ALABAMA STATE CAPITOL
Montgomery, Alabama
Year completed: 1851
Architectural style: Greek Revival
FYI: A bronze star marks the spot where Jefferson Davis, newly named president of the Confederate States of America, gave his inaugural address.
Visit: Guided tours are offered on Saturdays at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 pm.
ALASKA STATE CAPITOL
Juneau, Alaska
Year completed: 1931
Architectural style: Art Deco
FYI: The limestone and marble used to construct the building's facade is also native to Alaska--it hails from the Prince of Wales Island.
Visit: Guided tours are available from mid-May to mid-September, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, and from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
MASSACHUSETTS STATE HOUSE
Boston, Massachusetts
Year completed: 1798
Architectural style: Federal
FYI: The gleaming dome of the Massachusetts State House was not always metal. The original wooden topper leaked, so it was remodeled and covered in copper by a noteworthy company: Paul Revere and Sons.
Visit: Guided tours are offered Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Reservations are required.
ARIZONA STATE CAPITOL MUSEUM
Phoenix, Arizona
Year completed: 1900
Architectural style: Classical Revival
FYI: The building, once home to the territorial government, is now a museum dedicated to the history of Arizona. The governor's office and state House and Senate floors are located in other buildings in the same complex off Wesley Bolin Plaza.
Visit: The museum exhibits are open from Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with staff available to answer questions from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Or, reserve a guided tour (from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.)
ARKANSAS STATE CAPITOL
Little Rock, Arkansas
Year completed: 1915
Architectural style: Neo-Classical
FYI: Don't forget to look up. The rotunda of the capitol is a 17-foot-tall, 12-foot-wide brass chandelier made by Mitchell Vance and Company. Keep an eye out for decorative elements, such as an eagle perched on top of the Liberty Bell.
Visit: Guided tours are offered Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Reservations are encouraged.
CALIFORNIA STATE CAPITOL AND CAPITOL MUSEUM
Sacramento, California
Year completed: 1874
Architectural style: Neo-Classical
FYI: Look for Minerva. You'll find the Roman goddess pictured in the Great Seal, on tile groupings on the floor, peering down from arches leading to the second-floor rotunda walkway, and the pediment in the building's exterior. According to myth, Minerva was born fully grown, the way California became a state without first being a territory.
Visit: Public tours leave on the hour daily, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
COLORADO STATE CAPITOL
Denver, Colorado
Year completed: 1893
Architectural style: Neo-Classical
FYI: In the capitol's rotunda, 16 stained glass windows depict the state's "Hall of Fame," which includes figures such as frontiersman Kit Carson and Alexander Majors, co-founder of the firm that established the Pony Express.
Visit: Historical tours leave hourly Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The House and Senate chambers open for tours mid-January to mid-May (from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.) Gallery guides are on hand to answer any questions.
CONNECTICUT STATE CAPITOL
Hartford, Connecticut
Year completed: 1879
Architectural style: Eastlake
FYI: An 18-foot bronze statue of a winged woman, titled The Genius of Connecticut, resides in the capitol rotunda. It's a replacement for the statue that once sat at the top of the capitol dome, but was destroyed by a hurricane in 1938. Lasers scanned the original plaster model to make a mold for the new version.
Visit: Weekday tours leave hourly from 9:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. In July and August, a 2:15 p.m. slot opens up.
DELAWARE LEGISLATIVE HALL
Dover, Delaware
Year completed: 1933
Architectural style: Georgian Revival
FYI: In addition to the current government building, you can visit The Old State House in Delaware. The Georgian-style building was the seat of government from 1791 until 1933, when operations moved to their current digs.
Visit: Make reservations for guided tours (non-session weekdays, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., in-session weekdays, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.). Additional tours are available the first Saturday of each month and on some holidays.
SOUTH CAROLINA STATE HOUSE
Columbia, South Carolina
Year completed: 1903
Architectural style: Greek Revival
FYI: On the outside of the capitol, six bronze, star-shaped markers denote the spots where the building was hit with artillery during General Sherman's Civil War march.
