Virginia State Capitol
Virginia State Capitol
5
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Top ways to experience Virginia State Capitol and nearby attractions
The area
Address
How to get there
- Main Street Station • 8 min walk
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Best nearby
Restaurants
598 within 3 miles
Attractions
222 within 6 miles
See what travelers are saying
- Scott NBoston, Massachusetts38 contributionsterrific tourTours meet on the second floor and occur throughout the day. Mine was very well done. The guide was thoroughly knowledgeable about the history of the building and the Commonwealth of Virginia, and provided a thorough introduction to the space and to early Virginia history. Probably the best free tour that I have had anywhere. The building itself is gorgeous and worth a visit. Unfortunately, the grand entrance with stairs is "closed to the public" and one must enter through the side door and pass through a magentometer and have bags and small items X-rayed.Visited October 2023Traveled soloWritten October 11, 2023
- Stephanie DAtlanta, Georgia1,493 contributionsA great tour at no cost! You can’t beat that.My friends and I visited the Virginia state capital recently and we greatly enjoyed the free tour. Our tour guide had a great wealth of knowledge, and we certainly enjoyed asking him a lot of questions. We also enjoyed the fact that afterwords we could wander around as long as we want it inside the building. The building itself is just gorgeous.Visited September 2023Traveled with friendsWritten October 25, 2023
- Manny-CBrimpton, United Kingdom717 contributionsFascinating, should be top of your list in RichmondWe were very lucky to have Mr Greenough as our tour guide (I’m sure the others are just as good). As others have said it is a free tour, and a wonderful way to invest a couple of hours. It’s very interesting (even if you are not American), the guides are fonts of knowledge, the building is wonderful and we learnt so much. If you are in Richmond, this should be top of your list of places to stay.Visited April 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten April 24, 2024
- Alabama on the GoBirmingham, Alabama97 contributionsLearning OpportunityIf you visit capital cities, I would highly recommend the tour through the Virginia State Capitol. We arrived about 10 minutes late for the last tour of the day & so quickly caught up with them. We didn’t feel like we missed a beat. Very very knowledgeable docent with a polished presentation & great content to work with because it contains such an interesting history. I didn’t know the background of the origin of the architecture preferences by Thomas Jefferson who was out of the country at the time of its design and the significance of the Geo. Washington statue and the actual face mask that is part of it. You enter on the lowest level which is on the street below the grass front of the capitol bldg. there are elevators and very nice, clean restrooms when you enter and another set of restrooms just a short distance from those on your route through the bldg. Free admission! You should go & learn more!Visited June 2024Traveled with familyWritten June 22, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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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
5.0
12 reviews
Excellent
10
Very good
2
Average
0
Poor
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Terrible
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Stephanie D
Atlanta, GA1,493 contributions
Sep 2023 • Friends
My friends and I visited the Virginia state capital recently and we greatly enjoyed the free tour. Our tour guide had a great wealth of knowledge, and we certainly enjoyed asking him a lot of questions. We also enjoyed the fact that afterwords we could wander around as long as we want it inside the building. The building itself is just gorgeous.
Written October 25, 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.
Jaden P
22 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
A trip to the Virginia State Capitol has been on my bucket list for several years now, and I finally got to go. While the history there is amazing, and the grounds are very picturesque, dotted with statues here and there, the grounds were under construction, which visually impairs some of the pictures I took. That and the removal of statues in the building are why I rate this four stars instead of five.
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.
Alabama on the Go
Birmingham, AL97 contributions
Jun 2024 • Family
If you visit capital cities, I would highly recommend the tour through the Virginia State Capitol. We arrived about 10 minutes late for the last tour of the day & so quickly caught up with them. We didn’t feel like we missed a beat. Very very knowledgeable docent with a polished presentation & great content to work with because it contains such an interesting history. I didn’t know the background of the origin of the architecture preferences by Thomas Jefferson who was out of the country at the time of its design and the significance of the Geo. Washington statue and the actual face mask that is part of it.
You enter on the lowest level which is on the street below the grass front of the capitol bldg. there are elevators and very nice, clean restrooms when you enter and another set of restrooms just a short distance from those on your route through the bldg.
Free admission!
You should go & learn more!
You enter on the lowest level which is on the street below the grass front of the capitol bldg. there are elevators and very nice, clean restrooms when you enter and another set of restrooms just a short distance from those on your route through the bldg.
Free admission!
You should go & learn more!
Written June 22, 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.
Manny-C
Brimpton, UK717 contributions
Apr 2024 • Couples
We were very lucky to have Mr Greenough as our tour guide (I’m sure the others are just as good). As others have said it is a free tour, and a wonderful way to invest a couple of hours. It’s very interesting (even if you are not American), the guides are fonts of knowledge, the building is wonderful and we learnt so much.
