State Capitol Tours Overview
We took our 1st State Capitol Tour while touring the Freedom Trail in in Boston, 2006 and didn’t take another until 2016, when we toured the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln. We loved the tour for the architecture & art, the building history, and the state history so much, that we decided to tour every State Capitol.
We have toured 38 State Capitols (as of November 11, 2024). Since our 4th Capitol visit (Des Moines, Iowa), we’ve been collecting stamps in the Capitol Collection Passport Book! (and we’ve made it back to the 1st & 3rd (Boston, Massachusetts & Providence, Rhode Island) for a stamp & revisit.)
State Capitol Tours Taken – by Year
2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Direct to a State Capitol
Arkansas, Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wyoming
2006 (1)
1) Boston, Massachusetts
Visited July 5, 2006 & Visited August 11, 2023. We visited and took a tour of the Massachusetts Capitol the first time, walking the Freedom Trail in Boston, on a 2 day visit to the city. In the days of cameras with film, so didn’t get much in the way of pictures. Finally made it back (and got a stamp), summer of 2023.
2016 (1)
2) Lincoln, Nebraska
Visited December 5, 2016. The Lincoln Capitol Building was the first one we actively made plans to visit, because the architect, Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue, also designed Mark’s fraternity house (Rensselaer Society of Engineers (RSE) Clubhouse, on the National Registry of Historic Places.). We took the official tour and wandered more on our own. We loved it, and it inspired us to try and visit them all!
2018 (3)
3) Providence, Rhode Island
Visited July 20, 2018 & July 13, 2023. Got our first tour of the Rhode Island Capitol building, on a bus tour from New Bedford, MA at the 2018 National Parks Travelers Convention. So we didn’t get to linger long. We revisited from Sturbridge, MA on our 2023 summer family visit and got a solid 1 hour private tour. Like Denver, the capitol building in Providence is not Air Conditioned. We learned that we are very glad that Rhode Island held out to be the 13th Colony to ratify the Constitution, as they insisted on stronger words about the separation of Church & State. Thank you, Roger Williams!
4) Des Moines, Iowa
Visited September 19, 2018. We got to the capitol about noon and caught a guided tour. What with wandering around afterwards on our own, including the grounds, we spent about 4 hours. We returned the next day, to explore the grounds a bit more, especially the Holocaust Memorial.
5) Boise, Idaho
Visited October 12, 2018. We got to the capitol in early afternoon, and spent the rest of the afternoon visiting the capitol, following the Self Guided Tour Booklet.
2019 (4)
6) Carson City, Nevada
Visited October 15, 2019. Spent the morning visiting the Capitol building, the Nevada State Museum inside, and the grounds, including the USS Nevada and Veterans memorial.
7) Sacramento, California
Visited November 12, 2019. Got to Sacramento about noon, and went straight to the capitol, wandered around a bit and then caught the 1:00 tour. After a late lunch, we came back to explore the grounds till about 4:30.
8) Salem, Oregon
Visited November 14, 2019. Got to Salem about noon, and went straight to the capitol, wandered around a bit and then caught the 1:00 tour. After a late lunch (and walking through Willamette College), we came back to explore the grounds till about 4:00.
9) Olympia, Washington
Visited November 15, 2019. Got to the capitol a bit after noon, on our way home from Salem, OR, and spent about 2 hours touring the capitol and the grounds.
2020 (1)
10) Phoenix, Arizona
Visited March 13, 2020. Spent about 3.5 hours on Friday afternoon visiting the Capitol, the 4 story Museum in the Capitol Building, and Memorial Park, which included a USS Arizona Memorial and Navaho Code-Talker Monument.
2022 (4)
11) Helena, Montana
Visited June 6, 2022. We visited in the early afternoon and spent a good hour taking the self tour, and 30 minutes wondering around the grounds.
12) Denver, Colorado
Visited June 16, 2022. First stop, on a day trip into Denver, we got there in time for the one hour, 10:00 docent tour. It was given that day by an intern and his mentor. He did a good job. Tour included going up to the dome balcony. Then we spent a half hour exploring the Attic Museum and then the grounds. At the Denver Capitol, they have a 3 person staff whose sole job is to polish the Brass.
