Capitol Tours & Resources

Capitol Tour and Building Information - Capitol building and tour hours.

Building Hours

Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (building locks at 4:45 p.m.)

Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

[email protected]
Large Group Tour Request - Schedule a tour of the Iowa Capitol for groups of 10 or more people. Tours can be scheduled Monday through Saturday.
Small Group Tours - Groups of less than 10 people are encouraged to call 515.281.5591 for the tour schedule on a given day. Tours leave at regular intervals from the tour guide station on the ground floor of the Capitol.
Tour Rules and Restrictions - Individual tours are not given. Tour participants under the age of 18 must be accompanied by at least one adult, supervisor, parent, or guardian and cannot be left alone with a tour guide during the tour. The suggested adult-to-student ratio for organized groups of children of day care, elementary, or middle school age is one adult for every 10 children. Organized groups must be at least a fourth-grade level and above to tour the whispering gallery. Tour groups are expected to follow all safety rules provided by tour guides.
Video and Pictorial Tours of the Capitol and Capitol Grounds - Audio and video images and guides of the Capitol and the Capitol grounds.
Cell Phone Audio and Video Tour: Capitol Monuments | Capitol Interior - A cell phone audio and video tour of the Capitol grounds and the Capitol's interior.
Legislative Committee Room Maps - Public maps indicating the location of the legislative committee meeting rooms on each floor of the Iowa State Capitol.
Lactation Room - The lactation room available for use in the Capitol is equipped with a chair, sink, and a surface for equipment and education materials. The Capitol lactation room is located in the ground floor Women’s restroom located by the west ground floor entrance security checkpoint. If you are here for the day, you can use the room at an available time and the schedule is posted outside of the room. The room is reserved for 30 minute increments and may be accessed by a key maintained at the tour guide station located on the ground floor of the Capitol. Return the key to that location after you have used the room.

If you desire to use the room for a more regular period of time, please contact Meghan Nelson at [email protected] or 515.281.5383 or by stopping by the office, located on the second floor behind the House Chamber, Room 227.
Bus Parking Map - All bus parking is located on the west side of the Capitol along East Ninth Street. Each bus may load and unload from the circle drive located directly in front of the west Capitol ground-floor handicap-accessible entrance.
Capitol Complex Parking Information and Map - The Capitol parking map assists in locating accessible parking for persons with disabilities, visitor lots, overflow lots, motorcycle parking spots, employee parking, service/delivery vehicle parking, and temporary parking around the Iowa State Capitol.
Driving Directions - Driving directions to the Iowa State Capitol can be obtained through this link to Mapquest. The link opens to a street map of Des Moines, including Interstate 235.
Other Des Moines Attractions - This link connects to the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau Website. The site lists many activities and areas of interest in and around the city.

Capitol Tours & Resources

CAPITOL MAILING ADDRESS