Tour Requests - Senator Tina Smith

Planning a trip to Washington, DC? Senator Smith’s office is happy to help arrange tours for your visit. To request any of the tours described below, please complete the tour request form, linked below. All tours can fill up quickly, so we encourage you to submit your tour requests as early as possible.

If you have any questions when planning your visit, Senator Smith’s staff is happy to help—just call (202) 224-5641 or email tours@smith.senate.gov.

United States Capitol

The Capitol Visitor Center’s expert tour guides lead group tours of the U.S. Capitol Monday through Saturday, from 8:50 am to 3:20 pm. Guide-led tours begin with a short orientation film and are followed by visiting three rooms in the Capitol: the Crypt, the Rotunda, and National Statuary Hall. Guide-led Capitol tours last about an hour. To request a guide-led Capitol tour, please submit the Tour Request Form.

Senator Smith’s staff can also provide staff-led Capitol tours Monday through Thursday, from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm, subject to staff availability. In addition to visiting the spaces shown on guide-led tours, staff-led tours highlight Minnesota connections in the Capitol and include visits to the Old Senate Chamber and the Old Supreme Court Chamber when possible. Staff-led tours usually last about an hour to an hour and a half, depending on your schedule, and can be adapted to fit your group’s interests and needs. If you would like a staff-led tour, please note that in the “Additional Information” section of the tour request form.

From March through August, please plan for 30 minutes to get through security. From September through February, please plan for 15 minutes to get through security. All Capitol tours are fully accessible to people with disabilities.

Gallery Passes to watch the Senate’s proceedings or see the Senate Chamber can be picked up from Senator Smith’s office in room 720 of the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington, DC. You can pick up Gallery Passes whenever the office is open, usually Monday through Thursday, 9 am to 5 pm. The Senate galleries are open whenever the Senate is in session. Additionally, the Senate galleries are open Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm during recesses of one week or more. If you also have a Capitol tour, we recommend picking up Gallery Passes before your tour.

White House

Senator Smith’s office can help Minnesotans request tours of the White House. White House tours are usually offered Tuesday through Saturday, and approved requests will be randomly assigned a tour time between 9:30 am and 12:30 pm. These self-guided tours include the Cross Hall, the East Room, the State Dining Room, the Diplomatic Reception Room, the Blue Room, the Red Room, the Green Room, the Vermeil Room, the Library, the China Room, and a view of the Kennedy Garden.

Due to the limited availability and popularity of White House tours, requesting White House tours at least three months in advance will give you the best chances of getting a tour. We are not able to request tours less than three weeks before your visit. All guests will be required to submit identification information for security checks to finalize the request. The White House cannot accommodate all tour requests, so please be aware that a request does not guarantee a tour. Also note that White House tours may not be offered on some days, and confirmed tours may occasionally be canceled or rescheduled with little notice.

FBI Experience

The FBI Experience is a self-guided tour at the FBI Headquarters in Washington, DC. The tour features interactive exhibits, artifacts, and other content, which tell the story of the FBI’s operations and history. Tours are offered Monday through Friday at 9:00 am, 10:00 am, 1:00 pm, and 2:00 pm, and last approximately 60–90 minutes.

Please be aware that FBI tours can sometimes fill up more than three months in advance, and we are not able to request tours less than three weeks before your visit. If you request an FBI tour, our Tour Coordinator will contact you to obtain guests’ Social Security numbers (or for non-U.S. citizens, Passport and Green Card numbers), which are required to submit the request.

SUPREME COURT

On weekdays when the Supreme Court is not in session, docents lead 25-minute Courtroom Lectures, which discuss the Supreme Court’s judicial functions, the building’s history, and the Courtroom’s architecture. Lectures are usually scheduled for 10:30 am, 11:30 am, 12:30 pm, 1:30 pm, and 2:30 pm. Due to the annual closure of the Courtroom during the month of August, August dates may not be available. For more information on Courtroom Lectures, please visit the Supreme Court website.

All lectures are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Our office can also reserve seating for a limited number of Minnesotans for only the 12:30 Courtroom Lecture. To request reserved seating, please submit the tour request form.

BUREAU OF ENGRAVING AND PRINTING

Tours of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) showcase currency production from an enclosed walkway suspended above the production floor. Public BEP tours run every 30 minutes from 9 am to 2 pm, Monday through Friday. To self-book a public BEP tour, please visit the BEP website.

Our office is able to request spots in Congressional tours for Monday through Friday at 8:15 and 8:45 am, year-round, and also some afternoon times in the spring and summer. To request a Congressional BEP tour through our office, please submit the tour request form. Congressional and public tours are the same but offered at different times. Please be aware that BEP tours can sometimes fill up more than three months in advance, and we are not able to request tours less than three weeks before your visit.

TREASURY DEPARTMENT

Tours of the historic Treasury Building are offered at 9:00, 9:45, 10:30, and 11:15 am on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of most months. Some highlights of the docent-led tour include the Salmon Chase Suite, the Andrew Johnson Suite, and the Cash Room. Please note that this is not the tour for seeing the production of currency notes or coins.

Our office is able to request Treasury Department tours for a limited number of Minnesotans. Please be aware that Treasury Department tours can sometimes fill up more than three months in advance. All guests will also be required to submit identification information for security checks to finalize the request.

OTHER POPULAR ATTRACTIONS

There are a variety of other free museums, memorials, and other attractions you can see while visiting Washington, DC. Tours and tickets for these attractions do not need to be set up through our office. Please see the following links for information to plan your visit.