If you are in Richmond, this should be top of your list of places to stay.
If you are in Richmond, this should be top of your list of places to stay.
Written April 24, 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.
SpanishteacherMD
Ellicott City, Maryland2,192 contributions
Jun 2022
Gorgeous grounds, beautifully manicured. Some construction / renovations going on, but still nevertheless, a very worth visit. Tons of history and things to learn about. One of the few state capitols that does not have a dome. Definitely a worthy visit.
Written June 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.
18marilyn
Hillsborough, NH166 contributions
Feb 2020
A must see in Richmond. Take a free guided tour to learn the history of the building. Walk around the grounds to view the various statues.
Written February 18, 2020
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.
Saul321
London, UK70 contributions
May 2023 • Couples
My wife and I - tourists from the UK - joined one of the guided tours of the Virginia State Capitol building. We love visiting the US and were in the middle of a tour of historic Virginia.
The tour was not exactly what we expected. That's not a criticism. We had just assumed that it would include a balance between the history of the building and its contemporary use by the state legislature. In fact, the tour was largely focused on its history. There was not a lot of focus on how the building is used today.
For example, we had assumed that we might learn something about how the state legislative process works, but this wasn't to be the case. Perhaps citizens of Virginia know that side of things very well already. Perhaps the guide wanted to steer 100% clear of contemporary politics.
The history side of the building was nevertheless interesting. Our guide was very knowledgeable about both the building itself and about the history of the Virginia legislature.
Our only quibble with historical accuracy was when he compared portraits of Thomas Jefferson with portraits of Louis XVI (of France) and George III (of England). Louis and George were dressed in regal finery with gold crowns on their head, while Jefferson was dressed in a humble overcoat. Our guide remarked that this was because the two kings considered themselves anointed by God, while Jefferson considered that he was empowered by, and accountable to, the people.
That's not really correct. In the late 18th century, there was no TV, internet or other forms of visual communication. One of the most important ways that kings and queens expressed and projected their raw national power was via portaiture. The difference in the clothing and regalia in the portraits was an accurate expression of the relative power of the three countries at that time. England and France were then the most powerful countries in the world, while America consisted of 13 squabbling colonies at the periphery of the known world, with close to zero influence outside its own borders.
Of course, things have changed since then. Nowadays, the US President travels around in The Beast followed by a totally unecessary motorcade of 20 more vehicles, while the British Prime Minister goes in a Jaguar XJ followed by a couple of Range Rovers. That's one way in which a modern day President communicates his position as the leader of the most powerful nation in the world.
Anyway, thanks for the tour, it was well organised and very informative. And free by the way.
The tour was not exactly what we expected. That's not a criticism. We had just assumed that it would include a balance between the history of the building and its contemporary use by the state legislature. In fact, the tour was largely focused on its history. There was not a lot of focus on how the building is used today.
For example, we had assumed that we might learn something about how the state legislative process works, but this wasn't to be the case. Perhaps citizens of Virginia know that side of things very well already. Perhaps the guide wanted to steer 100% clear of contemporary politics.
The history side of the building was nevertheless interesting. Our guide was very knowledgeable about both the building itself and about the history of the Virginia legislature.
Our only quibble with historical accuracy was when he compared portraits of Thomas Jefferson with portraits of Louis XVI (of France) and George III (of England). Louis and George were dressed in regal finery with gold crowns on their head, while Jefferson was dressed in a humble overcoat. Our guide remarked that this was because the two kings considered themselves anointed by God, while Jefferson considered that he was empowered by, and accountable to, the people.
That's not really correct. In the late 18th century, there was no TV, internet or other forms of visual communication. One of the most important ways that kings and queens expressed and projected their raw national power was via portaiture. The difference in the clothing and regalia in the portraits was an accurate expression of the relative power of the three countries at that time. England and France were then the most powerful countries in the world, while America consisted of 13 squabbling colonies at the periphery of the known world, with close to zero influence outside its own borders.
Of course, things have changed since then. Nowadays, the US President travels around in The Beast followed by a totally unecessary motorcade of 20 more vehicles, while the British Prime Minister goes in a Jaguar XJ followed by a couple of Range Rovers. That's one way in which a modern day President communicates his position as the leader of the most powerful nation in the world.
Anyway, thanks for the tour, it was well organised and very informative. And free by the way.
Written May 28, 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.
Matt P
Gainesville, VA1,336 contributions
Feb 2020
I am VA bread so to me this is the capital. it was amzing to take walk around. it is very beautiful grounds. The guided tour was great. It is a must see while in richmond. Take some to walk around the grounds.
Written March 15, 2020
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.
dad19622016
Brisbane Region, Australia122 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
The guided tour was great and the whole capitol area is free to explore. The governor’s mansion is open 2-4 pm in the afternoon
Written March 15, 2020
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.
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