The lady giving my school a tour seemed like she was flaunting and bragging about how "amazing" this place was. She's like "you can come here for parties... but it's really expensive." There's too many stairs here and the atmosphere just feels very... off. The court room is strange too. We watched the court room in seats for god only knows how long. And it wasn't even an interesting case. Just random people crumbling and making noises with their mics and papers. I really don't ever want to come here again. I dislike Olympia in general. Oh, and they have a very strict food policy here if you're going with school. The lady seemed like she was bragging about the chandeliers and diamonds lol. It's as if she thought she lived here. How about stop flashing your cash around and actually act professional. The first time I was here (I've gone two times) they made us all sit on the dirty ass floor. They act like they're so rich but they make us sit on the floor? Go to the mall or something instead of coming to god only knows what this place is. The lunch room or whatever had all white walls and metal chairs that would hurt your grandma's back in seconds. It looked like a room out of Stranger Things from the lab or rainbow room! Don't come here. Money money money blah blah blah more talk about more money. They only care about your money. Don't come here. read more

Great place to go. I recommend taking the tour of the capital, is free and they have one every hour. Their is a lot of history that needs to be seen and told in the Washington State Capital. read more

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Beautiful building and campus. Well worth seeing. We got to see both House and Senate chambers when we were there. Our tour guide, Linda, was great and gave us a good overview of the facility and it's history. read more

The State Capitol is beautiful! The tour guide was a retired teacher so we got lots of great information. My husband uses a scooter and the entire tour was totally accessable for him because there are elevators. We also toured the Governor's Mansion, wich was interesting, but not spectacular (like the Capitol building). The tour guides were OK, but my hubby could only access the bottom floor because there are no elevators. That being said, if you contact them you can arrange to park MUCH closer to the Mansion and avoid walking up the hill! read more

We make it a point to see the Capitol building whenever we are in a state Capitol city. This building is, without doubt, one of the most beautiful in the country. In fact, I would give is a SOLID five stars if it weren't for the grounds. The Capitol grounds should be an embarrassment to the state and especially for whatever agency is charged with their maintenance. Dead grass, dead plants, and weeds abound. As spectacular as the building is, the grounds are just as dreadful. read more

The Capitol and the Capitol campus is great at all time of the year. It's perfect to come in the evenings and walk and get your exercise in or bring your kids out to view Washington history or one of the three memorials on site. If you walk over to the fallen police memorial set up high on a hill before you go down into Capitol Lake park, you get a wonderful view of the park and the water. There is also the Vietnam and Korean war memorials. And Capitol food garden is cool to walk through and see all the pumpkins and squash and beans and peppers grown to help the local food banks. The Capitol building itself is a wonderful piece of architechture as well as the other marble buildings of the campus. I love to bring my little daschunds here to just romp around in the grass and play. And toward Sept/Oct they turn on the fountain and light it up with pink lights. During the day I believe it's pay to park and at night it's free. read more

Washington State Capitol - The fountain lit up and running - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Olympia, Washington

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We enjoyed our stop at the Washington State Capitol. The free tour of the Capitol building was interesting and informative. The entire campus is beautiful to see. Parking can be a little far from the buildings, but we didn't have too much trouble finding a place to park. Young kids may not be very excited by the tour, but for older kids and adults, it's worth a stop! read more

Absolutely beautiful Federal style architecture. The heart of civilization in the Pacific Northwest. It has the most Tiffany chandeliers and lights in the world. 438! read more

Went with my son with his school for a field trip. The tour with our guide was entertaining and educational. Learned a lot of fun facts and trivia about the capital. I highly recommend taking a tour with a tour guide that can show you another view of the capital. read more

Washington State Capitol - State Capital edited with snapseed - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Olympia, Washington

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How can you NOT love the Washington State Capitol! Really! Give me one good reason! Oh wait, never mind, but still, it's super cool. The best state, and a great capitol city, you've just gotta love it. Me: extremely biased. Wander around the grounds, maybe throw the frisbee around (great for golf), and reminisce. Yep. A few of you know what I'm talking about. Thanks for listening! read more

We took a tour of the capitol and it was great. Our guide clearly loved giving the tour and was very knowledgeable. The architecture is quite impressive especially for Olympia which has a dearth of architectural treasures. One of the chambers had a carpet with trillium. Very Washington State! read more