13) Cheyenne, Wyoming
Visited June 26, 2022. We walked up Capitol Avenue to the capitol, where we spent a couple of hours watching the movie, taking self tour, chatting with the Volunteer Docent, and walking around the grounds.
14) Salt Lake City, Utah
Visited July 6, 2022. We got to the Capitol in Salt Lake City, just in time for the noon docent tour, which was excellent, and included seeing the new Base Isolators, installed to protect against earthquake. Afterwards, we spent time in the museum and exploring more inside and on the grounds.
2023 (17)
15) Santa Fe, New Mexico
Visited March 21, 2023. Got to the Capitol building in the SNOW! The Santa Fe Capitol is the Highest Elevation Capitol in the country and the only one that is round. It’s relatively new, having been finished in 1966. Much of the Capitol is essentially an Art Museum!
16) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Visited April 7 & 10, 2023. Got to the Capitol building on Friday, to discover we had to wait for Monday for a Tour. So we walked around the grounds, the lobby and Museum. We did return on Monday and got a great tour! Lots of history and a bit of an Art Museum!
17) Topeka, Kansas
Visited April 14, 2023. Got to the Capitol building a bit late, looking for parking. Not sure it made a difference. Don’t think we’d have gotten an adult tour, regardless. We took the 2 tours offered, both with one of many 4th grade class groups. Tour 1 was a 296 step climb up to the top of the dome! It was fun, as almost 70-year-olds, to do what several 4th graders declined to do. Tour 2 was the History Tour. We had time to wander just a bit after that, to check out more art.
18) Jefferson City, Missouri
Visited April 17, 2023. We took the tour with a smaller passel of 4th-8th graders. Lots of history and a bit of an Art Museum!
19) Springfield, Illinois
Visited April 19, 2023. Walked to the Capitol from Lincoln’s Home, and joined our 3rd (in-a-row) Student Tour in a week! It was our first State Capitol Tour ever, where we got a few minutes in the House Chamber, actually getting to see the Legislature in action! It was also the loudest tour we’ve ever taken!
20) Indianapolis, Indiana
Visited April 24, 2023. Got to the Capitol building early to get an “adult tour”, our first tour in four4 not with a school group…just us and one other adult, semi-private. But it was also our 2nd State Capito Tour when the Legislature was in session. Indiana has one of only 7 state capitol buildings with all three branches of government operating in it.
21) Columbus, Ohio
Visited May 1, 2023. Got to the Capitol building on a rainy Monday, a bit early for a Tour. We walked around the grounds for a bit, the went in for the noon tour, a private one. We got the best (and longest) tour ever…from Richard Doll, a retired Ohio history teacher, turning 80 next week. He’s been giving tours here for 24 years, at the suggestion of the first (and so far only) female speaker of the house at his retirement party! His ancestry has deep roots in Ohio, and goes back to Colonial Jamestown.
22) Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Visited June 9, 2023. Got to the Capitol building in time for an early afternoon tour, after which, we walked around the Soldiers Grove, the Pennsylvania Medal of Honor recipients memorial.
23) Annapolis, Maryland
Visited June 25, 2023. After getting tickets for a US Naval Academy tour, we walked over to the Maryland Statehouse, where we took a self-guided tour. It is the oldest state house still in legislative use (completed in 1779). It was the site of George Washington’s resignation as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, and the ratification of the Treaty of Paris. In reality, the building is more museum than statehouse, as the statehouse use appears to only be the small, Senate and Representative Chambers.
24) Dover, Delaware
Visited June 28, 2023. First stop on our 1-day visit to Dover, where we got a short, but great tour with lots of stories, from another retired teacher. We learned Delaware was Dutch, Swedish, Dutch, Swedish, Dutch, Swedish, English; it was part of Pennsylvania, until July 1776; how the State Lines for Delaware were set; and the story of Caesar Rodney‘s historic ride in 1776. Now we know who’s on the Delaware State Quarter, and why!
25) Trenton, New Jersey
Visited July 20, 2023. Took a day trip while hanging out visiting grandkids. Made it to our pre-scheduled a 10:00 tour of the Capitol building. New Jersey had the “toughest” security we had seen to-date.
