Washington State Capitol, Washington, United States

4Tiff 5:00 PM Feb 26, 2022

A fun place for a day out - take a picnic to the lawns
I worked here for six years and never got tired of the beautiful grounds and scenery - especially the Capitol Lake. It really is amazing in the springtime when everything is in bloom. You can wander for quite awhile here and see the various memorials and gardens, the fountain, and of course the Legislative Building. Before Covid, you could go on guided tours of the Legislative Building, which is pretty awesome. The inside of the building is stunning to say the least, and at Christmas they have a beautiful tree set up and often there are school bands and choirs. Worth a stop if you're in the area. A great place to exercise - lots of paved paths, lots of steps to climb, and if you want to take the switchbacks (dirt) trail to the bottom it's worth the effort. There are benches to stop and rest along the way if you need to. When it's non-Covid time, you can visit the Legislative Building gift shop for neat treasures. Even local residents and employees like to shop there for little goodies and souvenirs.

4wireless_in_CA 5:00 PM Jul 16, 2021

Open for Tours
We came here Saturday and entered at right at the 11AM opening. We came through the back where the gift shop and tour window were located. However no guided tours were offered so we grabbed a map and wandered around on our own. All offices (ie governor), senate and house chambers were all closed so we were not able peek inside. The formal reception room was closed but at least visible through the large glass windows. It seem to use that this was a smaller Capitol building compared with its exterior. The main rotunda rose high above but was not as ornately painted as some others we’ve toured. The floor and part of the walls were grey marble and encircled the Washington State seal. By far the best part was high above, a 5 ton Tiffany chandelier, one of their largest created, along with four statue lamps in each corner. At the main entrance a gentlemen was giving a short overview of the Capitol to a couple of visitors. Visitor log and information desk was also located here. Outside the grounds contained a few statues, memorials, water fountains and a public library. The grounds were well maintained and pretty expansive. Behind the judicial building was a law enforcement memorial and views towards the water. Visitor parking was only on certain designated areas which happened to be at the entrances. We like most other did not use the parking meter this day.