Discover Washington D.C.'s Federal Buildings on a Self-Guided Audio Tour

Key facts

What's included

Itinerary

1. Stop 1 Pass by

   Pass the sleek facade of NASA's main headquarters, named in 2020 after Mary W. Jackson, the agency's first Black female engineer. Discover how the building connects to NASA's Earth Information Center and the ongoing work of monitoring our changing planet.

2. Stop 2 Pass by

   Walk past this sprawling utilitarian complex that quietly houses hundreds of congressional staff and support operations. Learn how its existence reflects the ever-expanding administrative machinery required to keep the House of Representatives functioning.

3. Stop 3 Pass by

   Stroll past this mid-century office block named after the legendary Speaker Tip O'Neill, a master of backroom deal-making and congressional muscle. Explore how the building represents an era when legislative power was brokered through personal relationships as much as policy.

4. Stop 4 Pass by

   Pass this federal complex named after a pioneering disability rights administrator whose work shaped American rehabilitation policy for decades. Discover how decisions made inside buildings like this one gave rise to landmark legislation improving the lives of millions.

5. Stop 5 Pass by

   Stand before the Lyndon B. Johnson Department of Education Building and trace the story of a federal agency that nearly never existed. Learn how domestic service programs and education funding flow from policy decisions made behind these unassuming walls.

6. Stop 6 Pass by

   Explore the memorial that took decades of controversy and redesign before finally opening in 2020, just steps from the agencies Eisenhower's presidency helped shape. Marvel at Frank Gehry's sweeping design, which frames the 34th president's journey from Kansas farm boy to Supreme Allied Commander.

7. Stop 7 Pass by

   Admire the brutalist mass of this building, home to the Department of Health and Human Services and named after one of America's most passionate advocates for social welfare. Discover how the programmes administered here touch virtually every stage of American life, from birth to old age.

8. Stop 8 Pass by

   Pass the largest and most expensive congressional office building ever constructed, secretly funded through $1.6 billion that Sam Rayburn buried inside ordinary appropriations bills. Learn how Rayburn's legendary backroom manoeuvring secured a building that Congress might never have openly approved.

9. Stop 9 Pass by

   Explore the oldest surviving congressional office building, opened in 1908 to relieve the overcrowded Capitol. Hear how simmering resentment over Speaker Joe Cannon's iron grip on the House exploded into the 1910 revolt that permanently redistributed power in the House of Representatives.

10. Stop 10 Pass by

    Arrive at the seat of American legislative power and consider the building not just as an icon but as an institution tested by history. Reflect on how events from the earliest days of the republic to the most recent challenges to democratic norms have shaped what this building means.

Meeting point & pickup

Meet at the starting point

This tour starts at St Dominic Catholic Church. Before arrival, please install the mobile app and use the code provided on your confirmation ticket. Detailed starting point instructions are available after downloading.

Cancellation & confirmation