Reviews of Virginia State Capitol (Tourist Attraction)

Monica Dailey

The actual tour of the Capitol is interesting in itself, but our docent could have been teaching a history class. So much knowledge! The majority of the time is spent in a few chambers so there is not a lot of walking. The information imparted there was of utmost interest and importance. Of course there is s gift shop which contains a variety of treasures. Our first stop in Richmond definitely encouraged us to explore more.

Rickey Davis

The capitol is always a great stop, it's a mini park with a touch of history. Plenty of statues with plaques to learn from. They hold tours for the mayors house. Plenty of places to sit with water fountains to boot. If this is something your thinking of seeing but not sure it is worth your time then I would suggest you give it a shot.

Amber Bower

Pretty and historical

Robert Hortin

If you enjoy History, be sure to visit the Capitol building and take a tour. It has been at the centre of American political life and 6 Presidents were Virginians: 'Virginians first, Americans second,' which may explain some imbalances in contemporary American culture. Take your time, if you can, and enjoy the experience.

Connie Mott

Super pretty, the grounds are nice, friendly staff and there's a good deal of history. It's free and worth a quick visit while in town. You can sit in on sessions if you're lucky enough to get there when they're going.

Matthew Brown

Fun place to wander through, looking at history. The tour guides are great.

Khat hat

this place is beautiful! the inside is a little plain, but the building itself is awesome!

Mark Pounders

Took our kids there for a local tour and were lucky enough to be able to crash a tour by Mark Greenough. The guy is funny, fun, super knowledgeable and great with the kids. I'm sure the other guides are good, but Mark really made an impression with a 9 and 12 year old. Thanks, Mr Greenough!

Matthew Thomas

Beautiful builder and gorgeous grounds. Lots of terrific history to be found in the gardens and around the property in general. We went on the weekend and weren't allow inside...Make sure you walk up the steps and get a photo!

Scott Zincone

Take a tour. Learn a lot.

박해동

Good visitor center

ido keren

Interesting place to visit

Juan Enrique Galvez

Nice... But I was expecting much more because Virginia was the capital of the confederation... More history needed.

Pablo Cabrera

Great tour guides with plenty of knowledge about Virginia/US history. Also great to see the Virginia government houses of old and new. Great tour.

Mitra CD

A wonderful place to visit with kids. Ours studied VA history at school (we are Virginians) and this place is both so loaded with historical events and so visitor friendly. The buiding is beautiful and the location on the top of the hill is a good place for the kids to run around and to play after a lesson of hisory. Don't miss the visit!

Jeff Houpt

Very impressive building. Plus everyone working there that I ran into was helpful and nice.

Keith and Sarah Rakofsky

Great tour!!

Bat Man

Good historic place to visit if you are passing through.

Joe Kessler

When an awesome place to visit so much history, so much beautiful artwork. My family night went through several rooms with a tour. I hope next time I can visit I can get the whole tour plus the gift shop was really.

Heather Thompson

Great educational experience

Moon Shadow

Lots of history. Very knowledgable your guide. Tours are also free too! Gift shop had lots of neat little Virginia novelties and some great books.

Kevin Searfoorce

Beautiful building- but the grounds are even prettier!

Sharon Lopez

We had the opportunity to visit and tour the Virginia Capitol building at the same time that a class of grade 5 students were touring. The tour guide was great with the students and knowledgeable. She also acknowledged the adults that were not with the school group and took care to include us. The students were great. They asked all types of questions that we probably would not have asked but liked having the answers to. This state capitol building is definitely one of the best capitol buildings that we have visited. The inside is elegant and stately and is still in use. The grounds had statues and buildings to admire. Well worth the visit.

Greg Biz

Very clean and well kept area. Impressive

Stacy Litchford

I finally took the guided tour on the weekend of Governor Northam's classic car show. Our tour guide was great. She was upbeat and very well versed in the history. Did you know that we have the only statue George Washington posed for here in RVA? Lots of really neat stories and history here. Highly recommended for a visit.

S. G.

Excellent tour and surrounding park, all free to the public.

