Tours

Tours & Guidelines

Guided tours, Scheduling Group Tours, Visitor Guidelines, Self Guided Tours, Holiday Tour Hours and Other Activities.

Free guided tours are of the Capitol are offered by the Capitol Guides just beyond the Bank Street entrance lobby and security screening area.

Guided Tours

The Capitol Tour Guides are located in the Capitol’s underground extension, just beyond the Bank Street entrance lobby and security screening area.

Free indoor guided tours last about one hour. In addition to seeing the Rotunda, Jefferson Room, Old House Chamber and Old Senate Chamber, tour groups may visit the present-day legislative chambers located in the 1906 wings (when the General Assembly is not in session), and, during session visitors are welcome to sit in the public galleries.

Free one-hour guided tours begin Monday through Saturday no later than 10:00 a.m. for walk-in visitors (9:00 a.m. for groups by appointment), with the last tour commencing at 4:00 p.m. On Sunday, guided tours are available beginning at 1:00 p.m., with the last tour commencing at 4:00 p.m. In addition, self-guided tours are available during operating hours each day.*

All groups of ten or more are expected to make tour reservations in advance by calling (804) 698-1788. Groups of more than 50 people will need to be divided and take separate tours, either simultaneously or at different times, as the daily tour schedule and guide staffing levels allow. Groups of more than 100 will need to schedule more than one tour time on the day or days they wish to visit.

Scheduling Group Tours

Call (804) 698-1788 to verify daily tour schedules and make group tour appointments for groups of 10 or more people. Please provide the following information when arranging tours:

Group name, tour coordinator, main telephone number, cell phone number, e-mail Preferred date and time of visit (have alternate dates available if possible) Total Number in group, including chaperones. (Note: appointments for groups of more than 100 people are subject to the availability of guides and existing group appointments.) Age/grade level of students Visitor Guidelines

All visitors are reminded to respect the Capitol as an active government building and work place. Offices for year-round state employees are located on the first, third and fourth floors. Group tour leaders and school chaperons are expected to maintain control over their charges to insure good behavior during their visit. Complete guidelines for visiting the Capitol are available here:

Virginia State Capitol Teacher and Chaperone Guide

For groups traveling by bus, please see updated directions to the Visitor’s Center. Limited Bank Street bus parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Group leaders are advised to have cell phone contact numbers for their bus drivers.

Self Guided Tours

Individuals, couples, families and small groups (with fewer than 10 people) are welcome to tour the public spaces in the Capitol on their own. Please note that groups of ten or more are expected to make prior appointments to visit inside the Capitol. Self-guiding brochures are available on the second floor in the Capitol rotunda. In addition, the grounds of historic Capitol Square, containing notable monuments and memorial trees dedicated to various leaders and citizens, are open to the general public daily from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Access a map showing the buildings and monuments near and on the Capitol Square with a Self guiding brochure.

Visitors touring inside the Capitol building on their own may visit the Old House and Old Senate Chambers, the Rotunda containing presidential statuary, and the Jefferson Room located on the second floor of the original 1788 Capitol. The present-day House and Senate Chambers in the east and west wings on the second floor are not open to tour unless visitors are accompanied by a Capitol guide. During sessions of the Assembly, visitors may watch the House or Senate from the public galleries in each chamber, accessible from the east and west mezzanine levels.

Visitors also may tour the gallery displaying portraits of the last 16 Governors of Virginia, located on the third floor of the original Capitol. Visitors in the Governor’s Gallery will be able to take a closer look at the rotunda dome, which is located within the building under the A-line roof.

Holiday Tour Hours*

On state and federal holidays which occur during sessions of the General Assembly (Lee-Jackson Day, Martin Luther King Day and Presidents Day) we will keep the regular weekday tour schedule in effect. We also remain open for tours on Easter, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Columbus Day, and Veterans Day. We are closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. On any additional state holidays granted by the Governor’s Office before and/or after Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s, tour hours may vary. Call (804) 698-1788 for details.

For more information, contact: Capitol Guided Tours Virginia State Capitol 1000 Bank Street, P.O. Box 406 Richmond, Virginia 23218 Phone: (804) 698-1788 E-Mail: CapitolTourGuides@captourguides.virginia.gov.

Other Activities

Executive Mansion tours

The Executive Mansion has been the official home for Virginia Governors and their families since 1813. The Mansion, which is both a Virginia and National Historic Landmark, was restored and furnished with antiques in the early 20th century. The original rooms across the front of the Mansion contain most of their original woodwork, plaster cornices, and ornamental ceilings. During the Civil War the Mansion served as the center of state executive leadership when Richmond was the Capitol of the Confederate States of America. Tours times vary according to the season. Please call (804)371-8687 or visit the Mansion’s website for more information.

The Virginia Executive Mansion Capitol Square Richmond, VA 23219 (804)371-8687

Supreme Court of Virginia

Presentations for groups are available by appointment in the main court chamber when the court is not in session.

Supreme Court of Virginia 100 North Ninth Street, 5th Floor Richmond, VA 23219 (804)786-2075tent coming soon.