North Carolina State Capitol
North Carolina State Capitol
4
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
The State Capitol building, built in 1840, is an excellent example of a civic structure in Greek Revival-style architecture. Though recently renovated, the building does contain some original furniture.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
346 reviews
Excellent
132
Very good
153
Average
52
Poor
8
Terrible
1
Steve M
Pulaski, TN583 contributions
Aug 2021 • Couples
We stopped here on the way to the Outer Banks. We walked around the capitol grounds and then went inside. It is a self guided tour and when you walk inside they will give you a brochure with historical facts about the building. The inside of the capitol is beautiful. We arrived early and park on the street. On Saturdays, parking is free.
Written September 8, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dewayne P
Elizabethtown, KY2,025 contributions
Oct 2022
There is parking within walking distance. The tour itself that I took was self-guided and enables you to see three floors of the building. Screening required entering the building, with the Information Desk providing a map of the building.
Written October 20, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Catherine B
1 contribution
Feb 2023 • Solo
I’m from Florida visiting for three weeks. I planned my downtown trip to specifically see the magnificent State Capital building and beautiful churches in close proximity. Unfortunately the parking is incomprehensible. I parked on the street very close to the Capital building this morning and found that the parking payment kiosk would not accept any of my credit cards, including two different visa debit cards, a Visa card and a Mastercard. I moved my vehicle and started over on a different machine. Same results. I ended up just driving by and taking a couple of pictures from the car. Apparently they want you to purchase a parking pass. Not happening. I’ve traveled this country quite a bit and never have encountered a less tourist friendly city. There are lots of great places to spend your money in North Carolina but Raleigh isn’t one of them. Obviously I don’t recommend 😢👎
Written February 13, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NW748
Washington426 contributions
Jan 2023 • Friends
We enjoyed our tour of the capitol building. We happened to make it in time for the guided tour and it was about 45 minutes long. The tour is free which is nice. You can also do a self guided tour of the building but you can learn so much more with the guided one. The building is very pretty. Don’t miss learning about the George Washington statue inside the building- it’s quite the interesting story.
Written January 21, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TerrasTravels
Las Vegas, NV3,370 contributions
Aug 2024 • Solo
The smallest state capitol I have ever been in, but it’s still the best thing to do in Raleigh North Carolina in my opinion. It is really cute because it’s small. They have the statue of George Washington in the middle and they also have rooms that are still set up like how they were supposedly in 1860s. They have a cute old library. I love libraries. It doesn’t take that long to go through and it’s worth a stop. They have statues around the building as well. When they ask if you would like a tour just say yes because it’s more informative than just walking around and it’s free. Free to get in as well! Apparently most of the museums in North Carolina are free to get it as well is what I learned when I was here.
Written August 10, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jack
Des Moines, IA14 contributions
Mar 2023
Located near downtown, the capitol building has a lot of history to be shared. I in particular enjoyed the architecture of the exterior and interior. Employees are very friendly too. I am docking one star because it is rather dated inside and hasn't seen touchups in who knows how many years and it felt a bit eerie because of that.
Written March 11, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kate Illinois1
Illinois5,031 contributions
May 2023
Small capitol building. We were walking around the grounds and a friendly security man approached us to see if we had questions or need help finding the visitor's entrance. Then, we had a direct opposite encounter with a different gentleman sitting at the visitor's desk. I asked if there were any tours on that day. He sternly said "NO we don't have tours and you are lucky that you get to even see the building". Pause "It's closing this week indefinitely for repairs" as he handed us a pamphlet and directed to proceed down the hall. Both the visitor's desk encounter and the interior was an unimpressive visit.
Written May 20, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TheExplorerFamily
Somerset, NJ7,153 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
We have always loved to visit State Capitols whenever we are in a different State, and find ourselves in the Capital City. We love admiring the architecture, the various artworks, and stand under the Rotunda while learning the history via the guided tours. We came downtown to do just that, but unfortunately, the entire building was closed to visitors because of construction. We could only walk around the perimeter – where we saw several Statues, Monuments and nicely maintained Grounds. It was very nice to learn that three of our Presidents hailed from this State.
We were extremely disappointed at not being to see the place from the inside, but left with the hope that it will be resplendent by the time of our next visit to see the family next year.
Written July 16, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rhundt67
Milwaukee, WI386 contributions
Aug 2023
Capitol is currently under construction. It is, by far, one of the smallest capitols I've seen, but it is surrounded by a nice park area with various statues to check out (especially if into Geocaching). It's right by the museums, so stop by and at least see it.
Written August 20, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jodi H
843 contributions
Sep 2022 • Couples
The original capital burned down. This one is still old and beautiful. The size of the doors are unbelievable! The bathroom stalls are made of marble! They just don’t build places this magnificent anymore. The rotunda is amazing. You can visit the old House and Senate rooms. They have 3 stories of history for you to see.
Written October 2, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Is there a guided tour for individuals?
Written August 23, 2015
Yes. We just showed up at the visitors desk and asked when the next tour was. We were directed to wait in the rotunda until our docent came along. I believe the tours started about every hour and a half or so.
Written August 26, 2015
How can I get a guided tour of the Capital? It seems to be available to groups only. Thanks!
Written August 22, 2015
My understanding is that you are correct. They do guided tours for groups but they don't say how large a group is. To be honest I don't think a tour is really necessary. The city of Raleigh was not on the map when the War for Independance was fought and the Civil War never touched it. There are a number of statues and plaques around and in the building so, going and walking the area on your own is, in my opinion, a better option than taking a tour, anyway.
Written August 24, 2015
Is the North Carolina State Capitol Building open for public tours on Sundays in July?
Written June 30, 2015
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