Karan Salekar

Very beautiful structure and a good guided tour which is free and a must when you visit this place. People also come for graduation photography here

Matthew M

I've been to NC, SC, GA, and NY state capital buildings. VA is the best and most beautiful, tasteful, grand, elegant, and modern capital building I have seen. It's gorgeous, regal, elegant, and serving. Even when they updated it and cut into the hill, they did so in a way that the original architect would have approved of. This is how you build a state capital. It's funny, because it represent Virginia which isn't really noteworthy nationally. But wow. Good job.

Machelle Meade

Be sure to take the tour.

Jonathan Wong

A master piece of Palladian architecture courtesy of the US finest architect (self-taught!) and former President Thomas Jefferson. If you like this, you gotta visit Chiswick House in London too which provided the initial inspiration and was used to build his own house -Monticello

Shane Simpson

Fantastic! I wish everyone would take the tour and learn the history of our great country. Especially the ones who don't respect or flag...

Laura Lambert

Great history regarding Virginians saving the destruction during civil war. Excellent tour.

Steve Momper

Great tour. Very informative. Finding the entrance is tricky. You enter on Bank Street at the street level. It is not well marked.

Curtis Meendering

This place was pretty cool with all the amazing history that has happened here. Take the free tour or walk around yourself. We did the tour and it was great.

Mario - S

Nice place to visit

Angelina Winten

The Virginia Capitol Building was truly a sight to see. George Washington, George Mason, Andrew Lewis, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson and many more historic American leaders are on display and represented in a scenic masterpiece designed of the ancient Greeks.

Max Hank

Beautiful building designed by Thomas Jefferson with more than 200 years of history. The lady at the main desk inside the capitol was absolutely delightful!

Fred Fivecoat

RICHMOND SEGWAY tour of of the Historic district. 2 hours of fun and interesting time. No experience needed. Guide gives lessons.

Lonita Humphrey

The staff is very nice. The walk inside is accommodating to people with limited mobility. The walk to the state house from Public Parking is one street over. Va state house does not offer a Blue Book (that we know of). A guided tour is available or you can use a map.

Matt Wittkopp

Very Cool! I was ignorant to all the history that has happened in Virginia and specifically Richmond! We arrived at about 9:40 on Saturday morning in Feb, it was cold and there were only 4 other people there. We were offered to take the tour and said yes when she said it was free! Our tour only had us and the other 4 people which was nice. Our tour guide was very nice. She was very knowledgeable. It took about an hour. In all of the different rooms there are chairs available so don't worry about standing. All the rooms are available to be seen without a tour with the exception of the Senate and House chambers which the guides have the keys for. Very cool building with lots of history. The outside is just as pretty as the inside. Definitely a must see if you are in Richmond!

Kyle Milbrand

We visited this area after the capital closed. It is a beautiful place just to walk around after dinner. The building itself is very aesthetic and is surrounded by paths. If you follow the paths, you'll see monuments and fountains. Everything was very clean and seemed safe.

Miss Jensen

Gorgeous and tranquil place. I sat at the top of the steps for a good 30 minutes and took in the view. The grounds are beautiful and well kept. I’m looking forward to visiting again!

buck page

Great visit, it was nice to see some history of Virginia, and historical designs.

Ameen Karim

I came here during memorial day. So it's no surprise that it was practically empty. It's a gorgeous building and the newish visitor center was so well done. With the actual building, it's so well maintained and kept up. The floors were filled with different things. I would recommend that everyone take the actual tour but doing it with just friends is fine. I had a great time looking at everything at your own pace. The governors floor, fourth? Was awesome with all the official portraits of Kaine, McAuliffe, Mark Warner and the weirdo Bob McDonnell. Also one of Queen Elizabeth II of England and Prince Phillip.

Bill Unsell

Awesome a must see very well worth your time

Canadianbacon 55

They have great tours and the guides are nice, they answered questions, and very informational. If you like learning about glorious American history I suggest coming here.

Robin Pearce

Truly a great (and free) place to see some or our early history. The docent was wonderful (whitty) and got the group involved. The way they did the underground portion of the addition was ingenious. Well worth the 1-2 hours.

david sheffield

Interesting place to spend a hot afternoon. You can walk around the historic building for free and peek into where the legislative process occurs in VA. The grounds are also nice with several monuments to view.

