reserve a time in advance.
Reserved tours may be scheduled through my office, or through the LOC directly. Reserved tours and large group tours may occur at different times than public, walk-up tours. Please contact my office for details.
Congressional tours of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts are available Monday through Friday at 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays at 9:30 a.m. The tour includes Presidential boxes and private lounges. The 4:30 p.m. tour ends at the Millennium Stage, just in time for a free performance at 6:00 p.m.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) offers a tour of its headquarters entitled The FBI Experience. This tour is located at the J. Edgar Hoover building in Washington, D.C. and is available Monday through Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. It lasts approximately 90 minutes and must be requested through a Member of Congress. The tour features content, objects, and interactive multimedia related to the importance of the FBI’s mission to protect the American people.
Once you have submitted your request, a member of my staff will contact you with additional information. At that time, you will need to submit security information to be processed by the FBI. This information includes the full name, date of birth, Social Security number, country of origin, and citizenship of each member of the tour group. For security purposes, these requests must be submitted at least 21 days in advance of the date of the tour.
Please note that the FBI will need to perform a security check on all visitors.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury is located directly adjacent to the White House. Like its neighbor, the Treasury Building has remained on its original Pennsylvania Avenue site since 1899, and is home to an impressive collection of artifacts, works of art, and furniture. The tour focuses on the history of the Treasury and the architectural history of the building.
The Treasury Building is open for public tours on Saturday mornings, with reservations available only through Congressional offices. The name, date of birth, and Social Security number for each member of the tour group will be required. Tours last approximately 60 minutes.
