Visiting the Wisconsin State Capitol: tours, the observation deck and watching the Legislature

Free guided tours

The Department of Administration (DOA) runs free guided tours of about 45 to 50 minutes. They cover Capitol history, art, architecture and state government, and every tour starts at the Information Desk in the ground-floor Rotunda.

• Monday to Saturday: 9, 10 and 11 a.m., and 1, 2 and 3 p.m.
• Sunday: 1, 2 and 3 p.m.
• Summer: an extra 4 p.m. weekday tour from Memorial Day to Labor Day, excluding holidays.
• No tours on Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or New Year's Day.

Tours typically include the Rotunda, both chambers, the North Hearing Room, the Governor's Conference Room and the Supreme Court. Some rooms can close for official business, and the state says it cannot predict that in advance. While the Legislature is in session, the tour does not enter the chambers, but you can watch from the galleries.

Group tours

Groups of fewer than 10 people do not need a reservation. Just arrive at the Rotunda for the tour time you want. Groups of 10 or more must reserve, either online through the DOA's reservation page or by phone at (608) 266-0382, Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Buses cannot park around the Capitol Concourse. The DOA says a bus may unload in the right-hand bus lane of the Capitol Square and park nearby, with Duane F. Bowman Park suggested as a place to wait.

Observation deck and museum

The outdoor observation deck is seasonal. The DOA lists it as open from mid-April through December, and says weather or building construction can close it. It sits 92 feet above ground level. The museum covers how the current Capitol was built, with artifacts found during construction, and a Rotunda viewing deck gives a close look at the inner dome.

State hours for the deck and museum:

• Monday to Friday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday: 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• Sunday: noon to 3:30 p.m.
• Closed on New Year's Day, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Plan for stairs. The DOA says you climb about 48 steps beyond the elevator, and that wheelchair-accessible entry to the deck, museum and Rotunda viewing deck is not available. The route is an elevator to the fourth floor, then two more flights of stairs.

What to see inside

The exterior is white granite from Bethel, Vermont, and the DOA calls the dome the only granite dome in the United States. It rises 162 feet above the four wings, and the building stands 284.4 feet from the ground floor to the top of the statue.

That statue, "Wisconsin," was sculpted by Daniel Chester French, stands 15 feet 5 inches tall and weighs over 3 tons. It is gilded bronze, with a badger on its helmet, and it symbolizes the state motto, "Forward."

Inside, the DOA describes these rooms:

• Assembly Chamber: white Dover marble walls, Italian marble columns, a 36-foot leaded-glass skylight and Edwin Blashfield's mural "Wisconsin."
• Senate Chamber: a circular room with a 28-foot leaded-glass skylight, Italian and French marble, and Kenyon Cox's mural "The Marriage of the Atlantic and the Pacific."
• Supreme Court hearing room: more marble than any other room in the Capitol, with four murals by Albert Herter, including a scene of the 1830 trial of Chief Oshkosh, the first jury trial in Wisconsin.

Watching the Legislature

On days when the Assembly or Senate meets, the public can watch from galleries. The Assembly's visitor page says the West Visitors Gallery on the third floor of the West Wing is open for observation. A South gallery is available on request for visitors who cannot climb stairs. On non-session days, you can see the chamber on a tour.

Gallery rules are strict. During Assembly sessions, visitors must stay quiet and may not photograph or record, use electronics, display signs, read, eat or drink. Bags are not permitted in the galleries, and there are a limited number of lockers outside the West Gallery. The Senate posts its own gallery rules, which include no photography, food, drink or signs.

The Legislature's floor schedule changes through the two-year session, so look at the session calendar on the Legislature's website before you plan around a specific day. Floor proceedings and many committee meetings are also broadcast live on WisconsinEye.

The Supreme Court. The Court's website says visitors are welcome to view its hearing room and attend proceedings held there, in the East Wing of the Capitol. It points to an oral argument calendar and says to contact the Office of the Clerk to confirm dates and times. Its page does not describe seating or check-in rules.

Building rules and security

The Capitol is open to the public every day of the year. The DOA lists hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends, and the State Capitol Police say the building closes at 4 p.m. on holidays.

The Capitol Police publish a list of prohibited items, including balloons, alcohol, coolers, easels, musical instruments, signs or flags on sticks, and animals other than service dogs. On firearms, the Capitol Police say concealed carry by permit holders is allowed except in posted areas, and open carry by the public is not allowed inside the building. The Capitol hosts 400-plus events and demonstrations a year, so you may encounter a rally. The pages we reviewed do not describe screening or bag checks, so call the Capitol Police non-emergency line, (608) 266-8797, with questions.

Accessibility and getting there

The DOA lists four accessible entrances, at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, East Washington Avenue, West Washington Avenue and Wisconsin Avenue. Elevators go up to the fourth floor. Nursing visitors can get a temporary pass to the Lactation Room from tour desk staff. Accessible parking is limited, with stalls on East Washington Avenue at the base of the grand stairs. See our accessibility guide for more.

Public parking ramps are within a block of the Square. For ramps, meters and event-day tips, see our downtown parking guide.

The Capitol Square around it

The Square is the center of downtown. The Saturday Dane County Farmers' Market circles it for much of the year (see our farmers markets guide), and the summer festival calendar often uses it (see our festivals guide). The grounds cover 13.5 acres, with 154 trees, according to the DOA. The Wisconsin Veterans Museum is on the Square (see our museums guide). For the campus at the other end of State Street, see visiting UW-Madison.