Visit: Guided tours are offered weekdays, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Reservations are recommended for groups.
FLORIDA STATE CAPITOL
Tallahassee, Florida
Year completed: 1977
Architectural style: New Classicism
FYI: The current 22-story state capitol towers over its predecessor, a Classical Revival building completed in 1845 that is now the Florida Historic Capitol Museum. Try to spot it from the new capitol's observation deck, located on the 22nd floor, 307 feet in the air.
Visit: Self-guided tours are available Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., except for weekday holidays. Groups of 15 people or more can arrange a guided tour during the week.
GEORGIA STATE CAPITOL
Atlanta, Georgia
Year completed: 1889
Architectural style: Neo-Classical/Renaissance
Revival
FYI: The Georgia Capitol Museum, the on-site museum dedicated to the history of the state, has existed within the Capitol walls for just about as long as the building has been around. It moved into its fourth-floor headquarters in 1890.
Visit: Reservations are usually required for the weekday guided tours. January through April, they leave at 9:30 a.m, 10 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m., and 1 p.m. From May to December, there are three tours each weekday: 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., and 11:30 a.m. No reservations are required for the day's last tour, but each time slot has a slightly different focus, so check the website for details.
HAWAI'I STATE CAPITOL
Honolulu, Hawaii
Year completed: 1969
Architectural style: Hawaiian International
FYI: The eight columns in the front and back of the building are supposed to represent the eight islands of Hawaii, and the curved walls of the legislative houses recall the state's volcanoes.
Visit: Scope out the capital on your own on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (except for holidays), or arrange a guided tour through the Governor's Office of Constituent Services.
IDAHO STATE CAPITOL
Boise, Idaho
Year completed: 1912
Architectural style: Neo-Classical
FYI: The Idaho State Capitol has the nickname "The Capitol of Light" for the way architect John E. Tourtellotte used shafts, skylights, and reflective marble to illuminate the interior of the building. Today, it's the only capitol building heated by geothermal water.
Visit: During legislative sessions, you can visit on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 5p.m. Visiting hours during the interim are 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. Guided tours are available from groups of 10 to 100.
ILLINOIS STATE CAPITOL
Springfield, Illinois
Year completed: 1889
Architectural style: French Renaissance
FYI: Before it became the site of the capitol, the location--the highest in Springfield--was proposed as a burial place for Abraham Lincoln. Mary Todd Lincoln wanted him buried in the Oak Ridge Cemetery instead.
Visit: The capitol is open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 pm, and Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Coordinate group tours through the Physical Services department.
INDIANA STATEHOUSE
Indianapolis, Indiana
Year Completed: 1888
Architectural style: Renaissance Revival
FYI: Many capitol buildings feature a dome or rotunda, but the Indiana Statehouse has three: a rotunda, topped by a smaller dome, with an even smaller sphere at the very top. The room inside the middle dome is painted white so the colors of the stained glass windows reflect on the walls.
Visit: Guided tours leave the rotunda on Saturdays at 10:15 a.m., 11 a.m., 12 p.m., and 1 p.m.
IOWA STATE CAPITOL
Des Moines, Iowa
Year completed: 1886
Architectural style: Renaissance
FYI: The Iowa State Capitol has something for fashion lovers as well as history buffs: glass cases inside the first floor of the capitol building display 42 dolls--one for each governor's wife--wearing a replica of the dress she wore to the inaugural ball.
Visit: Guided tours leave Monday through Friday at various times. On Saturdays, tours depart every hour from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
KANSAS STATE CAPITOL
Topeka, Kansas
Year completed: 1903
Architectural style: French Renaissance
FYI: In 1901, sculptor J.H. Mahoney won a design contest for his 16-foot statue of Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture, to be placed on top of the capitol dome. People balked at both the price and the idea of a pagan goddess topping the capitol, so the dome went unadorned until 2002. After a new competition was held, Richard Bergen's bronze Ad Astra--a sculpture of a Kansa warrior--was installed.
