Kansas State Capitol Building, Kansas, United States

5Mixa's Travels 5:00 PM Jul 2, 2022

Great History & Dome Tours of the Capitol
We took the History Tour at 11:00AM with Darren then returned for the 1:15PM Dome Tour with Darren. On the History Tour, we learned about the Capitol, the time to build it over many years. We ad views of the murals that depict Kansas over the years from Spanish Explorers to Lewis & Clark to the Chisholm Trail to Trains and more. We visited the Senate, the House of Representatives, the Supreme Court (initially in the Capitol now in Judicial Building). We learned about the Dome, the murals in it and various aspects of it. On the Dome Tour - we first saw various murals and learned there history on the fifth floor. Then the tour begins climbing stairs along the wall to eventually be outside the inner dome and below the outside dome. Here a narrow balcony circles the wall inside the outer dome. From this point there is a stairwell basically suspended from this level to the door then to a tight spiral staircase leading to the Cupola. Here one can actually go outside. I only made it to this balcony as the suspended stairs (with a vertigo issue) did not seem smart. I had been to the top of El Duomo in Florence which was taller but staircase was not suspended. Both tours are terrific- even if you just go to the level before the final staircase it is still good for those who may not want to all the way to the top. We highly recommend these tours.

5Doug F 5:00 PM Dec 11, 2022

IMPRESSIVE
This is an enjoyable attraction to visit. First, entry is through the Visitor Center which is located under the plaza of the Capitol Building. The Visitor Center is the starting point of the tours. The most elaborate and challenging tour is the Dome Tour. This includes climbing stairs to the top of the dome. These stairs are narrow and steep; it is a challenge to complete this tour. The second tour excludes the dome tour and walks through the first five floors of the Capitol Building. The last tour is the self-guided tour. We completed the self-guided tour. Surprisingly, the self-guided tour allowed us to roam, at our leisure throughout the building. We sat in the Senate and House Chambers and observed the murals and exhibits on the first five floors. Being that the legislature was not in session, we were probably allowed this access to the building. The ground floor was impressive. The large stones of the foundation, of the Capitol, are clearly visible. The architecture of the building is impressive. We enjoyed the tour and would recommend it to others.