26) Hartford, Connecticut
Visited August 8, 2023. First stop on a day visit to Hartford, where we got a one hour tour! Interesting thing about the Connecticut House of Representatives, they are seated by the district they represent. Hence, representatives sit next to “hometown neighbors”, vs. same party members. It helps bi-partisanship.
27) Augusta, Maine
Visited September 7, 2023. Made it to Augusta and parked a bit before 10:00. Good timing, as 10:00 turned out to be the only tour of the day. (Normally 9:00, 10:00, 11:00.) The Maine Capitol Building was designed to look like the Massachusetts Capitol, but has since been added to, reducing its similarity. It is one of the simpler capitols we’ve visited, in regards to what is inside. For example, only one statue in the whole building.
28) Montpelier, Vermont
Visited October 4, 2023. We got to the Capitol in Montpelier and got a great docent tour, a retired teacher who also served a term in the Vermont legislature. Vermont, 14th state. Interesting tidbit… the Vermont State Seal is defined by law to include 5 items, but is not one design…there are 7 different designs in the State House alone!
29) Concord, New Hampshire
Visited October 6, 2023. We got to the Capitol in Concord and got a great docent tour, from a gentleman who ultimately let us know his is married to the currently longest serving representative in the state (when he pointed out her seat in the chamber), 1st elected in 1980. We got some personal stories about candidates coming through to sign up for the New Hampshire primary, which will be starting again next week! Also of note, the Senate Chamber and Representatives Hall are the oldest chambers in the United States still in continuous legislative use. And…New Hampshire has by far the largest lower house of any American state, with 400 members each representing about 3,300 residents. It is the largest lower house representative-to-population ratio in the country.
30) Albany, New York
Visited October 17, 2023. Got to the Capitol building and signed up for a tour, then went to Corning Tower, while waiting, and got a view looking down on it, too! Fascinating building…5 architects over the 32 years it took to build it, very evident, with very different styles in various locations. It wasn’t actually finished, but declared finished by Governor Teddy Roosevelt in 1899. One of 9 Capitols without a dome or cupola.
31) Richmond, Virginia
Visited October 25, 2023. We FINALLY visited the Virginia State Capitol, Richmond, designed by Thomas Jefferson! First time, after all our many previous visits to Richmond…4?
2024 (7)
32) Tallahassee, Florida
Visited January 24, 2024. We visited Tallahassee from Perry, where we only could take a Self Tour. The capitol is a 22 story sky scraper, which replaced the historic capitol building in 1977. It may have been our least interesting capitol to visit, as the Elevator System was the most interesting part! There were some plaques about Florida history, but not much. To be fair, we did not have time to visit the old Capitol Building, which housed more history.
33) Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Visited February 12, 2024. We visited Baton Rouge, another Self Tour only. The capitol is the tallest Capitol Building in the country and has an Observation Deck on the 27th floor.
34) Jackson, Mississippi
Visited February 23, 2024. We spent about 2 afternoon hours visiting the Capitol. We were able to take a tour. It was “briefly” (~30 minutes) usurped by a representative who took us onto the Legislative Floor and regaled us with stories. Beautiful Stained Glass Windows.
35) Montgomery, Alabama
Visited February 27, 2024. Spent about 1.5 hours on visiting the Capitol in the morning, another capitol that does not offer tours, but did have a very good guide for self tours. We went back a bit later, to check out the Confederate Memorial on the back side.
36) Lansing, Michigan
Visited July 29, 2024. We had an informative late morning tour and learned how the Upper Peninsula became part of Michigan and why there is such an Ohio / Michigan rivalry. It is NOT all about football!
37) St. Paul, Minnesota
Visited October 5, 2024. where we had an informative tour and learned that Minnesota has more Senators than any other state. We saw LOTS of different, beautiful marble, a major design feature they like to show off.
38) Little Rock, Arkansas
Visited November 12, 2024. where we got a very interesting tour from the wife of an Arkansas Representative. Of note, all elected Arkansas officials (including Supreme Court Judges) have term limits. It is also the only state, where the public an go into the Vault in the Treasurers office. We both got to hold $600,000 in $100s. Heavy. Outside, we saw the monument to Confederate Women, and…the Memorial to the Little Rock Nine.
2025 (0)
12 More to Go!!!
Album of our State-Capitol-Tours-to-Date:
