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I would recommend visiting when the General Assembly is in session (January through – usually – late April or early May). When the legislature is not in session, there is a lot of construction and restoration that goes on both inside and outside the building.

Aside from that, there is just a lot of ambience you’ll miss without seeing the building in action. All Senators and Representatives work within the building (all legislators’ offices are within the building), and so, in addition to the opportunity to watch debate and votes, you’ll hear the voting bells, witness the swarms of lobbyists in action and school groups in force, and see the bustle that goes on behind the scenes.

Visit Monday-Thursday, if you don’t mind crowds. The building is virtually deserted on Fridays and Saturdays, aside from tour groups. Mondays are busy tour days but the House and Senate usually gavel in and gavel out, so you won’t see anything going on in the chambers.

Take a tour, and don’t miss the opportunity to climb to the dome (there are a lot of stairs, but it is well-worth it). Watch the session from the gallery for a few minutes when your tour has ended (take the central elevators to the third floor); whether or not there is floor action, there’s always something to see – even if it is a second chance to take in the architecture. Explore the back stairs between the ground floor and the first floor, and take a look down all of the wings to see the glass-cased exhibits.

The cafeteria can be expensive, but there’s nothing quite so nice as eating your lunch on the Capitol’s steps on a clear spring day. On the ground floor/basement, there are vending machines, a salad bar, a deli station, and some sort of main course served each day during session. (I don’t believe it runs the rest of the year, but I can’t remember for certain.) Of course, you’re also near downtown Des Moines and several nice restaurants.

In general, you can’t go wrong here; spend two hours or twenty, and you’ll be rewarded. And don’t forget to come back for the State Fair!

The General Assembly’s website is legis.state.ia.us/, and information about tours is in the sidebar link titled “Educational”.