Skirting the Capital

Walking Tour - Parts can be included in Highlights of Washington Tours

Duration: 2 hours

Anecdotal glimpses of Capitol Hill based on a number of books by tour leader Anthony S. Pitch, including his award-winning The Burning of Washington: The British Invasion of 1814 (History Book Club selection); "They Have Killed Papa Dead!" - The Road to Ford's Theatre, Abraham Lincoln's Murder, and the Rage for Vengeance; and Congressional Chronicles.

• Starting Point: Capitol South Metro Station exit, 1st Street SE, between C & D Streets SE. (Orange & Blue lines).
• A horseshoe-shaped stroll around the outside of the U.S. Capitol, passing in front of the House of Representatives Office Buildings, Madison and Jefferson buildings of the Library of Congress, Supreme Court, Sewall-Belmont House, and Senate Office Buildings.
• Amusing, informative, sad, and dramatic tales of Congresspersons and their famous and infamous neighbors over more than two centuries.
• A look back at historic events on these sites, including the burning of the U.S. Capitol by British troops in the War of 1812, the public hanging of the notorious commandant of a Confederate prisoner of war camp, and the thrill of the hunt amid old diaries and letters awaiting discovery in the bowels of the Library of Congress.

Cost: Group or private tours by appointment. Flat fee of $400. Maximum 35 people.