"This is the handsomest building I ever saw." Theodore Roosevelt
As the capital of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg is home to the Pennsylvania Capitol, a historic and stunningly beautiful building located right on the corners of State Street and 3rd Street. As you walk up the steps to the Capitol you can't help but be in awe of just how majestic the building is. Many people assume it's William Penn looking down from the top of the dome, but it's actually Lady Commonwealth who welcomes you to the third Capitol to be built in Harrisburg.
My son and I recently took part in a 30 minute guided group tour and really enjoyed learning so much about the Capitol, which we pass pretty often while traveling around the Harrisburg area. History doesn't have to be boring when you make a visit to the Capitol. Here are some interesting facts and things we love about the Capitol and our tour.
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Who owns the Capitol?
You do if you reside in Pennsylvania! All of the kids on our trip thought it was amazing that the Capitol doesn't belong to one person, political party or group. It belongs to anyone who resides in Pennsylvania and you're allowed to visit the inside of the Capitol without any special invitation.
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Tour the Capitol with a guide
Tours of the Capitol are free and are available year-round (excluding some holidays). It's a great way to learn interesting facts about the history and happenings of the Pennsylvania Capitol and to be able to show kids in real life instead of just through a book. A tour guide can also open the gallery for the Senate and House of Representatives on the weekend, when they're normally locked and not open to the general public - unless the Senate or House are in special sessions. While the tours do involve some walking, there are elevators used to get to each floor and a lot of the tour is stopping inside the Rotunda, Senate and House of Representative chambers and PA Supreme Court. Guided tours are free, and are a great way to learn new things about the building and to have things pointed out that you may miss if you tour it on your own. Tour groups are limited to 80 people and can be scheduled in advance here.
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Take a look up
The next time you are in the Main Rotunda, take a look up into the dome, which was modeled after St. Peter's Bascillica, and you'll notice a black railing that circles the entire circumference of the dome. That walkway used to be a place the public could go on tours, but now is closed and only open for maintenance reasons. The Capitol is considered to be priceless because of the vast amount of artwork and architecture inside the building. There is no way to put a price on the murals, wall hangings and stonework located in the Capitol. The phrases and words you'll see throughout the Main Rotunda are created using millions of tiny tiles, painstakingly placed to create priceless works of art as far as you could see.
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Find the working keyhole
Make sure you enter the Capitol through the Third Street main entrance so you can find the two bronze doors, each weighing approximately one ton, which actually closes pretty easily to protect the Capitol. The doors are very striking when you walk up to them. You can't help but to notice the busts of men who were important to the building of the Capitol around the border of the doors. Find the bust of Joseph M. Huston, the Capitol architect, lift it up and you'll find an actual working keyhole.
Try to find the real gold
This is a trick, as you walk through the Capitol you'll see gold everywhere. The walls, ceiling, artwork, frames holding artwork and mall appear to be covered in gold...and they are! There was never a record kept of how much gold and gold leaf was used in the decorating and creation of the Capitol so no one knows how much gold was used, and you'll have a really easy time finding gold throughout the building.
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Visit the Capitol on your own
The general public is welcome to walk inside the Capitol almost anytime. You don't need a special appointment or invitation to walk through the Capitol. The public is also invited to sit in the gallery of both the House of Representatives and Senate at any time to watch discussions, voting or activity in both places. The Senators and Representatives are elected by the residents of Pennsylvania, so their voting and any activity in session is meant to be shared with the public. Whether you visit on your own or with a guided tour, make sure to stop by the Interactive Welcome Center, which features a fun facts area, interactive displays and plenty of history and knowledge presented in a fun and engaging way.
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Find the dome that's only visible from the inside
If you take a guided tour, don't forget to check out the dome inside the PA State Capitol Supreme Court. You'll be tempted to stare at the beautiful woodwork, hidden word search on the wall, artwork all over the walls, and obviously the chairs for the judges and lawyers - but take a peek up at the green dome and you won't be disappointed. The stained glass dome is not visible from outside the Capitol and can only be enjoyed from inside the Supreme Court.
Grab a souvenir
While it'd be nice to have some gold off the walls, that's pretty frowned upon. To pick up a fun souvenir during the regular work week, stop by The Pennsylvania Capitol Shop. They also offer special souvenir bags for students, which is perfect for homeschool or scout groups visiting the Capitol - as a bonus, the bags are pretty affordable!
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Enjoy a scavenger hunt
...on the floor! Before your tour, print off a scavenger hunt to bring with you. Once you're in the Main Rotunda, pull out the scavenger hunt and see if you can find all of the scenes from history in the thousands and thousands of Moravian tiles that adorn the floor and make up the carpet of history. There is no official number on the tile count on the floor, but it's safe to say the 400 picture tiles will keep you busy looking for hours.
Find the 200+ clocks
Located all throughout the Capitol is more than 200 clocks, which are wound by hand each week. Some of the clocks are big and easy to find, while some of the clocks are small or are built into the artwork. My son and I had a blast trying to see who could find more clocks during our tour and visit of the Capitol.
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My son and I really enjoyed our visit to the Capitol. We are both admittedly into fun facts and interesting history, so touring the Capitol was perfect for us. Walking through the Capitol and knowing how many years of history, legislation and discussions have happened in this building that affect our lives each and every day is something I hope my son never takes for granted.
On our guided tour were 18 kids, most of whom were ages 5 - 10, who all found the tour interesting. Our tour guide was so patient with all of the questions from the kids, knew just what kind of facts the kids would be interested in and made sure there was plenty for adults to learn too. Because the Capitol is a working building, I would recommend touring once kids are old enough to be able to hold their questions and remain respectful during the tour. Somewhere around 5ish is when our guide suggested starting tours with kids. For more info on the Capitol and taking guided tours, click here.
My son and I were guests of Visit Hershey & Harrisburg and Explore HBG, who kindly arranged the tour for our group. All thoughts and opinions belong to my son and I and were not influenced in any way.