State capitols are just really cool buildings. Very majestic stone, wood and metal work. I took an hour long free tour. It was a slow period for tours so I was the only person on my tour. My tour guide was very nice and informative. There is a gift store in the building with products from Washington as well as some tourism books. Ironically, with all the wine that Washington produces, the selection there comprised of several bottles with very similar labels and seemed like the kind of wines where more thought has been put into the labeling the the wine itself. I'd highly recommend taking the free tour. It makes the visit so much more interesting. read more

I came here playing tourist and I have to say I was impressed with the building! I went on the FREE capitol tour which was really informative, and awesome for me because I don't know much about Washington at all! I was impressed with the ambiance and presence of the building. There are tons of historical artifacts and paintings which are cool to see if you're into that kind of thing. The decorations are incredible and there is marble everywhere inside. I would recommend this place if you are into historical landmarks and history period. The FREE tour was awesome, and the volunteers there are super friendly and will answer any questions you may have. read more

The hints of silver with the surrounding plants in bloom make for a picturesque scene. I wish my state capital was this pretty.

The MOST beautiful building in the state. (Sorry, Seattle...) read more

Poor Washington didn't get its own star on the flag, sharing it with Idaho who was entered into the states the same year. Check another one off the list. You're next Montana. read more

Took a free guided tour of the Capitol building and really enjoyed it. The volunteer tour guide was very nice and informative, and the building itself was beautiful. In addition to learning about the architecture and design, we also got to sit in both the House and Senate galleries and learned about how the state government functions. Definitely a worthwhile visit! read more

Worth the look but check the hours to be open. Parking near is a bit tricky. Inside is worth the look! Lots of marble and a traditional design. read more

I absolutely loved the free tour. The grounds are immaculate. The lake is a great run route. It's not that far from the museum (museum is closed for renovation) this is center to everything and an alleged taco truck which I'm looking for lol. Definitely a must visit read more

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Free tours are provided by volunteer docents on the hour. I arrived a few minutes late for the 11am tour on a Monday, but the information desk was kind enough to give me directions to join my tour in progress. We visited both the senate and house chambers, as well as the governor's office and reception room. The talk included information on the different types of marble used throughout the building, the state seal, county flags, and procedures for voting. Our small group was escorted by a state trooper. There were no screening rooms to go through, but you weren't allowed to bring backpacks or bags with you. Flash photography was permitted throughout the tour, except in governor's office where no photography was permitted. The guide was willing to answer additional questions during her talk which lasted about an hour. Whether or not you are a resident of Washington, it is a beautiful building to see. read more

Beautiful grounds, dahlia gardens, statues, friendly staff, gift store is surprisingly stocked with some very cool items, books, Christmas ornaments, stickers, t shirts etc!! Staff friendly and helpful. Tours available. read more

Absolutely stunning. The inside of the capitol building itself is pretty much all marble and I really feel I could just spend a few hours just staring and looking at the craftsmanship itself. The last time I was here was to watch the house and senate vote to pass marriage equality into law and I don't think I'll ever forget it. The campus itself it equally beautiful and it's definitely worth a trip to look at the memorials and everything else if you haven't already. read more

I can't speak for what goes on in this building government-wise, but it's a great piece of history and you can't beat a free tour by an old lady who loves to tell stories. read more

This was certainly one of the more magnificent state capitols. Large, solid, and greco-roman in essence. There was a good amount to see for he who appreciates architecture. Moreover, there is a lot of helpful staff. read more

I'm usually not interested in history or politics, but really enjoyed a stop here on my way to Seattle. I would recommend taking the tour (one hour long, every hour) because the guide brings you into places that are locked, like the reception room, and provides interesting information without being too boring. During my visit on a Friday I got to meet the First Lady of Washington when my tour group walked by her. Parking was easy to find at the visitor center nearby for $1.50/hour (a few free 30 minute spots). Beautiful landscaping, including tulips and cherry blossom trees. There is a free bus that takes you to nearby downtown Olympia. read more

Simply telling someone about the grand architecture and the beautiful lighting and furnishings inside the Capitol is inadequate. It was a wonderful afternoon perusing history. Don't miss the outside public art or the war memorials. It's unfortunate that, on the weekends, the galleries for the Senate and House are not open, nor is the Supreme Court building. I highly recommend taking your children to see this masterpiece. read more

I was on a time schedule and I could not get into the Senate/House of Rep. But I was clearly taken aback by the sheer size of it and the quality of marble put into it. it is really a must if one is visiting the parts of Washington State that doesn't include Seattle. read more

5 stars for legalizing same sex weddings! A few more t's to cross and i's to dot and I am ready for our road trip!

