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Library of Congress


Library of Congress
First Street SE between Independence Ave. and E. Capitol Street
Washington DC, DC 20540
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What's Near Library of Congress

Top-Rated Nearby Hotels
Distance in: mi km
Hotel USD* Distance Rating
Capitol Hill Suites $268 0.2 mi 0.4 km 4 of 5 stars
The Liaison Capitol Hill, An Affinia Hotel $298 0.6 mi 1.0 km 4 of 5 stars
Holiday Inn - On The Hill N/A 0.6 mi 1.0 km 4 of 5 stars
Hotel George - a Kimpton Hotel $344 0.6 mi 1.0 km 4 of 5 stars
Phoenix Park Hotel $264 0.7 mi 1.1 km 4 of 5 stars
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Top-Rated Nearby Restaurants
Distance in: mi km
restaurant Distance Rating
Pete's Diner 0.2 mi 0.3 km 4 of 5 stars
Sonoma Restaurant + Wine Bar 0.2 mi 0.4 km 4 of 5 stars
Charlie Palmer Steak 0.3 mi 0.5 km 4 of 5 stars
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Top-Rated Nearby Things to Do
Distance in: mi km
Thing to Do Distance Rating
United States Botanic Garden 0.2 mi 0.4 km 4.5 of 5 stars
Sewall-Belmont House 0.3 mi 0.5 km 4 of 5 stars
D.C. Ducks 0.6 mi 1.0 km 4 of 5 stars
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Traveler Advice on Library of Congress

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Professional Advice (4)
Title Source
“Library of Congress” Wcities.com
“Library of Congress” PlanetWare.com
“Library of Congress” Frommer's
“Collection draws on American spirit” Dallas Morning News / The Washington Post
Web Comments from Travelers (4)
Title Source
“The Library of Congress was...” VirtualTourist.com
“Library of Congress” VirtualTourist.com
“Library of Congress” VirtualTourist.com
“The Library of Congress. The...” VirtualTourist.com
TripAdvisor Traveler Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
TripAdvisor Popularity Index: #9 of 282 attractions in Washington DC
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Traveler Description:
Though the Library of Congress doesn't own every book ever published, it sure has most of them, with 532 miles of shelves and 115 million items, with...... more » Though the Library of Congress doesn't own every book ever published, it sure has most of them, with 532 miles of shelves and 115 million items, with 7,000 added each working day. « less
Familiar with Library of Congress? Write your own description and share what you know with other travelers.
Attraction type: Library, Government building, History museum
Activities: Group tours/walking tour
Address: First Street SE between Independence Ave. and E. Capitol Street Washington DC, DC 20540
Tel: 202 707 8000

Reviews you can trust

[ Date ] [ Rating ]
“Awesome Interior (Oh, and the Exhibits Aren't Bad Either)”
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5 of 5 stars
SixOneTwo   30 contributions
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Nov 1, 2009

Wow! I was not prepared for the Library of Congress. It's not just about books! When we visited, they had temporary exhibitions on Bob Hope, the Gershwin Brothers, Pre-Colombian culture, the "rough drafts" of America's founding documents and the art of political cartoonist Herblock. All were outstanding! Jefferson's original library of donated books are here (though most are replacements due... more

“Don't miss the LOC”
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4 of 5 stars
farmgirl48   4 contributions
Tifton, GA
Oct 28, 2009

If you mark the LOC off your must see list, you are making a bad mistake. It has to be the most beautiful building I have ever seen, and the exhibits, especially that on the history of the American Indian, are done so well. Everything about a LOC visit is first class. more

“Completely Awsome”
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5 of 5 stars
FirstOnes   6 contributions
Tucson AZ
Oct 7, 2009

This is the best architecture and internal artwork of any public building in DC. The only one that came close was the mosaic tile-work at the Basilica of Immaculate Conception. We stumbled on a tour just starting as we entered. It was excellent. The best thing about this building is that it is completely accessible to the public. The only... more

“Awe Inspiring!!”
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5 of 5 stars
CG33   29 contributions
Naperville, Illinois
Aug 26, 2009

The library of congress is a must see!! I am hard pressed to recall another building as beautiful as the LOC in the U.S. Here's a link to my pics but the pics don't do it justice. For best effect view the slideshow in full screen mode. http://colinspics.phanfare.com/3725281 Cheers, Colin more

“Beautiful building! Made me want to study.”
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4 of 5 stars
Carchrissa   12 contributions
Grandville, MI
Aug 23, 2009

What a beautiful building! It made me want to apply to do some research just so I could spend some time down in the actual archive area. Not many areas that you can go into, and you cannot take pics of the research area, but it was worth seeing. more

“Library of Congress”
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5 of 5 stars
lesmitchell   27 contributions
Cincinnati, OH
Aug 4, 2009
3/3 found this review helpful

The Library of Congess is spectacular. DC is full of buildings with amazing architecture, but this is head and shoulders above anything else we saw. Pictures you see online simply can not convey the beauty. You have to see it with your own eyes to truly experience it. Allow yourself at least an hour to see this. It is more... more

“By far the most beautiful building in Washington (possibly the U.S.)”
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5 of 5 stars
Army_Dude   144 contributions
El Paso, Texas
Aug 4, 2009
1/1 found this review helpful

This building was breathtaking. We came here through the tunnel underneath the street from the Capitol building following our tour. Another full marble building, this place's murals are by far the most amazing and breathtaking. The amount of detail that went into the columns and the architecture astounded me and words cannot do it justice. more

“An underrated gem.”
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5 of 5 stars
vizli   26 contributions
Commack, New York
Aug 2, 2009

I recently visited Washington, D.C. for a day on my way to a vacation in Myrtle Beach. I have been to DC several times and was looking for something different to see. Do not be fooled by the word "library" - this place is far more than that! We visited the Jefferson building (which I believe the the most noteworthy... more

“Beautiful Architecture and stained glass”
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4 of 5 stars
SweetPeaVentura_CA   9 contributions
Ventura, CA
Jul 30, 2009

This building surprise us with its beauty and interactive learning opportunities for kids. After go see the capitol go to the supreme court and this building. They are clean and impressive. more

“Most beautiful building in DC”
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5 of 5 stars
CincinnatiTeflon   6 contributions
cincinnati
Jul 26, 2009

We went here on a whim and found this to be one of our most favorite attractions in Washington DC. The inside of this library is so gorgeous that you will be blown away. It was so cool to see Jefferson's personal library of about 7,000 books that he donated. Definately worth visiting. more

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Library of Congress Address

First Street SE between Independence Ave. and E. Capitol Street, Washington DC, DC 20540
Tel: 202 707 8000