Have you ever visited the Capitol of the State that you live in? We’ve been to the Capitol of the US in DC many times and toured it – even rode the trains that the Senators take underground (that is cool!) – but we have never toured the Oregon State Capitol, where our kids have always lived.
I decided to change that. The Capitol is only about 30 minutes from where we live and we have driven by it many, many times. I even worked for the State in college, and never bothered to tour the Capitol! For shame!
We went and parking was simple. Plenty of parking out front. I was shocked when we could just walk right into the building. I guess I am used to DC where you must have everything and everyone go through x-rays and metal detectors!
It was completely empty the Friday afternoon we went. They let you just come in and walk around. They offer tours, but my kids didn’t want to wait for a tour, so we got a self-tour map and set on our way. Someday, I’d love to do a guided tour. The door knobs are really cool. The ceilings and wall paintings are amazing. The designs in the carpet and floors are really fun! FYI – the bathrooms were clean and nice!
It was fun to see the state senate and representative rooms. Then we got to see the governor’s office (ceremonial only, I’m sure). It had a cool table. The kids got to sit at the desk and stand at the podium for press conferences. It was quite a bit of fun for the kids! They gave the kids special pencils to take home too! Score! A fun, free souvenir!
It was surprisingly a really fun time! I am already planning when we can go back and tour it again. It is a free and easy tour, that teaches kids about government and the history of your state. I highly encourage you to give the Capitol of your state a visit – I want to do it for other states that we visit too!