Divya Ruth

It was a very rainy day and so we got the capitol almost to ourselves. The staff are very friendly and helpful. The Capitol itself was very clean and we were able to go inside many rooms and see the beautiful decor and painting. The small gift shop was good although they didn't have any refrigerator magnets which I was looking for.

Ecaterina Leonova

Must visit, if you came in Richmond. But, on my opinion ....looks too easy for capital of VA :(

O Harris

Do the tour.. the people are so knowledgeable and friendly. When i went to the other historical sites i knew how it was all connected by the knowledge shared with me here. Cant wait to revisit and say hello.

G Aquino

Beautiful and quite unique among state capitols for not having a dome. It sits at a slightly higher elevation and actually looks like a regular town hall from the street level. As you come closer, however, it begins to reveal its actual size and grandeur. The view of downtown Richmond from the steps of the building is breathtaking. In addition to the building, there's green spaces, statues, a historic bell, and a fountain. We arrived by car and found street parking on East Main Street. For an equally breathtaking view of the State Capitol building from above, visit the observation deck at City Hall.

Oliver Yan

Very fascinating place! Has many state buildings and museums around. A good stop if you are in Richmond.

Thomas Steffek

A great tour by a knowledgeable docent.

les williams

Highly recommend the tour, very knowledgable guides, this is where are country started, a must see for people and kids alike searching for our true history, not the fake news we see today!

Stacey Long

Very educational. Took the kids to learn about their capital. Great staff and learning experience

Graham Martin

Lots of interesting busts

Jeffrey Ryals

Very nice exhibits, we'll presented tour, good amount of visual aids, detailed info from early years up to today. And it's free.

Matt L

I live nearby so I've walked the grounds plenty of times. If you go in the spring the tulips are especially pretty. This trip I decided to take a visiting family member on the free tour of the building itself. The entrance is where 10th hits Bank Street. The tour guide we had was fantastic. The inside was marvelous and we learned a great deal about the history of the building. I would definitely recommend to travelers and locals alike.

Mike McHugh

Very cool place kid friendly

Greg Vollmer

Beautiful building and architecture. Surprising compared to other state capitols I've visited throughout northeast and mid Atlantic states

Sally Wyatt

One of the more interesting tours in Richmond & is free.

Egor Barbarisov

I put 4 stars, because it was rainy.

sonu apex

Very good place

Jessica Simmons

Pokemon hunting at it's finest!

Sanjay Gupta

“beautiful architecture...surrounded by fed buildings and banks.. right in heart of downtown it is one great white piece of beautiful architecture. situated at kinda hilly part of land make it look like a Greek monument. The tour is available to get inside and see how things work in Richmond ;) Capitol campus give you glance oof 10+ sculpture and overlook of fed buildings. Must visit in Richmond downtown.

JC Baltz Wildblueyonder

Incredible free guided tours, just make time and do it!

Nick D

Free tour is interesting and informative. Certainly worth the time. Nice grounds with lots of statues including my hero, Thurgood Marshall. Not the prettiest state capital grounds or capitol building but it is nice. Lots of PokemonGo activity on the grounds- three gyms, many stops and lots of spawns.

Josh Winkler

Amazing place to stop and spend some time. Beautifully cared for grounds with plenty of benches and walkways to enjoy the monuments and old buildings. Really cool to have such old stuff in pristine condition right in the heart of a modern downtown area!

Johann Lindsey

Went on the guided free tour, and have to say i enjoyed it. A lot of history and historical facts were layed on us and it was good to go beyond what i had been taught years and years ago in school. Worth a walk through for young and old. A lot to see if u have a few hours to spend.

Eliza Faucher

Pretty nice but no handicap access couldn't enter anything with my child since stroller couldn't go anywhere without carrying it

Caleb Gibbons

The guided tour was very neat. The lady that took us through was very kind and had to deal with a large group of students. She handled it very well! The building itself was very cool! In the tour she took us in through the bottom of the building and showed us all of the rooms. There is a ton of very cool artifacts inside the building! If you have an hour, go check it out!