Visit: Guided tours depart on weekdays: January through May, 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m., and 3 p.m.; June through August, 10 a.m., 12 p.m., and 2 p.m.; September through December, 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m.
KENTUCKY STATE CAPITOL
Frankfort, Kentucky
Year completed: 1910
Architectural style: Beaux-Arts
FYI: Inside the building, two oil murals by artist T. Gilbert White depict Kentucky's most famous frontiersman, Daniel Boone. One shows Boone and his party as they first discover the area; the second shows him at the Treaty of Sycamore Shoals, purchasing the land that eventually became the state.
Visit: The capitol is open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call the office for information on guided tours.
LOUISIANA STATE CAPITOL
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Year completed: 1932
Architectural style: Art Deco
FYI: You approach the capitol via a grand, 48-step staircase--one stair for every state in the union (with an amendment for Alaska and Hawaii). But don't let that be the highest you get on your visit. The Louisiana State Capitol has an observation deck on its 27th floor, 350 feet above ground. (It is the tallest state capitol building, after all.)
Visit: The building is open from 9 a.m. 4 p.m. daily, except for major holidays.
MAINE STATE HOUSE
Augusta, Maine
Year completed: 1832
Architectural style: Greek Revival
FYI: The portico and front and rear walls are all that remain of the original, 1832 structure (designed by architect Charles Bullfinch). A major remodel in 1909-1910 enlarged the wings of the building and replaced the building's original dome with a more elongated one.
Visit: Arrange a guided tour through the Maine State Museum, or check it out yourself Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
MARYLAND STATE HOUSE
Annapolis, Maryland
Year Completed: 1797
Architectural Style: Georgian
FYI: The Maryland State House has been holding government meetings for more than two centuries. The Continental Congress actually met in the building's Old Senate Chambers in 1783 and 1784.
Visit: The capitol is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except for Christmas and New Year's Day. The Office of Interpretation will arrange specialized, curatorial tours of the building and its artwork.
MICHIGAN STATE HOUSE
Lansing, Michigan
Year completed: 1879
Architectural style: Neo-Classical
FYI: Don't let the faux marble pillars and walnut wainscoting trick your eyes--decorative painting techniques cover up the fact that the capitol building was made with more inexpensive materials, such as cast iron and pine.
Visit: Guided tours are offered Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tour times vary.
MINNESOTA STATE CAPITOL
St. Paul, Minnesota
Year completed: 1905
Architectural style: Beaux-Arts
FYI: Famed architect (and Minnesotan) Cass Gilbert designed the capitol--before he blueprinted the United States Supreme Court building.
Visit: Hourly guided tours are available Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 pm; and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
SOUTH CAROLINA STATE HOUSE
Columbia, South Carolina
Year completed: 1903
Architectural style: Greek Revival
FYI: On the outside of the capitol, six bronze, star-shaped markers denote the spots where the building was hit with artillery during General Sherman's Civil War march.
Visit: Guided tours are offered weekdays, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Reservations are recommended for groups.
MISSISSIPPI STATE CAPITOL
Jackson, Mississippi
Year completed: 1903
Architectural style: Beaux-Arts
FYI: There are 750 lights in the capitol's rotunda alone. That makes it easy to see the figure of Blind Justice, as well as scenes of two Indians, a Spanish explorer, and a Confederate general.
Visit: Guided tours depart Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
MISSOURI STATE CAPITOL
Jefferson City, Missouri
Year completed: 1917
Architectural style: Classical Revival
FYI: The first floor of the capitol houses the Missouri State Museum, with exhibits detailing the state's cultural and natural history. But that's not the only place to find interesting artifacts. In the buildings and around the grounds, look for James Earle Fraser's 13-foot statue of Thomas Jefferson, Karl Bitter's bronze relief of the signing of the Louisiana Purchase Treaty, a frieze by Alexander Stirling Calder (father of th famed mobile-maker of the same name), and Thomas Hart Benton's murals of everyday Missouri life.
Visit: The Missouri State Museum offers free guided tours every 20 minutes, beginning at the top of the hour, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (except for noon). June through February, tours leave every half hour, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (excluding a 12 p.m. lunch break).
MONTANA STATE CAPITOL
Helena, Montana
Year completed: 1902
Architectural style: Neo-Classical
FYI: When the Capitol underwent an expansion in 1909, a conscious decision was made to feature art by Montana-based artists, including Charles M. Russell (his Piegans sold at auction for $5.6 million in 2005) and Edgar S. Paxson (known for painting Custer's Last Stand), among others.
Visit: The Montana Historical Society offers guided tours. From May through September, tours leave on the hour (9 a.m. to 2 p.m.) Monday through Saturday, and from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. From October through April, tours are only on Saturdays and leave on the hour from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. When the legislature is in session (odd numbered years), hourly tours are also offered from January through April, Monday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
NEBRASKA STATE CAPITOL
Lincoln, Nebraska
Year completed: 1932
Architectural style: Streamline Moderne
FYI: Don't forget to look down. Hildreth Meire's mosaics decorate both the ceiling and the floor of the building. Although Meire worked on the National Academy of Science in Washington D.C. and St. Bartholomew's Church in New York City, she called the Nebraska capitol her crowning achievement.
Visit: Guided tours are available every hour on the hour (except noon): Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday and holidays, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
NEVADA STATE CAPITOL
Carson City, Nevada
Year completed: 1871
Architectural style: Neo-Classical Italianate
FYI: After Nevada became a state, the constitutional convention made a provision that no state capitol would be built until after three legislative sessions, in case future leaders wanted to move the center of government away from Carson City. A ten-acre site set aside for the building remained empty. In his book Roughing It, Mark Twain describes the empty plaza as a useful spot for "public auctions, horse trades, mass meetings, and likewise for teamsters to camp in."
Visit: The capitol is open Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (it is closed on weekends). Call the Education Program at the Nevada State Museum to arrange guided tours.
NEW HAMPSHIRE STATE HOUSE
Concord, New Hampshire
Year completed: 1819
Architectural style: Greek Revival
FYI: The stately eagle installed on top of the New Hampshire State House's dome may look gold, but it's actually painted wood. The original was removed for preservation and is on display at the New Hampshire Historical Society. A new, gold-leafed eagle was put in its place in the 1950s.
Visit: Self-guided tours are available Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Arrange guided tours through 24 Hour Detox Center in South Florida the Visitors' Center.
NEW JERSEY STATE HOUSE
Trenton, New Jersey
Year completed: 1792 (original structure)
Architectural style: Various
FYI: The New Jersey State House has always been a work in progress. The original building was first completed in 1792, and a few extensions were added shortly after. In 1885, a fire destroyed a portion of the State House, which was rebuilt in the Second Empire style with a new rotunda and dome. In the 1890s, a Victorian-style addition was made to the Assembly wing. Then in 1903, the Senate wing was renovated in the American Renaissance style. A four-story office was added three years later; it finally reached its present size in 1911, and so on...
Visit: Guided tours leave hourly Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., as well as the first and third Saturday of each month (12 p.m. to 3 p.m.) The State House is closed Sundays and on state holidays.
NEW MEXICO STATE CAPITOL
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Year completed: 1966
Architectural style: New Mexico Territorial/Greek Revival
FYI: New Mexico's Capitol is the only one housed in a completely round building, earning it the nickname "The Roundhouse." When seen from above, the shape is meant to evoke the Zia sun symbol.
Visit: Tour the capital on your own Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Guided tours are available by appointment.
NEW YORK STATE CAPITOL
Albany, New York
Year completed: 1899
Architectural style: Italian Renaissance/French Renaissance/Romanesque
FYI: The Western staircase inside New York's capitol has been dubbed the "Million Dollar Staircase," because it cost more than a million dollars to build--in the late-1800s, no less. The 444 steps took 14 years to complete, and more than 500 stonecutters and carvers earned $5 a day to work on the project. The staircase's main feature is 77 carvings of faces, which include prominent Americans such as Abraham Lincoln and Susan B. Anthony, as well as images of the carvers' friends and relatives.
Visit: Guided tours are available Monday to Friday (excluding holidays). Tour times vary; call the Office of General Services--Visitor Assistance for more information.
NORTH CAROLINA STATE CAPITOL
Raleigh, North Carolina
Year completed: 1840
Architectural style: Greek Revival
FYI: The North Carolina State Capitol boasts two impressive statues of George Washington. Outside on the grounds sits a bronze statue cast from a mold of Jean-Antoine Houdon's statue of George Washington in Richmond, Virginia. At the focal point in the rotunda, there's a copy of a statute that stood at North Carolina's previous state capitol until 1831. The Italian sculptor, Antionio Canova, carved George with a Roman general's uniform and haircut--and he's writing in Italian.
Visit: Self-guided tours are available Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 pm; and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Guided tours for groups of 10 can be scheduled through Capital Area Visitor Services.
NORTH DAKOTA STATE CAPITOL
Bisbarck, North Dakota
Year completed: 1934
Architectural style: Art Deco/International
FYI: Although not the tallest structure in North Dakota (that honor goes to the 2,063-foot-tall KVLY-TV tower in Blanchard, the tallest manmade structure in the United States), the capitol does have the best publicly available view in the state on its 18th-floor observation deck--it's about ten times shorter than the Blanchard tower.
Visit: Tours are available year-round. Memorial Day through Labor Day, guided tours depart hourly Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.; and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.. The rest of the year, guided tours leave Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
OHIO STATEHOUSE
Columbus, Ohio
Year completed: 1861
Architectural style: Greek Revival
FYI: Keep an eye out for trilobites and other local fossils-- the limestone used to build the statehouse came from Ohio, and many fossils are embedded in it.
Visit: Guided tours depart on the hour Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.
OKLAHOMA STATE CAPITOL
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Year completed: 1917
Architectural style: Classical Revival
FYI: No, that's not a cell phone tower directly abutting the capitol building. Oklahoma's state capitol is actually surrounded by working oil wells.
Visit: Guided tours leave weekdays at 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m, and 3 p.m.
OREGON STATE CAPITOL
Salem, Oregon
Year completed: 1938
Architectural style: Modern Greek
FYI: The capitol contains many nods to the pioneers who made the long journey west. At the building's entrance, you'll find marble sculptures of a covered wagon and Lewis & Clark with Sacagawea--and on the backs of those sculptures, you'll find maps of the Oregon Trail. A bronze sculpture of The Oregon Pioneer tops the rotunda.
Visit: Guided historical tours leave hourly Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. From spring break through September, tower tours to the observation deck are offered hourly (Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.).
PENNSYLVANIA STATE CAPITOL
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Year completed: 1906
Architectural style: American Renaissance
FYI: Architect Joseph Huston may have designed the building in the American Renaissance style, but he borrowed heavily from Europe. The capitol's grand staircase was modeled after the Paris Opera House, and the building's dome is a one-third-scale copy of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.
Visit: Guided tours are offered every half hour, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Saturdays, Sundays, and most holidays, tours are given at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. The capitol is closed on major holidays.
RHODE ISLAND STATE HOUSE
Providence, Rhode Island
Year completed: 1904
Architectural style: Neo-Classical
FYI: The lobby of Rhode Island's State House holds two Civil War-era cannons; one was used in the Battle of Gettysburg, the other in Bull Run. The Gettysburg Gun, as it's called, still has an iron cannonball lodged into it, melted into place from the heat of a Confederate shot that hit it. (Until the 1960s, it also contained the gunpowder.)
Visit: Guided tours are available daily; schedule them through the Secretary of State's office.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE CAPITOL
Pierre, South Dakota
Year completed: 1910
Architectural style: Neo-Classical
FYI: Search the mosaic tile floor carefully. Rumor has it that each of the 66 Italian tile artisans who built the floor was given a blue tile to act as a stand-in a signature. To this day, not all of them have been found.