An awesome experience here. Love the main foyer that connects the House and the Senate. Would love to be the guest of Rep. Hans Zeiger and Secretary of State Kim Wyman again! read more

We visited the Washington State Capitol twice during our trip, and although we did not have an opportunity to enjoy the tour, we did appreciate the beauty of the building and the friendliness of the staff that worked there. We arrived late one afternoon, and I got hungry with little warning. The cafeteria was about to close, but the ladies re-opened the trays just for us: the most delicious homemade mac & cheese! I am borderline hypoglycemic, and so this was much appreciated. I saw this attention to customer service continued during our second visit, where the gift shop attendant kept the place open long after the closing time, so that patrons could continue to peruse the shop floor. Parking is on the street in front and paid at the kiosk, well worth the small amount you pay. At some point, I will return, but the friendliness of the folks will stay with me. read more

On our recent trip to Seattle we were able to check one more state capitol off our list, the Washington State Capitol in Olympia! I have seriously lost count, but it was really nice to mark this one off our list :) Even though the capitol building isn't in Seattle, it was only an hour and 1/2 away, so we made a day trip out of it. After looking at some of the memorials on the grounds and taking pictures, we made it inside the capitol in time to take a tour. Neither of us knew much about the Washington State Capitol, which I have to say is embarrassing as I had lived in Seattle for a couple of years in the late 80's. Anyway, we also found out that the dome is 287 feet high, making it the tallest self-supporting masonry dome in the United States, and fourth tallest in the world. The building itself has a rectangular footprint and is constructed of brick and concrete and faced on the exterior with limestone quarried from Wilkeson, Washington. The structure consists of four floors with the dome at the center that again reaches a height of 287 feet on the exterior and 175 feet from the floor. We had a great tour guide who loved the capitol and made sure we could feel the pride and passion of those who worked there. It is something we are glad we were able to see while in the area. Read more about the capitol and our visit on my travel blog post. read more

Washington State Capitol - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Olympia, Washington

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This place is cool for sight seeing and viewing the historical views and what Olympia used to be and what it still is today. It's free to go and check out and parking is free because the taxpayers pay for it. Not bad for a sunny day or rainy day. You can tell alot of things about Olympia are pretty amazing once you go and check these places out. read more

A nice place to take ESL students. Students are amazed WA is the only state named after a President, and at the size of the place. Anyway, here a YouTube video I quickly put together for the ESL students who graduated from ELS Tacoma today 6/21/2013 at 12PM, http://youtu.be/knJZKBxZuEc . andreicdavis@gmail.com read more

fantastic tour and I am woefully embarrassed that I have not been in the decades I have lived here! The tour is free takes about an hour, is full of beautiful sights, pretty Tiffany .. and lots of good history/trivia...on your way in just make sure you count the steps and know the number and why? you will be quizzed! Friendly staff lots of questions answered that we never thought of asking ...and it is very "open".. My grandkids loved it so much we went twice this summer just so they could look at the marble and find animals ..it is a great urban hiking for the hard core walkers amongst us to go park at the Farmers mkt walk to the State house take the tour have a snack at a local eatery (they did have a deli we did not check it out but I would) then walk back .you can enjoy the artwork on the waterfront and murals in town ...if you are local and have not been ..go ...if you are not local and want to go ..please go stop putting it off like I did thinking "oh it is there for a rainy day" it is better on a sunny day the view is stunning ...the grounds are beautiful and right now the dahlias are blooming like crazy read more

Great for touring! Stay away from the treasury as they think they are important and are not very friendly to visitors. The others all are very friendly towards visitors. read more

I remember growing up in Olympia and the Capitol grounds were always a place to bring company. Beautiful flowers, well manicured gardens and lush green lawns added to the beauty of the buildings, the statues and the fountain. Now, I see weeds 3 feet tall, patchy lawn, over grown shrubs, minimal flowers. It's grey and barren and ugly. Nothing says Welcome to the capitol of Washington. It's very disappointing to visit the once beautiful capitol grounds. read more