Chuck Foster

Wonderful restoration. Great tours. The entrance to the Visitor's Entrance is on the street level, below the front on the Capital. Don't climb up, or you will just have to walk down.

Michael Courtney

I enjoy doing the guided tour. This was my third time.

Virginia Stockwell

Very much enjoyed this self guided tour. We latched on to the end of another tour and learned so much. It's a must visit for all ages!

Alice Mahoney

So amazing. My first time on a field trip! Definitely a must!!

Isaac Cabrera

Very clean City with time of history and places to visit. It has a very good vibe and felt like a cross between San Fransisco and Sacramento. The capital building is amazing and the scores it fruit wit stunning.

Courtnee Simpson

Reception lady was so helpful and historic! Amazing place to visit, definitely need to go back to see more

KATINA G

The building resembles the white house. I think it has been build before the White House. You can go inside on a guided tour, which is very nice as you can see and learn about many things not only from the pasr but also about the present situation in Virginia. The place is also nice with all the lights and shadows during the night. Inside the capitol building there are several statues for which the guide will tell you interesting stories.

Stewart Smith

Great historical place, well manicured gardens and a beautiful building with historical significance. We spent over an hour in the mid summer day, you have a lot of reasons to be proud Virginia, unlike the state of Californication, keep up the good work, we will be back.

K D

We only had 20 minutes here before it closed. Great architecture as well as Virginia History. While the signs are confusing (there are none) stating street parking is free on the weekend. Capitol Staff told us it was free to park on the street on the weekend. Worth a tour. You will have to go through a security check point to tour the Capitol Building.

Deepak Gupta

Great place to visit and get the understanding of history when you take the tour.

Victoria Corprew

The tour guide was great. She shared lots of history and current information about the Capital building and general assembly.

Kelly Rourke

Our field trip's tour guide was great! Mock session was very fun and I think the kids learned a lot from a hands in experience at the Capitol.

David Dowdy

Very nice

Shaunak A

A must see!

Koushal Yeginwar

Good place to watch in Richmond, must take a guided tour.

Christopher Adcock Jr.

If you ever have a chance to just relax on the lawn, it's a wonderful place for a quick lunch break.

Susan Push

Nice tour. If you are in the area go

Robert Hattan

Visited the Virginia State Capitol yesterday and it by far was one of the most impressive sites in Richmond. Designed by Thomas Jefferson with even his original model on display. The Washington statue is the only one known and done from a life mask of George Washington himself while alive.

Adam Wolf

If you like history definitely go. Our school group unfortunately had an awful tour guide who yelled at the children and made it a memorable experience for the wrong reason.

Novaldean Mullen

I was very impressed with the Police presence, making me feel safe We thank every Police we came in contact with..

George A-R

Beautiful capital tour. A lot of details fm the guide and plenty of history. Highly recommended for history buffs.

A Brookman

This was another great location to stop and see while in Richmond.

Marc Hamel

A great experience and walk through time. Great museum entrance below with beautiful grounds to walk surrounding the capitol building itself.

Cindy Spain

Perfect spot for a walk or a picnic. Good pokey stops too.

Mac A

I was extremely pleasantly surprised by the Virginia State Capitol. I expected to thing it was cool but be relatively uninterested in the capitol, but I actually really enjoyed it. The architecture was beautiful, and on the inside there was so much history to be witnessed. There was also a sweet lady who gave us a great rundown of what has happened to, and within, the state capitol building. I was thoroughly impressed with the time I had here, and since it’s free I would definitely consider going again.

Yepitsme

Very good place to learn about state history and see how the government works, amazing scenery, I took many pictures when I was there.

Kevin Marlowe

Very cool, great free tour, like being in the middle of history.

Clinton Lewis

Lots of history here. The building is nuce to tour and the grounds are great for a walk. The visitor center has a lot of info and nice exhibits.

Christopher Krupp

A wonderful piece of American history.

Humdrum

Simply one of the best states capitols in the entire USA. The history within this building is enormous. The building is a throwback to Roman times and there are still parts of the orginal structure left. The building has many different levels of government and each room has statues and paintings within it that give insight into the rise of our heart country. A Must see for all. Give your self about three hours to take it all in. The eatery on the ground level is well priced and has good food options for everyone.