Visit: Self-guided tours are available weekdays from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and weekends and holidays, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Schedule guided tours in advance.
TENNESSEE STATE CAPITOL
Nashville, Tennessee
Year completed: 1859
Architectural style: Greek Revival
FYI: Tennessee's capitol is the final resting place for the nation's 11th president-- tomb of President James K. Polk is located on the grounds. (The capitol's architect, William Strickland, is also entombed above the building's cornerstone.)
Visit: The interior of the capitol is closed to tours for the rest of 2012 due to renovations. When tours resume, they run hourly on weekdays, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
TEXAS STATE CAPITOL
Austin, Texas
Year completed: 1888
Architectural style: Renaissance Revival
FYI: Texas's capitol building claims to be the largest of the state capitols in terms of square footage--and it's even taller than the national capitol in D.C.
Visit: Guided tours are offered every day except holidays: Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; Sunday, 12 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
UTAH STATE CAPITOL
Salt Lake City, Utah
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukFjH9odsXw
Year completed: 1916
Architectural style: Renaissance Revival
FYI: The inside of the capitol's rotunda is a series of paintings that form a cyclorama of 19th-century life in Utah. The Works Progress administration funded the project
Visit: Guided tours are offered on the hour, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (except state holidays). Evening tours can also be scheduled for Wednesday nights.
VERMONT STATE HOUSE
Montpelier, Vermont
Year completed: 1859
Architectural style: Renaissance Revival
FYI: The senate chamber still has its original furnishings, plus working gas lamps, and a "gasolier"--a gaslight chandelier that was rediscovered elsewhere in 1979, refurbished, and reinstalled in the chamber.
Visit: From July through October, guided tours are offered Monday through Friday, hourly from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. From November to June, group tours must be scheduled in advance.
VIRGINIA STATE CAPITOL
Richmond, Virginia
Year completed: 1788 (though many extensions were added later)
Architectural style: Palladian
FYI: Even though it dates back to the 18th century, the current state capitol is Virginia's seventh state house--not counting the collection of private homes, meeting houses, college assembly halls, and churches the assembly would meet in between the destruction of one capitol and the building of the next.
Visit: Take a self-guided tour whenever the capitol is open (Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.). Guided tours operate Monday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
WASHINGTON STATE CAPITOL
Olympia, Washington
Year completed: 1928
Architectural style: Neo-Classical
FYI: Washington's capitol has good taste--Lewis Comfort Tiffany designed all of the fixed lighting in the building. This includes the ornate chandelier in the rotunda, which is made of bronze and weighs 13,000 pounds (including its chain).
Visit: Guided tours are offered hourly Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (closed some holidays).
WEST VIRGINIA STATE CAPITOL
Charleston, West Virginia
Year completed: 1932
Architectural style: Italian Renaissance
FYI: West Virginia's Capitol dome--gilded in 23.5-karat gold leaf--is a whole five feet taller than the nation's capital building in Washington, D. C.
Visit: Guided tours are offered Monday to Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and Saturday, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (summer hours may vary).
WISCONSIN STATE CAPITOL
Madison, Wisconsin
Year completed: 1917
Architectural style: Beaux-Arts
FYI: Wisconsin, the statue that tops the capitol's dome, was designed by Daniel Chester French--the same artist behind Honest Abe's figure in the Lincoln Memorial. The 15-foot-tall, three-ton lady wears a helmet, on top of which sits a badger, the state's animal.
Visit: Guided tours are offered on the hour Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (except noon), and Sundays, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, a 4 p.m. tour is offered on weekdays. No tours depart on holidays.
WYOMING STATE CAPITOL
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Year completed: 1890
Architectural style: Corinthian
FYI: There are several species of stuffed (as in taxidermy) animals Wyoming State Capitol, including a mounted Bison that once weighed 3,000 pounds.
Visit: Self-guided tours are available Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Make an appointment for guided tours.
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