Iowa State Capitol

If you’re planning on visiting the Iowa State Capitol, first off make sure you bring a camera. You’ll be taking a lot of pictures.

Second, make sure you bring someone who lives in Iowa with you. Get that person to speak to their legislator about going “all the way to the top” of the dome. If you talk and plead enough, and only if you have a constituent, you’ll be given release forms.

Fill these out and schedule a time (sometime it won’t be for a day or two) and then get ready for one of the most exhilirating experiences of your life.
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Once I was met by my friend’s legislator, we were taken up to the “Whispering Gallery”. This is as far as 99% of visitors make it, and has an okay view.

After looking around for a few minutes, our guide unlocked a door and motioned us into another stairwell. We climbed for ages, and finally came out directly above the flag and eagle (which can be seen in a photo above). The flag, eagle, and star are suspended over the opening of the dome, and are topped by a large painting of a sky. Unfortunately we weren’t able to get very close, but that was alright since the best part was yet to come.

We climbed up stairs that wound around the inside of the dome before shooting straight to the center of the dome to a platform where we ascended another spiral staircase and ended up…outside. That’s right, all the way on the very top of the dome, outside! We ooed and awwed appropriately, taking as many pictures as we could as our guide tried to hurry us up.

The whole tour took around a half hour, and I would not suggest it for anyone who is at all claustrophobic or afraid of heights.

The tour made my time at the state capitol 1000% more enjoyable. Make sure you get one.

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”.

I really like the view from the ground floor up into the dome.