At the United States Capitol you can observe the Senate or House of Representatives in action. Free daily tours of the Capitol, where more than 8,000 new bills are proposed each year, are available. Get tour tickets at kiosks in the Capitol Visitor’s Center, or avoid long waits and contact your legislator in advance of your trip. Stand beneath the nine-million-pound iron-dome and check out scenes from American history that are painted in the rotunda. See the statues of prominent people from various states in Statuary Hall, and learn about the teenagers, known as “pages” that spend a semester working here and attending the Capitol Page School at the Library of Congress. Even if you can’t get tour tickets, the brand new Capitol Visitor’s Center (which you must pass through to wait for tours) offers a chance to touch a 10-foot model of the Capitol Dome and listen to live feeds from both chambers of Congress (when in session) in the virtual House and Senate galleries.

Each weekday The Washington Post’s “Today in Congress” column lists the times and locations of House and Senate sessions and which are open to the public.