Library of Congress, Washington DC

Lovely building on Capitol Hill. The entrance is free and you can enjoy the grand architecture inside and outside. Don't miss out in the impressive fountain just under the entrance stairs by the main road. On The ground floor you'll find one of the first bibles printed in Latin. Also the secretaries office. Take the stairs and go to level 2 to see the library hall from the balcony.

This is a must see in Washington DC. We waited for the free tour hoping it would take us into the reading room. It doesn’t go anywhere that you can’t explore on your own and unless you have specific questions I would skip this tour. They only send about 15-20 people with each guide but there is no easy way to tell who was assigned so it would be easy to just tag along with a guide group. I would recommend getting your library card so you can go into the reading rooms. You have to go to a lower floor (just ask, everyone was super helpful) and provide photo id. Large bags are not allowed so plan to check them at coat check or leave them with a member of your group and take turns looking around. Your library card is valid for 2 years so you can look at their online books too.