T Man

Our tour was very informative. Loved the old architecture and history here

Brendan Pope

My family and I went on a tour of the Virginia State Capitol on a Saturday afternoon and highly recommend it. The tour guide was knowledgeable and friendly. The tour included the old Senate and House chambers as well as the current House chamber and rotunda. Even the security guards were helpful and friendly. And it's also free.

John Brereton

Nice city. Host to some very good restaurants and bars. The capitol building was a nice tour.

kayla Washington

Lots of history. Go there for a refresher.

David Cooper

Very fun and historic experience! It’s basically a small museum on the lower half (in the underground tunnel) off of Bank Street, and then of course the House/Senate chambers on the top. Meriweathers (also in the tunnel) is also a good place for an affordable quick bite!

Thomas Cost

Wow what friendly staff but they need to do better with parking for Seniors and disabled folks. I understand there are only 4 handy capped parking spots.

Deborah Lopez

This was so wonderful great your and the fact that it's free, makes this even more awesome..a great way to learn the judicial system up close.. Take your kids your your spouse and it's even great for grandparents. Great way to spend the day

Kendall Allen

Built in 1788, designed by Thomas Jefferson, based on Roman architecture in France, it's design is the basis for the US Capitol

Aaron Green

This is a great visitor center. Worth a visit.

iris busjahn

Free! I did the unguided tour. The new section flows into the original capital beautifully. A lot of interesting history to read.

La Campanella

The entrance is UNDER the capitol right on the sidewalk of Bank street and N 9th St! You can also ask for instructions at the BELL TOWER. Couldn't find the entrance and walked around the capitol for an hour! They have FREE tours that are really awesome, I managed to catch up on the end of one. The capitol is one of the most unique in all of the state capitols and is DEFINITELY worth a visit. Will go back again and take a good look at everything.

Jackson Hope

Shut up about the traffic. try driving from Houston to Austin in the summer with no AC on the most crowded road possible.

Ian Hancock

Very pretty. Full of statues of Confederate slavery defenders which is pretty gross. Civil rights monument is tucked in the back corner.

Angela Barbosa

My favorite place to visit in Richmond. The only place with a George Washington statue that he actually sat for and had plaster put into his face. Considered to be the most in his likeness, the Washington statue is worth millions— but you can see it for free here.

Aditya Basu-Dutta

Both the grounds and the Capitol tour are great. The former has a decent amount of pleasant seating areas and meaningful monuments. Very clean and litter-free, of course. The hourly guided tours are very educational and the tour guide I had was very accommodating for those who had special needs or had to leave early. Whether you are an American or a foreign tourist I recommend that you come. This place was designed to impress, and it has been designed and refurbished well.

Cac Mai

Very nice. Our family had a great time.

Dale Woodson

Beautiful and historical... The home to the oldest legislative body in the new world! (400 years+)

Paulette McFarland

Beautiful grounds around the capital. We loved taking the tour.

SHARMIN SHIRIN

Extraordinarily wonderful! Wish we had some more time.

SAIF UR REHMAN

Very old and Gold Building nice to visit.

Robert Moran

Fantastic place. The best part was the awesome tour. The guide was extremely knowledgeable about the capital and the history surrounding it. He was absolutely awesome. I highly recommend a tour and free.

Chief Buckland

Amazing to see all of the history. Well worth the time to walk through

James F

My review is limited to the exterior and grounds. There was so much to look at around the capitol building. sad to see what they did to the building behind the Capital. Sadly my time was limited, but would love to experience the interior!

Dominic Wallace

A great way to learn the history of Virginia and a beautiful building.

Ray Stolz

We were suprised with the excellent (free) tour we took here. The tour guide was very well informed and the architecture and decor offered much insight into the history of the building which was designed by Thomas Jefferson. There are many original artifacts to see which enhance the tour. The tour took about an hour but you may spend another half hour looking at the exhibits at the entrance. A definite must see on your visit to Richmond.

Dale Chapman

Mark is a tremendous guide! Great history & civics lesson through a tour.